by David Frane
Laser levels have been around for a
good 20 years, but until recently, you
rarely saw them on residential construction
sites. At $3,000 to $5,000
each, the only companies that could
afford lasers were those doing large
commercial projects or performing
specialized subtrades. On big jobs,
lasers are used to set elevations for site
work, slabs, and suspended ceilings.
Metal-stud framers use them for leveling,
or turn them sideways to plumb
and align walls.
Six or seven years ago, the construction
company I work for bought
a rotating laser level. It came in a box
the size of a suitcase and weighed as
much as a wormdrive saw. Last fall,
we bought a second laser alignment
tool,