Overheard a union rep say 'don't trust any level that was checked with a string line'

I was on a callback at a 12-story office tower in Portland yesterday and heard that comment in the machine room, and it got me thinking about how often I still see guys rely on a string for rail alignment instead of a laser. Has anyone else noticed a shift away from string lines in new installs, or is that just my crew?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea85729d ago

Holy crap, a 40% drop in callbacks just from switching to a laser? That's wild if it's true. I've been running my own gig for years and never saw hard numbers like that, but it tracks with how much less we screw around on re-levels now. My old foreman would die before giving up his string line, said it was the only "honest" tool. But honestly, who's got time to re-tension a string across 40 floors when a laser does it in 30 seconds?

leelewis2mo ago

Read somewhere that lasers are way more consistent on long runs, especially with thermal expansion messing with string tension. Saw a stat that claims lasers cut callback rates by like 40% on high rise work. Makes sense that old school string guys would be skeptical though, hard to break habits.

claire_wells872mo ago

Blame the tool when the real problem is nobody knows how to plumb a damn wall level anymore.