On the level

[Bill]

It appears that installing just about anything on a wall requiring more than

1 screw or nail calls for a level. I did a project just the other day without one, which I ended up doing twice. So, tonight I went searching online for a level. I assume that levels with magnets stick to the studs in walls (is that correct?). Any other uses for a "magnetic level"? I'm focusing now on the 24" size. Stanley makes several, basic version from about $16 up to a FatMax Extreme version which is supposed to be 5x as strong and accurate to .0005"/inch. for about $35. I would anticipate also using the level to install machinery (TS, BS, DP) and a homemade workbench on a concrete floor with several cracks (hench not level). I know that the workbench and vise should be level! I expect that a Starrett combination square that I expect to have by then will be helpful too in this regard--at least I should be able to see to it that the top of the bench and the top of the vise are coplanar. So based on the installations I have suggested above, what else do you think I need to know about selecting a level? Reliability is important, of course. I read somewhere that those with "caps" on the ends (which may include the ones I mentioned) have the potential to be less reliable.

Thank you, Bill

[Bill]

Look at this one (9" Digital Level w/Laser)!

[Bill]

's another that shows degrees:

[Gerald Ross]

Can't decide if you're asking or telling. I have noticed that nearly all the studs around here are non-magnetic or non-ferrous, being wood.

I am sure that a level with magnets, laser, ultrasonic rangefinder, GPS and digital readout is more accurate than a wife looking over your shoulder. And cheaper. But it will require those strange little child choker batteries that go dead between projects

[Tim W]

You will know to check that the level reads correctly by turning it around. A suprising number of levels are slightly wrong. No quantity of lasers, tripods, magnets or carry cases are any use at all unless the bubble is precisely set. You may find an issue with the sensitivity of the level, eg how far out of level it has to be to read out of level. You may not even want the level to be very sensitive, but that is down to your work and your experience to judge.

I used to use a level but now I work in old buildings I don't touch one from one week to the next.

Tim W

[HeyBub]

A level is a dirt-simple device. Even the ancient Egyptians used them.

Unless you have need for some exotic attachement - perhaps you're a surveyor - a fully functional level shouldn't cost more than about three bucks.

Here's a bag of marbles for 20¢ each.

[Robatoy]

You're going to replace those you've lost?

[dadiOH]

Uhhh...no. Unless they are steel studs. Wood isn't magnetic. ___________

What for? The only possible reason I can think of is if you intend to buy HeyBub's bag of marbles, pour them out on the table and want them to stay there (they'll stay in the vise, level or not, if you close the jaws on them).

[Leon]

With pictures I have found that typically what a level indicates may not be what your eyes perceive as level. Basically other objects near the picture or a curved archway may in fact make a level picture look unlevel. I always depend on my eyes to make a picture look level.

I assume that levels with magnets stick to the studs in

Probably not correct, they "might" stick to steel studs that are in some more modern homes but mostly to stick to iron work. The magnets may in fact distort the level if most of the area you are working is non-ferrous and you have an odd object that the level is attracted to. I doubt that magnets on a level will pull through sheet rock.

That said, there are "Gecko" spelling? levels by B&D IIRC. They have a super surface that will almost stick to a vertical wall. Not totally unlike the material used on the guide rails on the new style circular saws that require no clamps to stay in place.

Any other uses for a "magnetic level"? I'm

Are you working with steel pipe or steel beams?

Stanley makes several, basic version from

Do you think you can see the tilt in a picture that is only .1 degrees out of level?

I would anticipate also

Nothing in my shop, 7' long TS, drill press, planer, router table work bench, drum sander, lathe, band saw, etc is level nor do any of them need to be level. Why would you need for them to be level?

I expect that a Starrett combination

The longer the level, the more accurate the results. The shorter levels are good for ball park settings but for larger objects like cabinets or doors yo want longer. Irregular surfaces on what you are trying to make level or plumb have less adverse results when using a longer level.

Reliability is important, if the level is calibrated correctly to begin with and you don't drop it very much there is not much that can go wrong with a liquid in a tube.

[J. Clarke]

Stuff in the vise will stay put. A 1/4" chisel laid on the benchtop not so much. And when it finishes rolling off it's even money whether it's going to come down point first on one's foot or the concrete floor.

It's convenient that the bench be level enough that round tools don't roll off of it.

[Mark & Juanita]

... snip

While a level is sometimes important for such projects, there are other times you don't want what you are mounting level, you want it parallel to the ceiling (for a flat ceiling). A good example is drapery rods -- installing them level when the ceiling is not will make them look funny -- you want them an equal distance from the ceiling. Same is true of long pictures or other frames that can be referenced by eye to the ceiling. (DAMHIKT).

[Mike M]

I keep waiting for the sound of the reel letting out line.

Mike M

[Bill]

Thank you for mentioning this Rob. I've got a set of drapery rods and curtains I need to install. Surprisingly, it has been an intimidating project I have put off (lots of strings, hooks, pleats, etc). I started it one day and, based on unexcusably-poor directions, put it away until I felt more enthusiastic.

Bill

[clare]

Having a level bench is a very good idea if you are fabricating on it

- you KNOW the bench is level, so if the assembly is level you also know it is parrallel, and using a square with it, you also know if it is square.

[Bill]

I was thinking about using my jointer plane (and others) on work in a vise (or on the workbench). I thought I read that it was important that the work be level, and this makes sense to me for several reasons. One may be so that one may use ones internal sense of "down" (i.e. gravity) to guide the cut. I speak without much experience; comments always welcome.

Bill

[Bill]

Yes, yes, yes...your comment is well-taken. But appropriate use of a level may make or break your project.

I was watching a YouTube video on woodworking where someone had built a very large big "wall (storage) unit" and went out of the way to shim it this way and that to make it level--and that seemed counter-intuitive to me, I was thinking it should "fit the room". Frankly, that left me in a confused state.

It seems if you were installing anything that has to do with water (bath, kitchen, a boat) then you would desire certain surfaces to be level. (To me), it seems that anything else should follow the wall or ceiling lines or be balanced in between them.

Bill

[dadiOH]

Flat I can see, but level?

[dadiOH]

I don't have round tools, I sand a flat on them.

[Bill]

I think one can almost fill a glass pill bottle with water, attach it on its side to a board, and having a working level and 3 bucks. (I belive I first saw this in the book "Hand Tools: There Ways and Workings", by Aldren Watson). If one doesnt have a flat board, he or she may have to spend the 3 bucks--or possibly do prison time.

[Bill]

The main reason I was thinking of was to reinforce accurate planing. Not sure to the extent this is valid.

Bill