Debate with myself: old school chalk line vs laser level after a bad trim job

I was trimming out a window in a 1920s house in Portland last Tuesday and my laser level died halfway through. I switched to a chalk line and snapped a line that ended up being off by almost a quarter inch because the plaster wall was uneven. My buddy says lasers are the only way to go for precision work, but I've used chalk lines for ten years before this and never had such a bad miss. Does anyone else run into situations where the old tools let you down more than you'd expect? I'm starting to think the real issue was my technique, not the tool.

2 comments

2 Comments

quinnj246d ago

I had the same thing happen last month on a window trim in a craftsman bungalow. My laser was on the fritz so I grabbed my old blue chalk line and snapped a line that looked perfect but ended up being a solid 5/16 off at the bottom because the wall had a bad bow in it. I think we get used to how forgiving chalk lines can be on straight new construction, but older houses just punish you for it. Took me three tries and a lot of cussing to get it right with a level and a straightedge after that.

simon_coleman6d ago

...and what is it about bungalows specifically that hides all the sins until you start trimming out? @quinnj24 had the same thing here with one that looked arrow straight until I shot a laser and found out the whole wall was basically a potato chip. Might as well throw the chalk line in the truck for that kind of work.