Surveyor's Levels > Handyman Club of America

Keeping your projects in line

POSTED BY: Dan Cary
July 28, 2010

You don’t need a degree in civil engineering, a special license or even an orange vest to use a surveyor’s level. Also known as a builder’s level, dumpy level or Y level, this tool is easy to use, takes only a few minutes to set up and allows you to accurately determine elevations over large areas.

If you’ve built a retaining wall, established the grade of a path or hung a suspended ceiling, you could have used a surveyor’s level. Line levels or water levels are often used in these situations, but they must be set up and disassembled in the work area. A surveyor’s level provides equal if not better accuracy and can be set up and left just off the work site — never underfoot.

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Comments

By jgoskowsky1 Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:04 PM

This would have come in handy many times on my parents land. So many times my wife and I would pull out the 100 foot clear hose and once or twice found that it wasn't enough.
I look back and think of everything my wife and I did to make my parents happy. The last thing we built for them was the back deck with the ramp.
It was a 5 foot drop and dad didn't want it to wind back on itself so we had it start just off the parking pad and it ended even with the back door.
It's still there, my wife and I thought of paying the house when dad left but it needed more work then we wanted to do so we let it go and now it is going to be torn down.
A lot of memories with Mom and dad and my wife.

By Jimers77 Thursday, August 26, 2010 7:42 PM

An Abney Level works about the same but is a little more difficult.
Many Forest logging road survyors use the Abney level and two stakes 5' long. It is much much cheaper than a surveyor unit like the one above and you can cut your own stakes (1" square and 5' long) and then just make marks on the stakes every inch or so. Of course it isn't quite as easily accurate as the sureyor system.
Anything with a little level bubble that you can see through can be quite accurate. Of course, to some, it might be like driving a car with a square tire. (-:

By retiredseal Sunday, September 12, 2010 1:09 PM

I use got the standard builders level and a laser builders level and I would not do any sighting project without either. It makes checking and insuring that the project will straight and level. I have found even with a six foot level your project can actual not be truely level. The reason I have found the bubble level not to be 100% reliable is if you ever bump that level it can and does knock it out of true. My wifes works as my ruler/stick person and we enjoy very much working together. Have more fun and get your better halves involved, it makes projects more fun.

By JCROWNOVER Monday, September 20, 2010 9:35 AM

As a retired USDA employee, I had occasion to use all kinds of sighting and leveling devices. After 34 years and thousands of miles of terraces, hundreds of ponds, and several land leveling projects, I feel that I can share a tip that all handymen can use: Keep your bubble level. For a fast set up, rough level with tripod legs, then adjust the leveling screws. Always remember that the bubble follows the motion of your left thumb. If it needs to go left, turn the left hand screw clockwise; right, counter-clockwise.