I Hear Ya'

I've put my Craftsman level into second place for construction and use a phone level app that is easy to use and simultaneously shows angle in two directions on almost flat surfaces. It's pretty slick and shows angles in tenths of  degree.

Edit: Oh, and glad to see an update on this project.

Re: Home / Blogs / sunacres's blog / Middle School Model Railro

So which app do you use?   If it's for Apple, it would be interesting to compare it with the Spirit Level 3 app on my IPhone.

Glad to see this project contiuing

Really pleased that your middle school layout progresses.This is a TERRIFIC project!

App for Level

I use the Clinometer from plaincode. It is available on Apple App Store, android's Google Play, and Windows Phone. Mine is Version 2.4.

Levels are great tools. I

Levels are great tools. I personally have invested in levels that cost in the hundreds.  But my profession in residential and light and heavy commercial construction requires the utmost accuracy. Lasers are great tools also. Line laser, rotary sensor, rotary line. They all have umpteen uses. 

The moral, never buy cheap tools, always buy the best you can. 
 

GB
 

bearer of bad news

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but why are you using bare lumber? You've got to seal it with paint or something to prevent it from shrinking or swelling with temperature and humidity changes.  

...

NO, you don't. You absolutley DO NOT have to seal the wood.  It will be fine like this for the next hunderd years.  It certainly will be fine for the lifetime of the project.  I have sections in my storage that are sealed and sections that are unsealed, both over 40 years old.  No difference, no problems.  The only reason to seal wood is to protect it from the elements, you're in doors, it's really not that necessary.
 

Lasers, water, etc

I can see where that old level would be a bit of a problem!

I put a level line around my old basement with a water level.  The water level works, but it requires two people with good judgement and patience, or one person with monumental patience.  I got one that had an electronic gizmo you put on the tube at one end that beeped when the water reached the reference line, so you could do it faster by yourself.  But that gizmo turned out to be kind of inaccurate, so I chucked it and used the old mark I eyeball at both ends.  It takes a little time for the water to stop moving in the tube after you adjust the tube, and then you need to be very consistent about where in the curve of the water surface you use for your reference.

A decent laser level is now in the price range were you could consider it for hobby use, and they sure do make it faster and easier to get a nice accurate level line around a room.

But a good spirit level does the job nicely too, and is also useful in places a laser level isn’t.

That old inaccurate spirit level

Perhaps you should mark that old spirit level to the effect that it is inaccurate. That will stop anyone else from using it. Alternatively you could fix it so that it reads level. A neat project for some spare evening.

brain fodder

Great feedback. One of the gratifying aspects of teaching middle school is that virtually everything - victories and failures alike - provide valuable learning opportunities. 

I also sometimes use an Android app (called Bubble Level) that reads to the tenth of a degree on x and y axes, but rounds to the nearest two tenths. I use long vertical curves between grades and it's particularly handy for identifying the "instantaneous" track grade at specific locations along the transition. Translating decimal degrees from the Bubble Level app into the percent values that we're accustomed to in railroad land is a good exercise for students. 

The operative terms in Ken's reminder of the use of a water level are "good judgement." Although essential for theoretical understanding, I've found that middle school students aren't ideally equipped for managing the practical constraints of water and flexible tubing. But they do learn a lot! In a related exercise I have them use the surface of water in a plastic cup for projecting level lines over long distances. 

I'm inclined to agree with Benny about not sealing the lumber - in my California location the environmental effects don't seem to cause a problem - at least within the tolerances that my old spirit level was allowing!

Jeff (N scale) brings up a great point that probably accounts for why I kept Old Faithful around for so long - I don't have a reflexive routine for disposing of useless junk! I especially appreciate that he includes a suggestion (fix the dang thing) that allows me to hang onto it for another few decades. Labeling it with its current status seems like a pretty reasonable compromise, thanks!

Jeff Allen

Testing Levels

Every time I buy a new level, I test it in the store before I buy.  I use the level on the store floor or on a shelf -- measuring in both directions.  If I get different readings, I don't buy it.

I live in an old house, where no walls or floors are ever level.  I inherited a level from my father that failed the level test.  I Labeled it "Old House Level" and gave it to my contractor.  He got joke.

Disposing junk tools

Hi,

with some tools it is a good idea to make them unusable if you notice they're broken and then get rid of them. I had a test tool for live voltage - I always test the tool before using it. When it failed I actually destroyed the plastic handle before I threw it away. This might result in injury if it is broken and used.

Similar thing with that axe that had the handle fail - make sure it is unusable and then get rid of it. Just imagine picking it up out of custom and then trying to split a log. You'll be happy if it only hits you in the foot...

In most other cases it is sufficient to just get rid of the tool, in my case it is a pair of screw clamps that don't align well. You usually notice they don't work before they fail. I got some even cheaper quick clamps which are actually more accurate...

With an old level - just use some permanent marker to paint over the bubble and use it as a straight edge Or use it as a teaching tool. Send someone to get a replacement bubble at the tool shop.

Be safe!

Square wasn't square

I learned this lesson a while ago with an old framing square I was using. Could not figure out why the box I was building wouldn't fit together properly.

Finally I checked my framing square - it was off by 1/8" on the short leg! No wonder my corners weren't working out.

I ran out and bought a new square.