Plumb Bobs Don't Lie

You can trust a plumb bob.

[@jimhuskins8506]

One of my early teachers had a degree in engineering. He said that the plumb bob is the most accurate instrument on earth.

[@herrickkimball]

That is an excellent and memorable quote! Thank you, Jim.

[@WilleyNelson69]

Not in the wind

[@jimhuskins8506]

My teacher specified, “When undisturbed.”

[@jakescakes]

The Earth is level and not a spinning ball

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

@@jakescakes the cores stopped apparently

[@travis8106]

plumb bob square pants

[@johnfranklin1955]

Plumb Bobs don’t lie, they are 100% accurate, 100% of the time, and are an inexpensive alternative to lasers. Those Egyptians sure knew what they were doing!

[@ethanmaiden]

aliens 👽

[@alexanderchippel]

My cousin had one of these and swore by it. I never believed him. He said that the Plumb Bob changed his life. Last Christmas he got me one for my birthday. Never thinking I'd bet use it, I just threw it in my car. Well about two years ago, I was taking some groceries to my car after leaving the grocery store, and some guys came up and tried to mug me. Thinking fast, I grabbed the plumb bob from my car and swung it over by head, hitting one of my would be attackers square in the face. He stumbled back and then they all ran away. That day I truly understood the raw power of the plumb bob, and no I carry one anywhere I go, except the airport because mine sets off the metal detectors.

[@herrickkimball]

Plumb Bobs don't lie, but I think Alexander might. 😂 Great story. 👍

[@designationzero9979]

I just wanted to comment that I teach 6th grade bilingual math and science, and I needed a video to use as an engagement ("attention getter") for my lesson today. I am teaching formulas for finding the area of quadrilaterals (parallelograms and trapezoids). This video helped in putting the vocabulary (perpendicular & parallel) in a real-world context. Many of my kids' parents work in construction and they will find it relevant. Thanks Herrick Kimball.

[@herrickkimball]

Thanks for that feedback. Made my day. 👍🏻

[@stephenrichie4646]

I love plum bobs too. Have a small collection of them, new and old, plain and fancy. Such a simple, elemental tool, descended from antiquity!

[@sohaibpatel3761]

finally understood how it's used from this video

[@808zhu]

Very nice, simple video. I was just looking at this exact tool, too. Thanks for the video.

[@dazzhan9826]

Depending on the application plumb bobs can be put 1/2 - 2/3 in a container of oil on a windy day. Water can be used but the thicker oil will slow down any movement better.

[@dormindont1]

Хорошее и понятное видео, спасибо за хороший обзор👍

[@codyjohnson7841]

Hey great video thank you!! I can’t think of a better quick run down of a plumb bob. I didn’t watch any other videos to compare but I got what I needed first try!

[@johneric3886]

Nice video good communication skills.

[@rxonmymind8362]

Strings, water, Plumb Bob's all simple yet effective tools that never lie.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

The Lyre Lies though. Philolaus flipped his Lyre around to create irrational magnitude ratios that lied about the truth of noncommutative time-frequency.

[@cloverleaf5212]

thank you

[@sholland42]

I was a land surveyor in my youth. A plumb bob is one of the most important tools you could ever own, perfect.

[@harrytinker2328]

Agreed! Its pretty much impossible for this simple tool to go out of calibration, unlike most other precision instruments.

[@RustyCas999]

You want to use a string that’s not “wrapped” so it doesn’t twist/untwist. I ripped a short piece of 2X to 1-1/4” wide and then cut that in half to make a pair of gauge block. Tack one piece to the top plate and let the string come over the sharp edge (I use a small quick-clamp to secure the string to the top plate). The other gauge block sits on the floor butted up to bottom plate (clamp it if you want). Gives you a nice clean edge to reference to (don’t need to measure) which you can usually just watch as you nudge the top in our out.

[@bethanyanderson1745]

Nice. Where did you buy string that wasn't wrapped?

[@scottkrieman8108]

I finally got a self leveling laser level of my own! They are the best way to go. I use to carry around five different size bubble levels and now the laser will be all I need. Very quick to use and a windy day wont be a problem getting plum like when I used my plumb bob. I will admit a plumb bob is most true if there is no wind and you wait for the swinging to stop.

[@timbarry5080]

Lasers do go out of true, and unless you check it you won't know it.. And they are usually impossible to fix if they get damaged. So they are basically throw away items. Even expensive ones

[@NMranchhand]

@@timbarry5080 So you should check it at the beginning of every job with...oh, I don’t know...say,..a plumb bob?

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@NMranchhand - yep, probably. But then his original statement still stands - just hauls around 1 tool, his laser, right?

[@tonyconnor5691]

You always have to measure to the centre of the beam as the beam will widen the further the distance, I still use a line and plumb Bob and I have two lasers, a line and plumb Bob is always accurate

[@Stobler72]

They lie in the wind!

[@rxonmymind8362]

Duh. 😄

[@briancrisler6660]

The use of a heavier plumb bob will negate the wind in all but a hurricane. The one being demonstrated is a 14 oz model by Tajima. I use a 32oz model. They also settle faster the heavier they are. Little known fact. The less clothing you have on, the more accurate the plumb bob. On days that I have many plumb bob jobs, I work naked. Legal disclaimer: Some of what I said was done so in jest. I will let you however determine what is comedy and what is accurate.

[@ranat5526]

Put the plumb in a glass of water, works all the time!

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@briancrisler6660 - naked and alone, I bet!

[@hmtrimworks7148]

Just put a 2” mark on the deck and adjust to that, so you don’t have to keep measuring

[@Dggb2345]

Thanks

[@craigmilliman2763]

If you get them far enough apart, they will disagree a bit.

[@royvillasin5287]

plumb bob and a nail, is a good tool too

[@timbarry5080]

Plumb bob's are cool. I have three on the truck. One of which is the older version of yours. My largest is a 32 ounce and even that gets blown around on a windy day. I'm about to buy a larger one to see if I can beat the wind

[@DmacJitsu]

they say letting it hang into a bucket of water will help with the wind

[@timbarry5080]

@@DmacJitsu wow. That's an interesting idea thank you.

[@daveylad2]

Plumb bobs never lie,...unless you’ve got a large mountain near by, in which case it will swing towards the mountain

[@TooPro4YouZ]

well i've heard '' strings dont lie '' from many carpenters yet so i guess that's where you got your plum bob don't lie, since it uses a string !

[@ranat5526]

That's because the Earth is Flat and Stationary.

[@geoff4022]

No you didn't

[@austrianpainterhidingfromt5920]

Bruh, please no...

[@viergarcia]

Say 👏🏼it 👏🏼louder 👏🏼for 👏🏼the 👏🏼construction 👏🏼crews 👏🏼in 👏🏼the 👏🏼back👏🏼

[@bethanyanderson1745]

Flat, yes but the real question is, is it level? And .... when the Snowbirds go south for the winter, does it need to be recalibrated?

[@Zoofactory]

8 bucks and recommended by The Bible. Built The Egyptian, Greek, Persian, and Roman Empires. Probably can do quantum calculations with it but I don’t know how. ❤

[@thefresco2479]

How for you move it and hold it once moved to be plumb

[@WilleyNelson69]

Till it’s windy lol

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

well if the whole building is swaying then it still remains plumb

[@thxmateoli]

Watch Larry Hauns video on framing walls and he’ll show you the proper way to hack a level so it can read plumb, work better than waiting for a plumb bib to stop dingaling around to get accurate plumb.

[@HardDriveBeatss]

so how do you fix it?

[@shaneash1598]

A taunt string don't lie!!

[@RonGetty-io6yc]

Just wanted to know if that one was a decent before I bought it I guess so. Thank you.

[@herrickkimball]

Five years later and that plumb bob is still a great tool, in my opinion. 👍

[@shaneash1598]

2" off set 👌 door frames separate men from boys with there laser lines😂

[@leftfootforward1040]

Unless it's windy. I use them for some jobs, if its windy have it hang in a bucket of water, the resistance will help keep it steady.

[@scottkrieman8108]

That's a great idea!!! but how do you transfer the mark out side of the bucket?

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@left foot forward - you tie the bottom of the string to the handle of a bucket of water?

[@leftfootforward1040]

Sorry for the late reply, I turned off notifications. It really depends on specific circumstances, if room allows you can off set the whole plumb bob, then measure back from it, treating it like a datum line. I use plumb bobs for scribing oak timberframed buildings. If I'm in the yard and it's windy, I'll have all my timbers stacked in the correct positions on trestles. The plumb bob will run just past my scrbe area on the wood and into the bucket of water which is on the floor. I've also used it when surveying an old stone barn in the middle of winter. The roof was already off and the walls where all over the place. Certain parts of the roof had to line up with stone pillars on the ground floor so I hung the plumb bob from top of wall plate down to the bucket of water then measure back from the line the required amount. Hope that helps.

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@leftfootforward1040 makes sense. Thanks for taking the time

[@sadhananarendar2992]

👍

[@amosjamestua9527]

Can you use the plum bomb when there is a wave, and if yes how can you use it ?

[@herrickkimball]

The plumb bob has to be still to get an accurate point mark. If there is only a little movement, you can get a close-to-accurate point.

[@lukeconnolly]

I thought plumb bob was the guy who fixed my sink?

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

They squat - and then run the other way. Unless they got Duluth Traders on to fix the Plumber's Truth.

[@erikgamboa8299]

Good to know! Thank you

[@tomasarguinzoni9022]

👍🏼

[@ty0285]

Anyone else notice his wall wasn't on the line? So the wall maybe level but now your not square.

[@4142Wilb]

Do you take in “warped” lumber into account?

[@herrickkimball]

Yes. Always. But the beauty of a plumb bob is that it bypasses any warp in the wood when establishing plumb. I will sometimes measure off the string in the center of the stud span to see if there is a warp and how much. 👍

[@4142Wilb]

@@herrickkimball ok thx

[@fredericleitenberger2213]

Hey! Great explanation. But there is one thing i don't understand... can you help me solve this? I used the formula for gravity and put in the sun, the distance between sun and earth and 100kg for an object on earth. The result was that a force of aprox. 0.79 Newton would pull on these 100kg in the direction of the sun. This is aprox. 0.08% of the earth gravity. This should create a deviation in the plumb bob's measurements of 0.08% towards the direction of the sun. For example a plumb bob with a 2 meter string would deviate 1.6mm towards the sun. Thus when comparing its position in the morning with its position in the evening it should be about 3.2mm apart. But then again you and other commenters said: "Plumb Bobs don’t lie, they are 100% accurate, 100% of the time" So when you build your house, do you (have to) make sure to only take the measurements when the sun in high up in the sky (in zenith)? Or am i missing something here?

[@williamholsey]

If you had a laser level, you could've found out the same information much faster

[@Augustheatsucks]

true, but laser lights kinda suck outside sometimes At least mine does. but im not dropping another 400 on a nicer one.

[@williamholsey]

@@Augustheatsucks mine cost 89 and it's a green laserso your can easily see it outside. I found mine on Amazon

[@RustyCas999]

@@williamholsey Have you checked your $89 laser against anything? How do you know it’s accurate?

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@williamholsey - which laser do you have? Mind adding a link?

[@williamholsey]

@@bethanyanderson1745 i got mine from amazon, it has 13 level lines and a remote control

[@jorgeo1492]

Plum bop, plum bop. And then you said plum bob

[@justinbrewer3288]

So how are you going to go about pushing that top part of the wall to the road?

[@herrickkimball]

I moved it as needed by angling a long 2x from the floor to the top of the wall and applying pressure. That usually does it. If I really needed a lot of movement I would have backed my truck up near the outside the wall and used a chain and come-along to pull the wall into place. 👍

[@MoctezumasRevenge1]

Justin you can use a turnbuckle and wrench it in til its true.

[@leeshasewwandi9368]

Ok

[@wordgeezer]

Theoretically a plumb bob points to the center of the earth, but if you are close to a mountain, it will point slightly toward it. This was discovered by geodetic surveyors who were working in the Himalayas using precision theodolites and triangulation. Still use my plumb bob for construction though.

[@josiahwyncott7519]

Somehow my plum bob always points outwards about 35 degrees, I think it broke or something.

[@seaislevel7233]

Two plumb bobs is all you need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that gravity does not exist.

[@bethanyanderson1745]

Two Bobs or Bettys at Seniors Skinny Dip Falls are all you need to prove gravity DOES exist.

[@billomeagain]

How would that work?

[@seaislevel7233]

@@billomeagain look up a video I made years ago by typing in, Heath the man that proved gravity does not exist. Look for the blue motorcycle gas tank icon to know you have the right video made by me, Heath It explains how plumb bobs prove gravity does not exist. Another scientific experiment that even a child can do is , Fill a fish tank with water. Drop in a grain of sand, it sinks quickly to the bottom. Now drop in a one pound piece of two by four wood, it will float. Much larger much heavier yet it floats. If the piece of wood isn't large enough scale for you to be sure, then do the same test in the ocean with the same grain of sand. BUT substitute a 4 million pound container barge, for the wood. The fanciful belief called gravity states larger and heavier equals more gravitational attraction, this is easily Proven a lie.

[@billomeagain]

@@seaislevel7233 Uhh, I'm not sure you understand the concept of gravity/apparent gravity, the concept of level, what constitutes a scientific experiment, density, buoyancy, and so on. But I'm positive, you know nothing of vertical reference lines. If you actually made that video. Two vertical reference lines are never parallel. They will never be the same distance from each other, at any two equal corresponding points. Your "slide" that shows the lines converging...is exactly what happens in reality. The "bottom" of the lines will be closer than the "top" of the lines. Try harder or get better equipment.

[@Ta53508]

Probably only 3/16😮

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

so how you gonna move that wall? Not knowing the truth is not the same as lying.

[@herrickkimball]

Moving the wall is a simple process of removing the temporary 2x brace nailed to the outside of the studs, then racking the frame as needed to get it where it needs to be. Wedging a 2x4 between the ground (or floor) and a wall stud usually moves the wall without much problem.

[@Brandon-no3vc]

What do you mean it settled

[@herrickkimball]

Without watching the video to see the context, I think the string stretched down some?

[@Brandon-no3vc]

@@herrickkimball @0.50 seconds

[@herrickkimball]

Okay. I see. The plumb Bob was hanging freely when I set it up but the string stretched so that the point was touching the deck. “It settled a bit” was another way of saying the string had stretched and needed to be taken up.

[@arealist1960]

Niether does a water level

[@herrickkimball]

Unless it has bubbles in the tube. But I love the water level. I learned how to use it in building trades school. I even wrote an article about making and using a water level for Fine Building magazine. Many years ago. 👍

[@arealist1960]

@@herrickkimball yes true, clear plastic tube makes it easier to spot any bubbles either way there's nothing more accurate than the laws of nature

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@herrickkimball - would love to read that article - any guess on the year?

[@herrickkimball]

@@bethanyanderson1745 1994? Issue #85. www.finehomebuilding.com/membership/pdf/12541/021085058.pdf

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@@herrickkimball thanks. Think I still have that issue.

[@darwinbang9683]

3/8 of an inch sounds so incomplete/irrational... Why are you still using imperial after claiming independence from Britain? 9.5 mm doesn't sound better? Anyway, love your videos. Thanks for the knowledge ✊

[@cybernessful]

3/8 is actually 100% rational. It is a ratio, you know, Square root of 2 is irrational:)

[@lionheart93]

how much do u make a year?

[@aaronoregano5927]

Le0 Id wager about $16

[@lionheart93]

@@aaronoregano5927 16?

[@YonkersLV]

3

[@illestofdemall13]

They take too long for modern fast paced work in a production environment where things need to get done ASAP.

[@eatonalexander]

Cheap carpenters arent good and good carpenters arent cheap or super fast

[@illestofdemall13]

@@eatonalexander The lasers work well. I am not talking about rushing in order to do it half-assed. I am talking about using the current technology to our advantage. Just like using a powered drill as opposed to a bit and brace. Yes, they both will make a hole, but one will be more productive.