Home made laser level

Has anyone ever taped a laser pointer to a level? Seems it should work as long as the pointer has smooth sides.

Just curious after another post on here about them.

Reply to
repairs
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If you had something like a swimming pool that you could calibrate it with it might work but there is nothing magic about a laser level. The pool builders all use a water level around here when they are setting tiles or forming up the shell because the top of that water will always be level and quickly point out the deficiencies of a laser level. Lasers are great for getting something flat (T bar ceiling, raised floors, etc) but they are only as "level" as the calibration.

Reply to
gfretwell

Waste of time and would be inaccurate.

Laser levels are no more accurate than bubble or water levels. Less so in many applications. Just hi-tech toys for the geekish.

They are good for getting things flat.

Reply to
harry

My first thought, is that a very tiny shift of the laser, would make for a very large shift at the end of the laser beam.

You'd have to wrap tape tightly, many times around the level, and then you couldn't get the level to sit evenly on the surface you're working.

Just curious after another post on here about them.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

On Mon, 13 May 2013 22:06:05 -0500, snipped-for-privacy@workshop.com wrote in Re Home made laser level:

There is no guarantee (or even a claim) that the beam of a laser pointer is parallel to the smooth sides of the pointer.

Reply to
CRNG

True, but if you took the time calibrate it (ie, insure the beam is parallel) with some other level, it should work. Of course, you have to account for the width of the bubble level it is attached to - eg, the dot will appear 2" higher than level if the laser is mounted on top of a 2" wide bubble level. As others have said, laser levels are just a tool that come in handy in certain situations. Regular levels and water levels are often easier to use and don't require batteries. Same with laser distance measuring devices. I love mine, but I sure wouldn't throw my tape measure or 6' rule away. ...Pat

Reply to
Pat

Why not just use a gun with a laser sight. You point it at the distant object to find the proper height and pull the trigger. It saves having to walk all the way to the object to mark it. I'm jus' sayin' ........

Reply to
Robert

Why not just use a gun with a laser sight. You point it at the distant object to find the proper height and pull the trigger. It saves having to walk all the way to the object to mark it. I'm jus' sayin' ........

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I can see it now: "But your honor, this was for a construction project, in order to establish a level line!"

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

snipped-for-privacy@z10g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...

Got a good chuckle out of it.

Reply to
hrhofmann

A: Gravity

Reply to
krw

On Tue, 14 May 2013 05:25:46 -0700 (PDT), Robert wrote in Re Re: Home made laser level:

Well, what you are saying takes no account of the physics and trajectory of a bullet fired from a gun. It's is nowhere near a straight line.

Reply to
CRNG

Gravity also "bends" light, so the laser wouldn't be totally accurate either. However, I suspect that over a distance of , say, 100 feet or less, the problem with either a bullet or a laser becomes academic. Besides, it would be a lot of fun......although, if one had to sight a row of fence posts, it would take a lot of ammunition......

Reply to
Robert

re: "As others have said, laser levels are just a tool that come in handy in certain situations."

I once helped tape off a huge number of 6' x 10' boxes on a convention center floor for an event I was volunteering with. The guy that had done it in years past had two 10' sticks, each with a mark at 6'. (Basically a story stick) He would lay them on the floor and keep moving the sticks from box to box as he taped off each area. This saved him from measuring each box individually, but it still took him a really long time.

When he asked me to help him one year, I grabbed a laser level and shot a straight line across the entire floor. We then rolled out a really, really long length of tape, following the laser line. Once we had the first line taped, we used his sticks, one at each end of the line, to help shoot a parallel line 10' away and taped it. Once we were done with all of the lines that were 10' apart, we rotated 90 degrees and repeated the process every 6'.

Instead of moving the sticks for each box like he had been doing, all we had to do was use one at each end of the convention hall and shoot the laser line from one stick to the other. He couldn't believe how much faster it went, and how even each box came out.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Robert wrote in news:e37362e5-93d8-4b5a-82ca- snipped-for-privacy@z10g2000yqd.googlegroups.com:

You are a moron if you consider the effects of gravity on a bullet and a laser beam as being anywhere near similar to each other. Then there is the effect of the bullet spin on it's trajectory.

Try reading a 6th grade physics book.

Reply to
JoeBro

Wrong. Gravity bends space itself, so the lines *will* come out right.

Reply to
krw

I demonstrated using a water level to someone and they were absolutely sure that it couldn't be accurate especially since it didn't have a LASER.

Reply to
George

Try reading a HUMOR book.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Ed Pawlowski wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Try sticking a HUMOR book up your ass.

Reply to
JoeBro

Thanks for proving me right.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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