Getting Things Straight With Levels

Did you ever wonder how the ancients got things straight without surveyors equipment or a fancy steel or wood-frame level? Fact is, they did have levels. Not as we know them today, but levels nonetheless. The kind that was used to build the Pyramids is still being used by many folks in construction today.

Romans built the Coliseum, Greeks the Pantheon, Egyptians the Pyramids. And without the help of modern tools or construction equipment. Granted, construction projects were measured in generations rather than months or years, but the quality of workmanship was impeccable.

Did you ever wonder how the ancients got things straight without surveyors equipment or a fancy steel or wood-frame level? Fact is, they did have levels. Not as we know them today, but levels nonetheless. The kind that was used to build the Pyramids is still being used by many folks in construction today. Knowing that water finds its own level is all we need to know to fashion our own level.

First, find a curved tube, preferably one that you can see through. Fill it with water and, presto, you have a level. No matter how you hold it as long as you don't let the water spill out the water level at both ends of the tube will always be the same.

To demonstrate that your level works, hold the curved tube filled with water against a wall. Mark the exact height of the water at each end of the tube. Scribe a pencil line across the two marks.

A borrowed level will verify that your improvised one did the job. And you aren't limited to a curved tube. You also can make your level out of a hose. A clear one is the easiest to use.

It doesn't make any difference how far apart the ends of the hose are, how the hose lies on the ground or how many coils, knots or curls are in it. The water at one end of the hose will be the same height as the water at the other end of the hose.

You also can make a small level for little jobs. Fill a small piece of clear tubing with water, cork the ends and you have a watertight household mini-level.

What's a level good for? Hanging a picture, installing a cabinet or building a redwood deck are examples. Even a pitched roof has to begin at some point that is level. Want to check the floor at the front of your house to see if it is the same height as the floor at the back of your house? Can't do that with a conventional level.

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