TIL a piece of string can be the best tool for a dig

Spent three days trying to line up a trench perfectly square with a laser level that kept failing in the sun. My professor from field school saw my photos and just said, 'Use the 3-4-5 triangle method with a knotted string.' It worked in ten minutes. Anyone have other simple fixes for when fancy gear lets you down?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindaj112mo ago

That laser level failing in the sun is the perfect example of overthinking it. Sometimes the fancier the tool, the more it just gives you a new way to be wrong. My grandpa would have just handed you a stick and some string and called it a day.

briancampbell1mo ago

lindaj11's grandpa handing you a stick and string is exactly right. I used to be the guy who bought every new gadget, thinking it made me better at my job. Then I watched an old carpenter use a water level made from a hose to mark a foundation. It was perfect and cost maybe five bucks. Now I see that a lot of tech just adds steps where things can go wrong.

wilson.diana2mo ago

lindaj11's grandpa had it right. I see this everywhere now, where the simple fix is just better than the high tech one that breaks.