What is a String Line?
String Lines are of the most basic of hand tools, also one of the oldest. String Lines are usually used while practicing carpentry or masonry, and used to create a straight line between two reference points. The string line is either chalked, or un-chalked depending on the carpenters preferences.
String Lines are used with weighted objects with pointed tips attached to the string line, theses objects are called plumb-bobs. The use of a string line are as follows, an start and finish point are selected. The weighted objects or “plumb-bobs,” are placed at the two selected points. The end’s of a string line are then attached to the tip of each weighted object, creating a precise straight line. Reference points are then made along the string line between the two points, enabling the person using this hand tool to plot specific points in which to work from. In the case that the string line being used is chalked, then the line is simply pulled tight and plucked or snapped by the person in possession, transferring a visible line onto the work area.
In conjunction, string lines and plumb-bobs, or weighted objects, are great ancient tools for marking and measuring vertical and horizontal lines. The chalked string line is enclosed in a small box, the string inside the small box is retractable with a hook attached to the end of it, used to connect the string to the desired weighted point. When this string is retracted into the box it is then coated with powdered chalk. Chalked string lines are commonly called chalk lines, and are used in masonry arts or carpentry.
String lines were often used in surveying, in which the exact angles and measurements are used to determine ownership boundaries and establish land maps, but were replaced by more sophisticated machines such as the laser. String lines are hundreds of years old, and are used mainly by carpenters or masons, typically by personal preference.
A string line is one of the oldest and most basic of hand tools and is commonly used in masonry and carpentry to help the user create a straight line between two reference points. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. A string line enables the user to mark the shortest distance, which helps to avoid sags or tilts in a structure. A tool that is hundreds of years old, a string line is typically either used in conjunction with a plumb bob, commonly referred to as a plumb line, or is a chalked string line. A string line and plumb bob are useful for marking straight vertical lines. Used with a plumb bob, which is a weighted object with a pointed tip attached to the end of the string, the user must mark reference points along the line between the starting point and the end point. This enables the mason or carpenter to maintain a straight line as he works as well as gives him other points to work off of. A string line level can also be used to create a straight, level h
