I bought myself a new level this week, the 48″ Johnson with the milled vials. I took it into work this morning and had the pleasure (Is this what shadenfreude is?) of informing my esteemed colleague that his Stabila was off by a bit more than an eighth of an inch.
No mistake, either.
I won’t be letting him forget this for a while.
Ron
Replies
I do hope you checked that level first .....
On a hill by the harbour
Novy,
It's been a long time, bud. What have you been up to?
Have you been on the Pope show at Electropolis?
Ron
Hi Ron, it has been awhile .
Missed the Pope show as I was tied up with another.
You, Gordsco & I have to hook up for a beer soon.
On a hill by the harbour
That Tsunami must have knocked off the Stabilas
and straightened the Johnsons
Be Constructive
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
At least I can adjust my Starret after a tsunami ...
On a hill by the harbour
Adjust? Why? My Stabilla works or I give it back and get a new one.
If I wanted to be adjusting things, I'd buy a Harley.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Hey dude, check out; "Isn't this a cutie" in this column, you got a mention......"If 'tis to be,'twil be done by me."
That Starrett must come in handy building something to look old.
The more you ajust... the older it getsBe Constructive
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
Out of plumb & level doesn't cut it....
Has to be crooked too.
note my post to Ron Re: beer soon.
On a hill by the harbour
Novy,
I'm ready. Not this weekend, though.
You, Gord?
Ron
Anyone else in the HRM area ?
On a hill by the harbour
Fest!
Maybe just a small one at a pub some saturday.... or an after work get together ?
On a hill by the harbour
Edited 2/23/2005 8:12 pm ET by Novy
Yeah, what do you two say? You and novy........pick up Adrian and hoof it to Ohio second wknd in August. Think about it.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Thanks for the invite Calvin,
I just checked the mileage and it 1,273 mi. which equals about 24 hours driving from here. Then have to add in another 10 hour sidetrip to pick up Adrian.
That's driving... Hoofing it would take a bit long...
On a hill by the harbour
OK, then we'll have to make it worth your while.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
75 Degrees Fahrenheit, sunny & I really don't like fish ?
Airfare ?
On a hill by the harbour
Edited 2/23/2005 11:32 pm ET by Novy
Cal,
The fest we're planning is one I can afford to get to.
I haven't worked very much in the past year.
Ron
What's Johnson's return policy? Don't type in caps, Mrs 'Snort may hear it<G>Stabila was pretty cool on the one return I had to make...hell, who would ever expect anything to remain perfect forever<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
"hell, who would ever expect anything to remain perfect forever<G>"
That's why I like my starret .... i can fix it !
On a hill by the harbour
"hell, who would ever expect anything to remain perfect forever<G>"That's why I like my starret .... i can fix it !After a while you could get tired of fixing stuff...unless you like lived on a desert island...or maybe somewhere in Canada...Har, har de har..I've got a trade in store right down the road<G> of. course I have to make it thru the meth labs and re-mortgage dealers<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I just like to be able to true a level so I know my others are true without having to go back to the store...
PS I like living in Canada ;)
On a hill by the harbour
Oh you Canadiens, just can't take a joke...alright, it's gotta be funny to be a joke...but...doesn't newf live up there? ;-) Don't worry, we can fix that later!
"Snork"
On a hill by the harbour
I thought this thread was going to be all about me.(Well, SOMEONE had to say it.); )
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Bucksnort,
I don't know what Johnson's return policy is. It isn't going to be as good as Stabila's. That's why the level costs 1/4 what the Stabila costs, maybe.
Ron
Well ron, just our luck. You're one guy i was hoping to meet. See what happens, maybe a good spring.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Calvin
Thanks. The same goes for me.
I have another reason for money being tight this year, too. This is one rason why I needed a big Johnson. After mortgaging everything I own and borrowing as much as I can, I've started construction of my own house, my design, to suit me and my family. I've been dreaming about this and planning for years.
Here's a picture from just after Christmas. I haven't really gotten a whole lot further ahead. The ICF walls are up about 5 feet now.
Ron
Man, that's one sweet looking photo.
How far is the nearest neighbor?
SanchoRon the caballero bowed low as he waved his sombrero and said goodbye.
FREE SANCHO!!!
Nearest neighbour is 100 yards away. Before Hurricane Juan came through a year and a half ago, we couldn't see another house from this site. The hurricane knocked down about 40 fair sized hardwood trees and left a lot more vulnerable and weakened. More have come down since.
Ron
Man, that location looks like something from Lord of the Rings!
Good luck, Ron. Building your own house is about as good as it gets.
Thanks, Jim
I'll tell you what, man, when the kids were little, and Kathy and I were younger, we built our first house. You know, nights, weekends, holidays, lots of reclaimed lumber, an old timer who has since passed and I milled most of the framing lumber from logs in the mill he built when HE was a young man...you get the picture, it was really a labor of love.
I thought I enjoyed it, but it took a couple years, and the kids were rapidly outgrowing the trailer we were living in so I always felt pressured to "get things done". I rushed a lot of things, compromised on quality many times, always telling myself I'd redo it later, or on the next house.
I'm 50 now, and remodelling a little house for Kathy and me. Doing the same crazy stuff, hand building most of the house instead of buying materials. It's way more fun this time around.
Jim,
As long as you do it your way to your own standards with the idea of pleasing only yourself and your wife, you're certain to get a profound satisfaction out of it.
Building for yourself is like returning to the basic reason we do what we do for money.
I have renovated a house before for my ex and myself. She is still in it, and my kids live in it half the time, so I know something about this. I've never been able to build from the ground up before.
I'm glad you're enjoying it more this time.
Ron
Best of luck ron, looks like it's gonna be a fine place.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Ron,That picture is a piece of art !I'm serious.Could you send me the full sized pic ?I am wishing you well on your house.Good luck.: )
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Looks like Prospect on a foggy day with a bunch of scrub spruce in the background to me....
On a hill by the harbour
"Looks like Prospect on a foggy day..."
Nah. On a foggy day in Prospect you wouldn't see the forms...turn around and you'd wonder where the truck went...
ron is up on the hill....
On a hill by the harbour
The hill? Behind me? Millionaire's Mountain??
I might be able to see his house...
...when the fog lifts...
Ron is on the Prospect Peninsula ...
On a hill by the harbour
S I'll need Binoculars...
...when the fog lifts?Be Constructive
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
Gord,
Email me your phone # and I will try to set up beers for next week.
Any day better than an other?
I figure the easiest would be to time you and Ron for a later in the day after a material run to town.
Wednesday is out for me. Monday is bad for you.
Ron? Pipe up there boy !
On a hill by the harbour
Novy,
This week, the only day that's impossible is Monday. My brother is in town and coming out to see us.
Any other day, I can probably work something out.
I can read your mind from here - you're thinking the Lion's Head, aren't you?
Ron
Plenty of free parking and a staff that doesn't overserve.
The Lion's Head.
Thursday at 5:00 at the Lions Head....
On a hill by the harbour
OK Gents
I'm in.
See you guys there.
I am a bit suprised there are no other BT'ers in the area ?
On a hill by the harbour
Only the elite!
Ron
i'm not elite, more a hack diy guy. but a loyal citizen of the harbour town. don't mean to intrude, but otherwise i felt like i was eavesdropping, following this thread.
regards, paul.
Paul,
Meet us at the Lions Head at 5 PM tommorrow...
Thursday
On a hill by the harbour
Hope I can make it. I live just around the corner, but I've been on the road for work all week. I'm home again tomorrow afternoon, but may be shot if I try to leave the house. If not tomorrow, another time.
paul.
I'm in. Set it up with Ron, anydays but Mondays.
Bring along that Starrett. Pretty sure a fella at the end of your bar was about half a bubble off... Be Constructive
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
With the starret I can put him back level.....
On a hill by the harbour
I heard a guy not long ago, a carpenter with many years experience say, "The only way to check a level is against one you know is right. Well, that sounds like a completely ridiculous statement to me, besides being wrong, so I asked him, "How do you *know* the right one is right? Is there some Master Level somewhere that everyone checks theirs against?There is no reason in the world to ever put one level against another one. Lay the level you want to check on a relatively level surface, or stand it beside a plumb surface. Look closely at the way the bubble sits between the lines. Maybe is dead in the middle. Maybe the bubble is just kissing the line on the right. You know what I mean. Then flip the level 180 degrees, and look at it again. If it isn't reading exactly like it did the first time, the level is off. A level that is true will read exactly the same, no matter how you flip it.I bought a 4 foot Stabila about 4 years ago. I ordered it from tool Crib of the North, I think. Whoever it was had been bought by Amazon.com, and the level was actually shipped from the warehouse in Nevada less than 40 miles from my house. So I got the level and checked it on my kitchen counter, and it was off. I sent it back and they sent me another one. It was off. I emailed Stabila, asking if this was a level or straightedge? A woman emailed me back and told me where to send the level so she could see it, as she couldn't believe I'd gotten two bad levels. I sent it to her, and she never emailed me back. But I got a brand new level in the mail in a couple of weeks. This one was finally true, but after less than a year, I noticed it wasn't reading true anymore. I took it to a tool store in Reno I was buting a few things from, and they traded it for another one. So I'm on my fourth one, I think. There might be another one in there. I also have a 4 foot wooden American level that has a 1/8" deep saw cut across it, a ding out of the brass edge caused by a gun nail, and a broken glass or two. It still reads perfect in ever plane, just like the day I bought it in 1974. I don't take it out on the job anymore. The vials are hard to read, and it's heavy. At one time I owned several Starrett precision levels, for leveling baseplates and such, and I have nothing but respect for Starrett tools. I've seen that they sell a carpenter's level now, and I think I might try that next.Allen in Santa Cruz
Edited 2/23/2005 11:11 pm ET by moondance
You're right on. I would never check my Johnson by laying it alongside another one
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
2 points ! Definitely one of your best Piffin !
On a hill by the harbour
That's a good one, piffin! Only check your Johnson against itself.
Allen in Santa Cruz
Yeah, you did check your Johnson first didn't you? Last one I bought - I had to go through four to find a good one on all the vials.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I checked the new one as well as I could in the store by holding two levels together, adjusting them level and then reversing one. Once I got it home, I set it on the table and shimmed it level with playing cards, then reversed it. Same reading - gotta be right. I actually had the guy's Stabila at my house too because he'd left it on the job the night before so I gave it the same treatment. It failed.
Ron
Are you paging me?