Finally got my string line setup down to under 5 minutes

Used to fumble with those cheap plastic line levels and a 25 foot tape. Took forever. Watched a guy in Omaha use two 6 foot stakes and a chalk line reel. Tried it on a job three weeks ago. Now I drive the stakes, snap the line, check it once. Done. What's your fastest trick for getting a straight run?

4 comments

4 Comments

jesse_smith102mo ago

Saw a guy use a laser level for long runs... looked pretty slick.

victor6512mo ago

Honestly thought those things were just for show until last year. Had to run a drain line across a full basement, like 40 feet. String line kept sagging no matter how tight we pulled it. Buddy lent me his laser, set it on a tripod, and bam. Perfect straight line the whole way. Changed my whole view on them for big jobs. Still keep a 4-foot level in the truck for the short stuff though.

lisas781d ago

Oh man, I totally get what you mean! I was the same way for years, thought lasers were just for the fancy expensive jobs. Then I had to hang a ceiling grid in a weird shaped basement and the string line was driving me nuts. @jesse_smith10 that's exactly the thing, they look slick but they really save your bacon on those long runs. I still grab my old school level for anything under 10 feet though, never hurts to double check.

price.linda2mo ago

Yeah, until the battery dies halfway through and you're stuck holding a fancy red dot pointer. Seen that happen, guy was trying to line up a whole wall of cabinets and just had to guess at the end.