Plumb bobs

[hitandruntz]

Im just curious, does anybody here still use a plumb bob. I do all the time. In many cases i use it over levels and lasers. Ive worked around some really good guys that have had long careers  installing really nice stuff that don't understand how to use one.
One of the things i love about the plumb bob is you cant break it or get it out of calibration. your level or laser may be out of calibration  and by the time you figure it out you've lost a lot of time. Been there, done that.
In the pictures theres some examples of how i use mine and the huge paneled wall was shimmed  flat using plumb bobs and string lines Only.

Its one of my favorite  tools now. It actually  saves me time in many  situations, but when i first started  using it, i only understood the most obvious  and basic  aspect of it.

 

[jmarkflesher]

We used to take a short piece of a round dowel which was slightly smaller than the hole size of the Rixon hinges. Drilled a hole through the center of the dowel the long ways and run the plumb bob string through and over the top and hanging down. You can adjust to any height. You're set up looks nice.MARK

 

[hitandruntz]

Thanks. A millworker/hobbyist machinist made it for me. Before thst i was using some misc copper plumbing parts with some plastic gromits to center the string.

Theres a bunch of ways to do it.

 

[hitandruntz]

Oh yeah, mark, the plumb bob in that photo was made by otis elevator  back in the day for their installers. The line stores on the spool in the center of the plumb bob.
i have a couple tajima's with a spike  that you hit into a wall or panel. those are great for 8'and under.

 

[Knight Woodworks]

That's a mighty nice setup. I carry the Lee Valley plumb bob in my toolbox, even gets used from time to time. Generally I prefer a laser.

John

 

[rmwarren]

Don't have a lot of use for mine but when I do it never fails.

I still cringe when I remember how at a yard sale we had a few years ago my FIL was selling off his "scrap" brass, some guy comes up and fishes a beautiful plumb bob from it, asks how much, and Pop says "fifty cents". Now every time he is getting rid of stuff I sort thru it first, some people just can't be trusted...

RMW   

 

[tbellemare]

I got my Dad's old plumb bob. It's a nice one and works just fine. Like a lot of his tools that I still have, the sentimental value is phenomenally greater than the monetary value.

I prefer a laser...

If I were concerned with the accuracy of a laser, I could always check it with a plumb bob and move on. I totally agree that a plumb bob is always (almost) accurate. The same global rotational phenomenon that causes the Coriolis Effect also causes plumb bobs to be ever so slightly inaccurate. It's almost indistinguishable though. It is more pronounced the longer the dangle but one would probably never be able to detect it.

I would hesitate to use a laser that didn't have a pendulum lock and some good drop protection (bumpers) without verifying it before every usage.

I'm very curious how you use a plumb bob to make accurate horizontal references? That's something I haven't yet figured out. I've had to use water-filled tubing, (garden hose, Tygon, etc.), as a level also.

Tom

 

[jmarkflesher]

Carpenters that worked in the World Trade Center pre 911 told me they had to mark the center of the sway. The plumb bob would never settle down. The higher you were the worse the movement. MARK

 

[tbellemare]

I used to work on the 28th floor of a 45 story building in downtown Houston. On a windy day, the floor-to-ceiling blinds were moving noticeably side-to-side and there were ripples, though not quite white water (or necessarily black water) in the toilets.

Tom

 

[justinh]

I have a Tajima, a 12 ounce bob on a Gammon Reel, and another 12 on one of the Rixon positioners in my door kit.  Use them frequently. Sometimes there is no substitute for old school.

The guy I learned to hang doors from used a plumb bob, a jamb spreader, a long straight edge and a 2' level.

 

[hitandruntz]

Tom, as far as the accuracy of a laser you still have to center the 1/8" laser line to your tape to measure how much you need to shim, or how far out of plumb it is. I know thats not much but its something. And if you were measuring a series of points that kind of confuses the issue more. But if i wanted to snap a plumb line on a wall i would grab my laser, then mark a high spot and a low spot and snap a verticle line.
i mostly use a plumb bob to measure how much something is out Plumb, and measuring how much shimmage i need to get something to the right plane.    a level tells you its out of plumb but its just not as easy  to measure. in the pictures i posted of the doors and panels no levels were used at all you would be hard pressed to find a level bigger that 2' on the job. Its all plumb bobs, stringline, on the 8' or 10' walls well use a  straight edge. rotary lasers are used to set the bench on every inside and outside corner. And other than that 0some guys have their own lasers.

 

[hitandruntz]

Oh and tom i love my meterex rulers. Thanks again.

 

[hitandruntz]

I also use a plumb bob for setting kitchen  cabinets. For example, tall pantry cabinets may not be the right depth to rest against the back wall. But still needs to be fastened to the wall. Now some backing will need to be added to fasten the cabinet to the wall. The backing needs to be added to a very specific spot to ensure  the cabinet is plumb and inline with the rest of the run of cabinets. I can do this with a plumb bob in one shot. No guessing.  And  this application  is, in my opinion,  more accurate and faster than a laser, and easier to use than a level.

I know theres many ways to any task. This is just one.  The reason i started this post because when i use a plumb bob on a non union millwork job, the carpenters on that job will immediately  crack jokes and dismiss the plumb bob completely.
But when asked how to shim something  to a specific plane they literally  dont have an answer except trial and error. Im not talking about new guys. Im talking about some rediculously talented guys approaching retirement.

 

[unityroad]

Its the tool I use to hang doors.  ;D

 

[hitandruntz]

Untidy, how are you using it to hang doors?Ive used it to shim for split jambs but i havenvt used it for prehungs. I usually use  a 78" stabila for prehungs.

 

[Stephen B]

Untidy, how are you using it to hang doors?Ive used it to shim for split jambs but i havenvt used it for prehungs. I usually use  a 78" stabila for prehungs.

[size=14pt]
Not me, I think you meant to ask UnityRoad!  [smile] [big grin]

This discussion has got me thinking though of reserecting two inherited brass Plumb Bobs from the dark recesses of the Untidy Shop. One my Father's, the other his FIL's, my Grandfather. Will edit this reply with picture if found in near future.

Edit. One is cast iron rather than brass. It was my fathers as he spent his early years as a carpenter with his father in rural Tasmania and it was likely made by a blacksmith.

[attachimg=1]

 

[hitandruntz]

Those are great. put em in coach.

 

[Stephen B]

Those are great. put em in coach.

Thanks, but what does 'put em in coach' mean. LOL

 

[hitandruntz]

Lol. They want to be in the game. Playing with all the other tools.

 

[waho6o9]

Those are great. put em in coach.

Thanks, but what does 'put em in coach' mean. LOL

Use them.