Appreciation post: The old school way to set a post finally clicked for me

For years I just used a level and eyeballed it, but last month I helped my buddy on a big cedar fence job in the North End of Boston. He made me use a story pole with marks every 6 inches and a plumb bob for every single post. It added maybe 15 minutes to the whole setup, but man, the line was PERFECT. Has anyone else switched to a more careful method and been shocked by the difference it makes?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenkins.spencer2mo ago

Perfectly straight" is overrated. That laser level story just sounds like a guy making more work for himself. An inch over ten feet? Nobody sees that. Most houses aren't even that square. You chase perfect lines and you'll be resetting posts forever for a gain only you notice. A good eye and a level gets it 95% of the way there, which is good enough for any fence or deck that's actually going to get used.

leo5052mo ago

My neighbor Dave built a deck last summer and swore by his new laser level. He used to just measure from the house with a tape. The laser showed him his old posts were off by almost an inch over ten feet. He said resetting them took a whole Saturday, but now his railings are perfectly straight. He won't shut up about that red dot.