Friday, 28 March 2014

Levels: Different Varieties & How They Are Used

By Carey Bourdier


Levels are precision instruments that are used by a variety of people to indicate whether a specific surface is vertical or horizontal. There are many types of levels, and each one is suited to specific types of work. There are levels for surveyors, levels for stonemasons and levels for carpenters, just to name a few.

There are different categories of levels and one of the most commonly seen is the spirit level. Under the guise of spirit levels, there are many different types and each serves a specific purpose. The most common type of household level would be the torpedo level, and most of us have one of these long levels which have a liquid-filled vial in the center. Torpedo levels are used to hang a shelf or perhaps a picture, and carpenters use them for all types of construction. Stonemasons use a variant of the spirit level known as a mason's level to properly install bricks and masonry. When building a fence, one should use a post level to ensure that all of the posts are properly installed.

A precision frame spirit level can be useful in any type of construction, and these differ from those long torpedo levels and resemble a square with prismatic sides. They are used for the highly accurate determination of vertical and horizontal shapes and surfaces, which is essential when you are building everything from a backyard shed to a home or a large commercial building.

While all spirit levels are so named because the liquid in the level vial contains spirits or rather ethanol, not all levels are cylindrical. The bull's eye spirit level is circular and resembles its namesake, a bull's eye. These are used in surveying equipment, such as a theodolite, as well as in compasses and sometimes on tripods. Carpenters also use bull's eye levels, as well. The advantage of this type of spirit level is that works in two dimensions unlike most spirit levels which work in one only.

Surveyors for hundreds of years have needed to use levels to gather information about topography. In the 1870s, astronomer and inventor William Abney created the Abney level to aid in the measurement of elevation and landform grade. This topographic level includes a protractor and sighting tube, as well as a precise spirit level that is movable.

The laser level is used by engineers to ensure that machine parts are completely level. Even the tiniest inaccuracy in leveling can cause huge problems in large-scale equipment. Laser levels also are used in construction and even survey work. While they can be used to set up complex machinery properly, simple laser levels are helpful tools in the home, as well.




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