The time I trusted an old framing square and ended up with a lopsided roof

It taught me to never skip verifying angles, even with tools you think you know.

4 comments

4 Comments

Man, tell me about it. I mean, you get comfortable with a tool and just assume it's good, but stuff wears out or gets knocked around. I had a tape measure once that was off by like an eighth inch at the end, totally messed up some cuts. Now I check my squares and levels against a known good one before starting anything big. Maybe it's just me, but that kind of mistake sticks with you.

william_garcia1mo ago

Wow, my buddy Jake had a similar thing happen with his level. He was putting up some shelves in his garage, using this level he'd had for years. Turns out the bubble was off just a tiny bit, so every shelf he hung was slightly tilted. He didn't notice until he tried to put boxes on them and they all slid off. Now he checks that thing against a known flat surface before every project. Can you believe that?

joseph_kim1mo ago

Get how even careful people get burned by this. My dad's construction buddy had a laser level that slowly lost calibration from getting bumped around in the truck. He did a whole basement drywall job where every stud line was off by a hair, and it stacked up into a huge problem at the far wall. Tools just die from use, like a concrete floor over time can knock a level's guts loose. Makes you realize even pro gear needs a check against something you know is true.

mark4361mo ago

So is there a good way to check a laser level, or do you just have to trust it until something goes wrong like @william_garcia's buddy?