Best Way to Measure Elevation Profile of Land?

[rwork]

You Tube: The sketchup show #17, sandbox terrain.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

nice level.

 

[walker450]

Great find rwork. I will definitely be watching more of their videos.

Thanks Buckeye!

 

[heviduty]

Amazon has an Abney level for $30

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I've found a regular laser pointer works just fine up to 200 feet even in day light, provided you actually hit the target.
Strap the pointer to a good 3 to 4 foot level. You may have to shim it a bit to be absolutely parallel to the level.
You can use a camera tripod to mount the level and pointer on. Just drill a hole in one side of the level, and tap it with the same thread size the tripod uses.
I have a 12 foot fold up measuring stick we used to use to check the fuel level in the tanks that's marked off in inches and works fine for the receiver end.

 

[aczlan]

I've found a regular laser pointer works just fine up to 200 feet even in day light, provided you actually hit the target.
Strap the pointer to a good 3 to 4 foot level. You may have to shim it a bit to be absolutely parallel to the level.
You can use a camera tripod to mount the level and pointer on. Just drill a hole in one side of the level, and tap it with the same thread size the tripod uses.
I have a 12 foot fold up measuring stick we used to use to check the fuel level in the tanks that's marked off in inches and works fine for the receiver end.

Or you could get a torpedo level with with built in laser such as Amazon.com: Bosch GPL3T 3-Point Torpedo Laser Alignment Kit: Home Improvement but if he has access to a rotary one, he could just wait till it gets darkish and use that set to spin slowly.

Aaron Z

 

[beeforty]

I'd go ahead and get my own! Just tell the wife you want to be ready to hang pictures and all the other stuff nice and even on the inside when you are done building!

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Yeah, but I was just cobbling something together from odds and ends in the shop.

 

[newbury]

Well since you are going to try and get all fancy there is a relatively simple tool that might greatly assist you but I don't know where you could rent one.

Before retiring I was a trainer/developer for the ENFIRE system fielded by the U.S. Army.

Here's a good you-tube video What do you know about ENFIRE? - YouTube (warning - lots of camo, the snow shots were taken in West Virginia.)

One of the tools, the Laser Rangefinder, LaserCraft Contour XLRic (Bluetooth) we used to map minefields. With the right software and training you could stand at 1 point and shoot your grid and get heights. This was very important because when you MAP minefields it's best not to go into them.

 

[orezok]

Thanks for all comments everyone! Great idea skylark!

It turns out that my father-in-law had a laser level in his garage he has never used. He bought it at a garage sale a while back. It is missing the reciever and tripod. I don't necessarily need a tripod and I think I can order a reciever online.

HD, Lowes etc. all carry receivers.