A guy in line at the hardware store told me he uses a 4-foot level for his posts

I was picking up some concrete bags in Tacoma last week and this older guy behind me saw my work shirt. He said he's been setting posts for 30 years and only uses a 4-foot level, never a 2-footer. He claimed the extra length catches the lean better over the full height of the post before the concrete sets. I tried it on a job yesterday with six 8-foot cedar posts and it did seem to save a bit of time on the back-check. Anyone else use a longer level for this, or is it just his personal quirk?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew7911mo ago

Seems like overkill for a fence post...

lane.kim1mo ago

Never had a callback" is the part that got me. That's actually insane. I've never heard of a fence crew with a perfect track record like that. A four foot level sounds wild to carry around all day but I guess if it works that well you can't argue. Makes me wonder how many of my own fence posts are secretly a little off now.

elliots231mo ago

My buddy had a fence crew foreman who swore by a 4-footer for posts. He said a 2-foot level can lie to you on a long post, like if there's a slight bow in the wood. You get it plumb at the bottom, but the top is off. They'd set the post, check it with the long level on two sides, and just walk away. Never had a callback for a leaning fence.