That day my level went crazy on a construction site

I was framing a house in Phoenix and my 6 foot level kept showing everything was off by 1/4 inch. Took me two hours and three different levels to realize my eyes were playing tricks from staring at the sun. Has anyone else had a tool mess with your head like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jakewhite9d ago

A buddy of mine had that same problem once but it turned out his level got dropped off a ladder and the vial itself was cracked. Not the bubble part, just a tiny hairline crack you couldn't see unless you held it up to light. We spent half a day redoing a wall before someone noticed the bubble wasn't sitting right even when the level was dead level on a known flat surface. Might be worth checking your levels for cracks or dents if you haven't already, that 1/4 inch could be a bad tool instead of your eyes.

price.ray9d ago

I've heard that one before but honestly I think people jump to blaming the tool way too fast. In my experience most of the time it's just user error or bad framing. Your buddy might have had a cracked level but that's a rare exception, not the rule. Nine times out of ten if you're off by a quarter inch it's because you didn't check the level against a known flat surface first or you were rushing. Levels are pretty tough, I've dropped mine plenty of times and never had a vial crack. Just saying maybe double check your studs or your layout before you start blaming the bubble. Your mileage may vary though.