Laser Level use outdoors

[Steve-Maine]

Will Laser Levels work outdoors. I'm planning on building a pole barn and figured a laser level would work better than string and cheap string level. How far will they throw a beam outdoors. I guess I could do it at night. Thanks for any help

 

[IH2444]

Yes they will work outside. How well they work depends on the power/quality of the level.
Try it and see.

 

[holt2ton]

Yes they do work during the day time. But be warned...they can be very tricky to see. I found it was best to do other things and then wait until dusk and mark the laser spots when it is much easier to see.

 

[Fawteen]

You can make a water level out of a couple yardsticks and some clear tubing. Just as accurate, easy to see and cheap.

 

[Leroy]

Never tried at night, only used in daytime and just the cheap version. What is helpful is if you have a background just in back of where you want to site , something for the dot to hit as you try to get into alignment. I gust used a camara trypod and that works but you have to reset it after each shot as you can only level one way. Best to get one with the tripod that has all the level adjustments so you can turn it to any position without reseting it. And for that background it could be just a sheat of plywood leaned against something to hold it vertical so when you are hunting where the dot is you may be 15' off where you are thinking you are aiming so something big for it to hit makes it a lot easier to get where you want it. I had house wall for part and as long as it was aimed toward house was OK, turn and site past house and it was very hard to find that dot.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Sure a laser level would work as long as you used it when light levels were low. The distance the beam would throw a beam would vary depending on the level but I sure a cheap one would do a pole barn.

 

[Dusty MI]

I have a real cheap laser lever and find that it's not easy to level it to begin with.
One caution about a water level. Filling it with cold water on a hot day and using it right away. It changes as the water warms up because it to expands.

 

[Bryan in iowa]

The better the laser the easier to see. Sometimes colored glasses will help to see it . HOWEVER the best way is to use a Laser detector . I hardly look at the actual line anymore . I use detector mounted on 2x4 or expandable measuring stick . I can read my Johnson self leveling Laser out to 200 yards easily with detector .

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have a dewalt self leveling laser. It's good for 300 ft. You can't see it during the day time, need a laser detector that beeps. Attach it to a stick, It's neat to see laser in the dark.

 

[Adirondack case guy]

Those work around outside corners also, where a laiser won't
Loren, the Acg.

 

[Tom in TN]

Steve,

About four years ago I extended the drain field on my septic system. I rented a laser level from the local tool rental place.

It worked very well during daylight hours. I had no trouble whatever reading the line on a "yard-stick" that was provided with the level. The distance from the level to the farthest point away was about 50 feet.

I don't know how well it would have worked on longer distances, but it was fine for what I needed.

Tom in TN

 

[Bryan inIowa]

Couldn"t we just call the NSA point to where we want and ask them how"s that ? lol

 

[RayP(MI)]

If you use a string level, it's got to be in the exact middle of the line. Even very tight, a string will sag a bit. A water level can be made easily with a garden hose and a couple lengths of clear plastic tube. Add a little food coloring if necessary. And yes, I have a farily good laser level, but it's best used in low light conditions. Red glasses supplied help a little.

 

[IH2444]

(quoted from post at 07:45:04 02/21/14)
I have a real cheap laser lever and find that it's not easy to level it to begin with.
One caution about a water level. Filling it with cold water on a hot day and using it right away. It changes as the water warms up because it to expands.

the level will not change. Both ends are always level.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 14:15:00 02/21/14)

(quoted from post at 07:45:04 02/21/14)
I have a real cheap laser lever and find that it's not easy to level it to begin with.
One caution about a water level. Filling it with cold water on a hot day and using it right away. It changes as the water warms up because it to expands.

the level will not change. Both ends are always level.

Yes, but I was working alone and anckored one end to a post and moved the other end from post to post.

 

[Jason the Red]

I would recommend a quality self leveling rotating laser such as the Dewalt mentioned below. Spot lasers have their applications, but yours is not one. Cheaper lasers have weak beams and their accuracy is questionable. A rod eye would be optimal but is not necessary. You can use a shiny piece of metal such as a square blade to reflect the beam towards your eye (obviously not staring into the laser for prolonged amounts of time). You can see the laser beam as bright as day using this technique.

 

[Ian Beale]

We were using a concreters outdoor laser level to check the levels of the by-wash on a dam (pond) and discovered it would not read across water. We had to go around to get our readings.

Never heard of this before.

 

[fixerupper]

I have a reasonably expensive laser level that will make a red mark on a tree at night a true measured half mile away and can be seen in sunlight for shorter distances. I cant really say if it's accurate or not. Can't say what brand it is offhand. Don't want to go across the frozen icy yard to the wood shop to find it in my slippers. Jim

 

[T.R.K.]

I got a cheapo laser level from Big Lots or Harbor Freight (or somewhere cheap) that I used when we built our last shed back in 2004 0r 2005. It came with its own tripod.

I used it to mark all the posts to cut them off before installing the top plate, marking the posts at about eye level and then measuring up each post the same distance.

I had to wait until twilight to mark all the posts. The beam would "paint" a post 10 or eleven feet away, but not one 20 or 22 feet away.
It also worked better to set the level near the center of the 60 ft. long shed so I would not have to move it.