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Saw a crew leveling with a laser on a mall job, ditched my string lines after 12 years
I was walking through the new outlet mall off I-75 last Tuesday checking a friend's storefront slab. That crew was shooting grade with a rotary laser and a cheap receiver, no string lines anywhere. One guy was standing 80 feet back taking readings while another adjusted the screed. I asked how long they'd been at it and he said they did 3,000 square feet before lunch. My way with mason's line and a level takes twice as long and still ends up with me rechecking corners. I bought the same setup that night for 140 bucks. It felt like cheating for the first two days until I realized I wasn't rebuilding anything. Anyone else make the switch and regret not doing it sooner, or is there a catch with laser gear on windy sites?
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fiona_hunt7119d ago
Read about a guy on another forum last month who ran a laser crew on a highway bridge deck and the wind kept bouncing the beam around enough to throw his readings off a quarter inch. He ended up going back to string for the final pass. But for a slab like that mall, with flat ground and no gusts, I'd say you're fine. The catch is mostly battery life and making sure the receiver is set to the right mode, plus you gotta trust the tripod is dead level. I kept my string lines for odd jobs and small patches, but I haven't pulled them out for a big pour since I switched.
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