Hand Levels
Hand Levels can be a great tool for use by
professionals and consumers. They are a very
practical and low cost tool with a wide variety of
uses. They were first created when someone thought
of attaching a spirit level to a telescope. Once the
instrument is level, the user looks through the
telescope to compare different points against the
same reference point. It is used for rough leveling
and not designed for precision work. Sometimes
Professional Land Surveyors or Grading Contractors
will use a Hand Level to get an idea or estimation
of level instead of taking the time to set up a
tripod with a leveling instrument. EngineerSupply
sells Hand Levels. Internal stadia markings assist
the user in determining the distances. Land
Surveyors and Land Development Professionals use
Hand Levels and Sight Levels as they are ideal for
preliminary survey and simple distance estimation.
Hand levels are ideal for laying lawns, paving,
brick-laying, creating retaining walls, grading and
excavation work, shed and pergola construction,
fencing and numerous other home DIY projects.
Abney Levels
An Abney Level is similar to a Hand Level in that it
is a telescope with a spirit level attached. The
main distinction is that the spirit level on an
Abney level is not set in a static horizontal
position. An Abney Level features a graduated arc.
EngineerSupply sells Abney Levels. Once the arc is
set at a specific degree it will cause the spirit
level to show level at that specific angle. Many
Abney levels will feature items such as stadia and
will have a feature to focus items at different
distances. Some even have a magnification feature.
Abney levels are easier to use and inexpensive. They
are used to measure degrees, percent of grade and
topographic elevation. The user can then determine
height, volume and grade through manipulating the
readings with trigonometry.
Land Surveyors, Builders, Contractors,
Agriculture Professionals, Foresters, and many other
Professionals use Abney levels. One unique use of an
Abney level is to indirectly measure the height of a
tree.
Dumpy Levels
Dumpy Levels are more like a Builders' Level than a
Hand Level. It is not a hand-held tool, but instead
needs to be mounted on a tripod. It has largely been
replaced by Auto Levels and a Builders' Level. It
needs to be perfectly level on all 4 leveling screws
because it has no self leveling features like most
Auto Levels today. Any slight variation will cause
measurements to be inaccurate. Auto Levels allow the
user to set the instrument close to level and the
instrument will adjust the fine level using its
internal compensator. This decreases setup time and
improves accuracy of measurements. Although dumpy
levels are not typically used anymore many people
will refer to Auto Levels and Builders' Levels as
“dumpy levels” despite the vast differences in the
instruments.
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