That said a plumb bob is still the better option for checking plumb over a long distance. However, if the surface is not perfectly plumb then the bubble will not be in the center of those two lines in the vial. If the surface is perfectly plumb, the bubble should line up perfectly in the center of the two lines within the bubble vial. You can hold a bubble level against a vertical surface and keep an eye on the bubble to see if it is plumb or not. Spirit levels usually always contain three separate bubbles, one for horizontal leveling, one for vertical leveling or plumbing, and one for 45-degree angle leveling. Many people think that spirit levels can only be used to level horizontal surfaces, but this is not the case. Perhaps one of the best alternatives to using a plumb bob is to use a spirit level. It’s an easy and accurate tool, albeit a bit large and cumbersome, plus hard to find as well.Īll of that said, plumb rods are very similar to spirit or bubble levels, which brings us to our next alternative. If the wall or installation is not perfectly plumb, the line will curve towards the plumb rod or away from it. When a vertical surface is 100% plumb, the line of the plumb bob will hang completely in line with the lower of the two horizontal beams. The plumb bob is suspended from this hole and allowed to hang freely. The line or string of the plumb bob hangs through a hole in the top portion of the frame, and the upper horizontal line of the F (on the top and outermost point of the F). They are in fact some of the most accurate and simplest of tools for measuring plumbness.Ī plumb rod features an F-shaped frame with a plumb bob being directly attached to the top of the frame. These tools have been around for many centuries. Plumb RodĪ plumb rod is a tool that is very similar to a plumb bob, and for this reason, they are often referred to as plumb bob levels. That said, what if you don’t have a plumb bob on hand? What are some alternatives that you could possibly use? 1. Not only do they help keep everything vertically aligned for structural purposes, but it helps construction jobs look pleasing to the eyes as well. They are very useful tools for hanging pictures, building walls, installing wallpaper, transferring a point from a ceiling to a floor, and much more. When it comes to ensuring that an installation of any kind is perfectly vertical, it’s a plumb bob that you would usually use. This plumb line is important for lining up anatomical geometries and visualizing the subject's center of balance.Handyman's World is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. The device used may be purpose-made plumb lines, or simply makeshift devices made from a piece of string and a weighted object, such as a metal washer. Students of figure drawing will also make use of a plumb line to find the vertical axis through the center of gravity of their subject and lay it down on paper as a point of reference. Ī plumb bob may be in a container of water (when conditions are above freezing temperatures), molasses, very viscous oils or other liquids to dampen any swinging movement, functioning as a shock absorber.ĭetermining center of gravity of an irregular shape The early skyscrapers used heavy plumb bobs, hung on wire in their elevator shafts. A variation of this tool has the plumb line hung from the top of an inverted T shape. An A-frame level with a plumb line hung from the vertex was also used to find horizontal these were used in Europe until the mid–19th century. However, if they are mounted on a suitable scale the instrument may also be used as an inclinometer to measure angles to the vertical.Īncient Egyptians used a plumb line attached to the top outer part of a tool resembling a letter E when placed against a wall, the plumb line would indicate a vertical line. A plumb bob and line alone can determine only a vertical reference.
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