Trying to save time on layout with a digital level cost me 3 hours of rework

I was working on a tank job down in Baton Rouge last month and figured I'd skip the soapstone and use one of those digital magnetic levels for my layout marks. Big mistake - the thing drifted by about 1/8 inch over 8 feet and I didn't catch it until after I had burned a whole row of brackets. Any of you guys had digital levels screw up your layout or am I just unlucky with that particular brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan_fisher9915d ago

Honestly, "the thing drifted by about 1/8 inch over 8 feet" is exactly why I quit using those digital levels for anything critical. Ngl, I had a similar thing happen with a brand I won't name on a pipe rack job in Houston. The bubble level on my old 4-footer is never wrong, but that digital one just randomly changed its reading after I set it down on a hot beam. Tbh, I spent a whole afternoon rechecking every mark I made and still had to re-burn three hangers. I think a lot of these tools just can't handle the heat or vibration on a real job site.

sam_rivera15d ago

Buddy of mine out in Odessa had the same thing happen with a brand new digital transit.