I thought I would share my latest 'opportunity' I created when for the first time I have used a Laser level.
Well having been an aficiado of the bubble level (I would highly recommend the Stabilo R series) I had a job in the last few days which required 250 holes to be drilled in a wall (checker board pattern) with precision for mounting displays in a shop. The wall was anything but flat and I couldn't think of an easy or reliable way of getting the all the holes aligned horizontally and vertically using the traditional manual methods. Any deviation would draw the eye and look horrible. Skimming the wall flat was not an option unfortunately.
Enter stage left the FatMax laser level. Lovely bit of kit, easy to use and makes setting out very easy.......however........as I discovered only after I had drilled all of the holes and started to mount the displays (4 shiny chrome holders at each corner) if you place the Laser level centrally and move the vertical laser to meet up with the spacing I'd set out in the wall, all us fine when the laser is at 90 degrees to the wall. If ......as I did.......you rotate the laser to align with the marks problems start to arise. The further away from 90 degrees is the angle between the wall and the vertical laser the greater the problem. The laser bounces off the first bit if wall it sees, all is great if the wall is flat, but if it's bowed, the line is no longer vertical but follows the contour of the wall. Woops.
So the learning opportunity I've had is always move the laser to be at 90 degrees to the wall when setting out vertical lines.
It probably says this in the manual, but I'm a bloke, manuals are for when everything else fails.
Well having been an aficiado of the bubble level (I would highly recommend the Stabilo R series) I had a job in the last few days which required 250 holes to be drilled in a wall (checker board pattern) with precision for mounting displays in a shop. The wall was anything but flat and I couldn't think of an easy or reliable way of getting the all the holes aligned horizontally and vertically using the traditional manual methods. Any deviation would draw the eye and look horrible. Skimming the wall flat was not an option unfortunately.
Enter stage left the FatMax laser level. Lovely bit of kit, easy to use and makes setting out very easy.......however........as I discovered only after I had drilled all of the holes and started to mount the displays (4 shiny chrome holders at each corner) if you place the Laser level centrally and move the vertical laser to meet up with the spacing I'd set out in the wall, all us fine when the laser is at 90 degrees to the wall. If ......as I did.......you rotate the laser to align with the marks problems start to arise. The further away from 90 degrees is the angle between the wall and the vertical laser the greater the problem. The laser bounces off the first bit if wall it sees, all is great if the wall is flat, but if it's bowed, the line is no longer vertical but follows the contour of the wall. Woops.
So the learning opportunity I've had is always move the laser to be at 90 degrees to the wall when setting out vertical lines.
It probably says this in the manual, but I'm a bloke, manuals are for when everything else fails.
RTFM. Golden rule.
