Why I stopped using a string line for posts after 12 years

I was setting a fence line in Austin last month for a backyard job, about 150 feet of privacy panels. I always ran a string line between two stakes and just eyeballed the posts against it. Then my buddy who works for a commercial crew stopped by and watched me for a minute. He asked why I wasn't using a laser level for the post tops. I told him the line was fine for keeping them straight. He pointed out that three posts in the middle were a quarter inch low and I'd never catch that with string. I checked with a level and he was right. That string sags no matter how tight you pull it. Now I pick up a cheap rotary laser at Habitat for $40 and it saves me a ton of rework. Has anyone else switched off the old string method or am I the last guy to figure this out?

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coran634mo ago

Funny enough I used to think string lines were the only way to go because thats how my dad taught me 20 years ago. Then I did a deck last summer and my neighbor let me borrow his rotary laser for an afternoon. Man, it totally changed my mind after I saw how the string drooped across 40 feet even when I thought I had it tight. Now I just grab a cheap used laser when I see one at Habitat too. Its way easier to set one dead-on reference and just work from there. The string line is retired for good at my place now lol.

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daniel2144mo ago

That string droop is no joke once you get past 20 feet or so. I had the same wake up call on a fence line years ago. Lasers just save you from that headache.

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