Loading…
7
Leveling a 20-foot wall with string lines, the pull turned my corners crooked
Tbh I've been laying block for about 11 years and last month I tried something new on a retaining wall job outside Columbus. I set up two taut string lines, one at the base and one at the top, then used a laser level to keep every course true. Worked great for the first 15 feet, but when I checked the corners with a framing square, both ends were off by nearly 3/4 of an inch. The strings sagged just enough in the middle heat to throw off my plumb readings, so I ended up having to chip out three courses and redo them. What I learned is to nail the strings tighter on shorter spans or use a story pole instead, especially when temps hit 80 plus. Has anyone else had string line pull mess with their corners, or do you just trust the laser the whole time?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
eva_thompson15d ago
Did you ever try weighting the middle of the string or using a line level to check for sag? I used to swear by string lines for everything, thought a laser was just a fancy toy guys used to show off. But after hearing about your corners getting pulled out of whack in the heat, it makes me rethink that. A laser stays put no matter how hot it gets, and a story pole does not stretch or dip in the sun either. Maybe the old school way is not always the best way once you get past a certain span.
4