Thought I didn't need a line pin until my 3rd story wall buckled

Always figured line pins were just extra nonsense for new guys, but last month on a retaining wall job outside Austin I had a 30-foot run get wavy on me. Spent 20 bucks on a decent pin and it locked everything straight first try. Anybody else resist a basic trick for years then eat their words?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_shah14d ago

Man, that's exactly how I felt about marking my hammer handle. For years I was too stubborn to put a little white paint on the back of my Estwing. Thought it looked rookie. Then I'm on a slab in July, pounding stakes for a form, and I grab the wrong hammer off the belt three times in a row. Finally stop, grab some leftover paint, and dab the end. Now I can spot it in a pile of tools from across the job site. It's such a tiny thing but it saves me five minutes of fishing around every day. Funny how pride keeps us from the stupid little fixes that actually work.

vera_robinson3614d ago

Who calls a 30 foot run a "wall" for a retaining wall anyway? A retaining wall that tall is usually tiered or engineered, not something you'd just eyeball with a line pin. But yeah, I get your point - I fought using a laser level for years 'til I had a foundation pour go off by a quarter inch on one corner. Now I won't lay block without at least a string line for the first course, even if it feels slow.