I still don't trust digital leveling for rail alignment

When I started out 12 years ago in Chicago, we used a plumb bob and a 4-foot hand level for every single rail install. Now the young guys come in with these digital laser levels and Bluetooth apps and swear they're within a hundredth of an inch. Looked at a job last month where a crew used nothing but digital gear and the car was bouncing 3/8 inch side to side on the 14th floor landing. Has anyone else gone back to analog for critical stuff like guide rail alignment?

3 comments

3 Comments

john6501mo agoMost Upvoted

I read a study a while back that said digital levels drift way more than most people realize once they get knocked around on a job site. Saw that firsthand with a guy who dropped his laser off a scaffold and it was still reading zero the next day. That bouncing issue you describe is exactly what @mason.brian and I have run into, the electronics just don't compensate for that kind of impact. A old brass plumb bob never needs calibration and you can drop it from a ladder without worry. The harbor freight digital level I tried last year was off by a full eighth inch after just two weeks in the truck. I trust my eyes and a bubble way more than a chip that could be one shake away from failure.

scott.jana1mo ago

Trust my eyes" - same reason I still use a tape measure over a laser for small jobs.

mason.brian1mo ago

Man, are you me? Did the same thing last spring on a high rise in Denver, kids swore by their digital setup and we had the same bouncing issue, ended up pulling out the old hand level and fixing it in an hour.