A 70 year old framer in Spokane taught me chalk line technique in 20 seconds

I was finishing up a deck job last month. Old guy walks by, watches me snap lines on a header. He says "you're pulling it too high, brings the chalk off." He grabbed my line, pulled it low and tight, snapped it. Cleanest line I ever saw. I've been framing 8 years and never thought about it. Anyone else pick up a simple tip that made you feel like an idiot for not knowing it sooner?

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1 Comment

seth_green857d ago

Gotta say, I'm a little skeptical this is some huge revelation. Pulling the line lower so more chalk stays on it is pretty basic physics, not exactly a secret handshake. I've seen guys snap lines a thousand different ways and honestly, the board material and humidity matter way more than a couple inches of pull height. Maybe it cleaned up your line a bit, but calling it an idiot moment feels like a stretch. It's a chalk line, not rocket surgery.