# laser tools



## do0f4i (May 19, 2005)

Does anybody know or use any other type of tool to measure out remodel recess cans besides the good old tape measure or string? Has anybody use any type of laser level for setting up cans in a room besides the laser that you put on the floor and shoots the laser straight up?


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## Tonkadad (Jun 22, 2005)

You reminded me of something a friend did on a job. He layed out the whole job on the floor. The lights, soffits bascially everything that was going in or being built out from the ceiling. He then sprayed the layout with clear varathane so it wouldn't get messed up when walked over. He said it really made that job easy.

Then he would use his laser to transfer his layout to the ceiling when needed. It also let him know very quickly if the other subs were installing their stuff in the correct location.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

I been usingthe laser plumb bob made by Rack-a-teers for layout of recessed cans for the last couple few years. Just draw it out on the floor, then sit the laser over your marks and get yer red dot on the ceiling. I can't imagine any quicker way. This is just about the only way to get your cans placed accurately on a sloped ceiling. If there's a faster way, I'd sure like to know about it, but I don't believe there is at this point in time. 

If you're laying out a ceiling box dead centered in a room, I just use my tape rule as a straight edge and take it corner to corner in the room and make overlapping lines in the center (an "X") rather than calculating the center of the room. That's faster than doing the math. Sometimes, when I'm boxing out a room, I'll write the room dimensions on the door header in case I need them later for any other layout. 

By the way, if you're not doing your ceiling work on stilts, you're losing a lot of time moving ladders around. Invest in a decent pair of stilts, and you'll speed way up. They're pretty easy to use, since they have a natural walking action.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

If you're doing remods, on tile you can lay out the ceiling using blue tape and a magic marker (to remind you of which tape intersection you are using). On hardwood flooring, I protect them with luan and you can mark directly on that.

The only thing better than a laser would be a higher powered laser that could cut the hole for you.


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## do0f4i (May 19, 2005)

thanx for the input guys, md were could i find a descent pair of stilts


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

do0f4i said:


> ...md were could i find a descent pair of stilts


New, anywhere professional drywallers buy their supplies. Expect to pay around 300 bucks.

Used, pawn shops. Double check that the springs are not broken and the straps and buckles are in good condition. These are available as replacement parts if you get a good enough deal on a ratty pair.

I see now that your original post related to remodel cans. My response was geared mostly to new construction. For remodel cans, I always thought that if someone was to invent an X-ray vision tool, that would be great. How many times have you probed a spot, thought everything was okay, cut your circle, then exclaimed something like, "oh, crap". There is a tool called a "wall eye periscope" that is a lighted periscope that fits in a 2" x 2" hole that helps me out sometimes. It's easy to miss the joists, but sometimes there a pipe or something similar that eludes detection until you have the whole circle cut out. I suppose that's an age old problem that might not go away anytime soon, especially since you often need 5" to 7" of depth in that hole for the can.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I don't know about your area but W/C here will not accept 'stilt claims', so I am told.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Teetorbilt said:


> I don't know about your area but W/C here will not accept 'stilt claims', so I am told.


Might depend on your comp carrier and what type of work you told them you're doing. I can certainly imagine a policy with that prohibition, but mine has no such restriction. In fact, I use them for new work, and you can hold onto the ceiling joists and wall studs if you're unsteady. They speed up new work so much, I'd feel "naked" not using them. 

That reminds me of a time I thought I was going to get my but kicked by a drywaller because I let some conduit cutoff's lay in an area where they were working. I was getting moved out of that area little by little throughout that day, but I hadn't cleaned up all my scrap pipe and a few other boxes of crap yet. One particular rocker got a little excited about the pipe pieces, which caused me to take my sweet time cleaning it up. :innocent:


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

md, was the rocker on stilts? I could understand him being ticked off with conduit drops on the ground.

My experience with stilts was 30 yrs. ago. I have no opinion, they took a little getting used to but became natural in short order. Heck, they weren't THAT tall.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Teetorbilt said:


> md, was the rocker on stilts? I could understand him being ticked off with conduit drops on the ground.


Yes, he was. The fact is, I was there first, and he came after me. I felt is was my duty to clean up my scraps, which I was doing, but it wasl also his duty to evaluate his work area for hazards. I really don't respond well to angry people, which is why I decided to take my time cleaning up. 



Teetorbilt said:


> My experience with stilts was 30 yrs. ago. I have no opinion, they took a little getting used to but became natural in short order. Heck, they weren't THAT tall.


Right, they are very easy to get used to. I think mine are set around 18" or so. They have a series of holes that you can adjust them in maybe 1-1/2 or 2" increments. I think mine go from maybe 16" to about 24", or thereabouts. I'm sure I could still fall and get screwed up, even at 18", but so far I've only had just a few stumbles that were not falls. Both of them involved walking outside on eneven earth, which amost everyone agrees is stupid. I'm sure that rockers who are on these things everyday could do about anything they wanted to on them. I've seen guys go a few steps up a ladder on them, or climb up on a baker. I'm not that good, and I'm pretty sure I'd die if I tried either one.


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## macmikeman (Sep 12, 2005)

Mdshunk, does the rackateer's laser have self leveling?. If it doesn't you ought to try out the Fat Max self leveling laser level. It shoots straight up with a self leveling of up to 5 degrees off level on the floor. Saves big labor time using this for the cans, but be careful of laser light reflection when using recess cans, do not look at the beam or its reflection directly. As for stilts, we used to wire houses using them all the time. They work great if you use a ground man in conjunction with the guy up on the stilts working together. Also the extension pole for the whole hog drill while working on stilts makes ceiling drilling go even quicker. As I got older I learned there is no real reason to rush so much, every extra dime I make the wife just spends it all anyway so I retired my stilts and superspeed bust a__ years ago.:thumbsup:


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