How to Use a Line Level to Calculate Grade, Slope

Don't have a laser level, find grade or slope fast with a string and line level. Learn how to use string a line-level like a pro to see how much rise and run you have on your work area. I'm building a new house and finding elevations with a string level and tape measures and I also go to my desk to show how to find the angle of elevation, what tangent means, and how to use a calculator to find angle and grade as a percent. Find grade with a line level
Good resources: www.amazon.com/shop/colfaxmath (paid link)
Mathematics for Carpentry and the Construction Trades, amzn.to/3hy0ZUJ

[@R900DZ]

Good coverage of how to find 2% slope, but also noteworthy that when the bubble is right tight to one side of one of the inside lines (not centered between them), that is a 1% slope, which is useful for things like laying pavers

[@ColfaxMath]

Very good information

[@lowanatpeace]

Yes! After about 2 hours of searching, I find a video that shows the rise/run. Thank you, sir.

[@ColfaxMath]

Glad it helped

[@volbster2]

Man if they just taught me it this way in school I might of learned something! Thank you well done!

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@chozen1956]

I've stated that for years. Schools should have guys like me come and in tell the kids just how valuable math really is, in everyday life, for everything.

[@alldaydevo]

Agreed

[@abel3557]

Or use basic trigonometry and the distance from two locations, along with the height difference. And boom, everhthing you need to calculate the grade.

[@johnwhite6538]

it’s so much easier for me to understand this stuff when i can apply it to real world circumstances that apply to me. in high school all i saw were numbers on a piece of paper and a clock on the wall.

[@ColfaxMath]

Great quote " all I saw were numbers on a paper and a clock on the wall"

[@filamphibian2980]

Great video. Your real world application makes this so much easier to learn the supporting mathematics. Thank you!

[@ColfaxMath]

Great to hear that

[@maryhoffman2547]

Thank you for using it in the real world. I understand it so much better.

[@ColfaxMath]

Good to hear

[@anthonyramirez1757]

I don’t use this just but I sure will now that I know. Thank you very much. It’s simple and straight forward.

[@ColfaxMath]

Glad it was informative

[@ygdrasil999]

Best explanation I've heard. Nice job

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@michaelgilliam8781]

You sound just like Dale from king of the hill and it's awesome.

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@rexrexford5249]

Nice job.....clear and concise presentation.

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@baharv4575]

You are a great teacher ! Keep up the good work!

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@rvingmontanezway103]

Great video brother this exactly how my land is .. Thank you for sharing 👍

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@hammurds]

Great lesson Colfax! When I worked sewer and water we would use a laser for grade but we would check our pipe with a 4’ level. If the bubble was just touching the line we would know it was close to a .40 grade. We would have to figure the percentage. We would shoot the high point and low point.(example) If the high point was 25.24 and low point was 29.66 in a 300’ run, we would use the calculation 29.66-25.24=4.42 4.42/300=.01473 X100=1.473 and that would be the number we put on our laser since it recognizes 100’ incriminates. It is gets to be a lot of other configurations when checking the staking since the survey crew works off of sea level elevation.

[@ColfaxMath]

Great feedback from someone in the field, thank you

[@manelson4338]

Wow! I have a hard time with math but you made it a bit easier. I am getting ready to buy my first property. And maybe last. But one side of the property is flat and the other is more rolling hills. Your equation will help. Thanks!

[@ColfaxMath]

Good to hear, good luck!

[@StubProductions]

Excellent video!!

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@ericshoemake6090]

I really appreciate your video you saved me 900 bucks lol 😆 god bless you

[@ColfaxMath]

Glad to hear that

[@davidlouis129]

Thank you for time and efforts

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@covidcarl7480]

thanks for the refresher. don't use it, lose it.

[@ColfaxMath]

Glad it helped

[@1pvlover]

In my teaching I wasn't told about the 1/4 line in the level . Thanx great video

[@ColfaxMath]

I'm glad it helped

[@creaanee]

thank you

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@taylorsnyder3329]

I didn't have enough string so I had to do it 2 different times. I placed 3 stakes in ground in a straight line 20ft apart from each other. Stake #1 to Stake #2 came out to 7%. Then I put the string at the bottom of the 2nd stake and connected it to the top of the 3rd stake. That was 21.6%. So now do I combine the two percentages for 28.6% and divide by 2? Or is the total slope 28.6%?

[@ColfaxMath]

It depends on the length of the two strings. No you don't add them. I'd buy some new string and do it again the whole distance

[@taylorsnyder3329]

@@ColfaxMath dang, okay thanks

[@LockerDog]

Where did the intro music come from? Did you make it yourself?

[@ColfaxMath]

No, I think just off of KZbin

[@LockerDog]

@@ColfaxMath But free of any copyright concerns/accidental music piracy? So for instance, maybe you asked the original music creator or perhaps it was made not to be copyrighted in the first place? I try to encourage people not to inadvertently (or advertently) violate G-d's prohibition of theft. Very helpful video. Thank you.

[@LandersWorkshop]

Would the 9% grade be equivalent to degrees?

[@ColfaxMath]

Close but not exactly, 90 degrees is vertical and 100 percent is vertical

[@LandersWorkshop]

@@ColfaxMath Great, do you know what is the best way to do this for working out the degrees?

[@sparkjax1]

They sell 10 level bubbles in a little glass jar you can pick it up at the hardware store

[@ColfaxMath]

Been there before, said they were outback with the board stretcher

[@lalmuansangamizo1058]

I want to use this but need reference

[@ColfaxMath]

What do you need?

[@califuturist]

👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@arnoldsanchez6576]

Couldn’t you just use a laser to get your grade? Is this just for math teaching? I enjoy your teaching very much. Wish I had you as my math teacher.

[@ColfaxMath]

Yes, laser is better, but I didn't have one. Old school way of doing it. Thank you for the kind words

[@arnoldsanchez6576]

Do you have a website or some form of contacting you out side of this. I’m looking for some help with math for my current job.

[@MegaRiffraff]

👍🏻

[@ColfaxMath]

Thank you

[@jakethomas8011]

Why is 26.6 = 26.5 feet

[@ColfaxMath]

12 inches to the foot

[@ejekhineyahaya3063]

Is that not snake in the background

[@ColfaxMath]

No I don't think so