Inexperienced Self grading / contemplating buying a transit

[dodge man]

A level will be simpler to use but only does elevations. A transit measures angles also, both in the vertical and horizontal. I am a retired land surveyor and never thought much of David White stuff.

Everything we did was in tenths and hundredths of a foot. We never used an inch rod. About the only thing done in inches was pipe sizes and tree diameters.

 

[Egon]

Go look at at a hand held level. It will do everything you want.

 

[/pine]

Check pawn shops for used transits...just do a two peg test to check it...

Reminds me of the age old question (posed to civil engineering majors)...what's the difference between precision and accuracy...!

 

[stevewarner1957]

I worked for a state highway dept and used a Zeiss NI2 level to shoot grades and set pipe. After I retired I saw one listed at a auction. I bought the NI2 level with a great tripod and level rod for $40. Zeiss optics are fantastic! I’m used to ft/10ths

 

[/pine]

I worked for a state highway dept and used a Zeiss NI2 level to shoot grades and set pipe. After I retired I saw one listed at a auction. I bought the NI2 level with a great tripod and level rod for $40. Zeiss optics are fantastic! I知 used to ft/10ths

:thumbsup:...it was always great to look down a long run of pipe and see a perfectly round hole of daylight at the other end...!

 

[Jim Nelson]

A level will be simpler to use but only does elevations. A transit measures angles also, both in the vertical and horizontal. I am a retired land surveyor and never thought much of David White stuff.

Everything we did was in tenths and hundredths of a foot. We never used an inch rod. About the only thing done in inches was pipe sizes and tree diameters.

I was trying to say what you just said so much simpler. As an operator and grade checker, working from stakes set by surveyors like yourself , we always used tenths & hundredths. Inches and fractions were for the carpenters and concrete crews.

 

[BoylermanCT]

The holes for my pole barn were dug using a laser transit. Pretty slick. Then we used an optical transit for setting the posts. Finally we used a water level when positioning the skirt boards. The water level was pretty fool proof, even over long distances.

 

[dodge man]

They make folding rulers, called engineers rulers that have tenths and hundredths on one side, inches on the other. Most construction companies worked in tenths and hundredths. I gave away a couple of those rulers to contractors who wanted grade stakes in inches, which I wouldn’t do.

I wouldn’t recommend a hand level for anything but very rough work.

$40 for a Zeiss NI2, that was a steal, one of the best auto levels ever made.

Accuracy and precision? It seems like that is a common question on the test required for a surveyors license. I can’t remember for sure, I took in in 1991. People need to Google it, it’s a important concept.

 

[Egon]

They make folding rulers, called engineers rulers that have tenths and hundredths on one side, inches on the other. Most construction companies worked in tenths and hundredths. I gave away a couple of those rulers to contractors who wanted grade stakes in inches, which I wouldn’t do.

I wouldn’t recommend a hand level for anything but very rough work.

$40 for a Zeiss NI2, that was a steal, one of the best auto levels ever made.

Accuracy and precision? It seems like that is a common question on the test required for a surveyors license. I can’t remember for sure, I took in in 1991. People need to Google it, it’s a important concept.

I can recall a 375 foot cut being brought down with a hand level. It had 1 to 1 side slopes with an 11 foot berm every 20 feet. Came out right on. The interesting fact was that on completion the owners surveyor thought there was about a 40 foot error till he discovered his mistake. There were about 12 D9H dozers with U blades working on the cut. Yea, I was the guy with the hand level!.

 

[3Ts]

I can recall a 375 foot cut being brought down with a hand level. It had 1 to 1 side slopes with an 11 foot berm every 20 feet. Came out right on. The interesting fact was that on completion the owners surveyor thought there was about a 40 foot error till he discovered his mistake. There were about 12 D9H dozers with U blades working on the cut. Yea, I was the guy with the hand level!.

There is a road (highway 60) thru the swamp in Indian River county in Florida (around Vero area) that they rebuilt the road (offset from the existing one) many years ago. Surveyors worked from both ends and the construction crews were building behind them. When the surveyors met they were 60' apart. It caused quite a furor. Fortunately, the construction was far enough back that they could put in a curve to meet up.