Tried a string line on a really long run and got humbled quick

I've been putting up fences for about 15 years now, and I always thought I could eyeball a straight line on a 200 foot stretch no problem. Last month on a job near Akron, I finally got cocky and skipped my usual string line, just went by my mark posts every 20 feet. By the time I got to the end, I was off by nearly 4 inches from my start point and had to pull up three posts to fix it. That little string cost me an extra hour and a half of digging, and I learned that some old tricks are old for a reason. How do you guys keep long runs perfectly straight without second-guessing yourself?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_ramirez1mo ago

Off by nearly 4 inches" haha bro that's rough. String line forever.

the_tara1mo ago

Oh man I saw this thing online where this pro woodworker said you should never trust a tape measure after like 6 feet because of how much they can bend or stretch over time. Something about the metal fatigue making them less accurate the more you use them. String lines don't have that problem obviously since its just tension and gravity doing the work.

karen_west5925d ago

Nah, a quality tape is dead on if you keep it clean and check it now and then, you really trust string over steel?