That time I finally tried the string trick for leveling rails

Had a tough job last month at a 12 story building downtown where the guide rails were just slightly off. Usually I'd spend half a day shimming and checking with the level over and over. One of the old timers told me to try running a tight string line from top to bottom before even touching the shims. Figured it was worth a shot since I was already behind schedule. Found two spots where the rail was bowed out by almost 1/4 inch that I would have chased with shims for hours. Took maybe 45 minutes total to get it perfect. Has anyone else used string lines instead of relying just on a level for rail work?

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2 Comments

daniel_walker2mo ago

Sounds like you finally learned the string trick works way better than eyeballing it and chasing your tail for hours.

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sage_ramirez422mo ago

Wait, is the string trick just for leveling or does it work for angles too?

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