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TIL my grandpa used a piece of chalk and a string for his layout, and I use a laser level that cost $180
Helped clean out my grandpa's garage in Gary last weekend and found his old layout box with a chalk line and a folding rule in it. He did boiler work for 30 years starting back in the 70s and he said a chalk snap and a steady eye was all you got. These days I'm out there with a rotary laser and a magnetic base, and honestly the setup takes longer than his snap ever did. But I will say I still carry a chalk line in my bucket because there are spots under a drum where the laser just will not read. Grandpa laughed and said I paid $180 to do what a 2 dollar string does. What old tools do you guys still keep around even with all the new stuff?
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stellat461h ago
Man, that chalk line is really a handshake with the guy who built the place before you. Your grandpa's string and chalk held a secret your laser can't: it shows you where the last guy actually stood and what he was thinking. Some things aren't about speed or price, they're about keeping that line of people behind you close.
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