Changed my mind about using a laser level for hoistway alignment

I always thought a good old plumb bob was the only way to get a true vertical line for a new install. Last month on a job in Cincinnati, my foreman made me try his DeWalt DW088K laser level to set the guide rails. The laser was dead on and cut our setup time for the first three floors by almost two hours. What's your go-to method for checking hoistway plumb?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_chen2mo ago

Totally get it. Had the same stubborn plumb bob loyalty until a job in Philly forced me to use a laser. Shaved a whole afternoon off aligning the rails on a ten story run.

angelab762mo ago

Actually, plumb bobs are for vertical lines, not aligning rails...

nina_butler1mo ago

Honestly, I was the same way for years. But once you see how steady a laser is in a drafty hoistway compared to a swinging bob, it's a no brainer. The real game changer for me was using the laser to check for bow in the rails themselves as we go up. Tbh, it just takes all the guesswork out and lets you fix small problems before they turn into big headaches later on.