Hello all,

I have recently noticed the abundance of all the laser levels, such as the Craftsman laser trac on the market. I was considering buying one for use in airplane building. Has anyone been using one? Are they worth the purchase for airplane building? What are some of the key area's that these products are helping - straight wings, fuselage's, ?

I am curious to hear how these have helped

[link]http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00 948251000&subcat=Laser+Tools[/link]

I just completed my Ercoupe and used a laser level to lay out the side stripe.

I set the plane on the bench with the level at the same height off the floor.

I put pencil marks at nose and tail, at the places where the top and bottom of the stripes should be.

The laser drew a straight line between these points after adjusting the levelling part.

With the line projected on the plane, I simply applied 3M fine line masking tape up to the line and started painting the stripe.

Here's how it came out:

Another use of the laser is just the light itself. Sometimes when you're working on the inside of an airplane and need to transfer that point to the outside or visa versa, just shine the light on/through the point and whalaa.. There you have it. Some of my laser pointers are strong enough to go through sheeting too.

Does the leveler project a plane or a line ? Thx

Most "laser levels" project a plane. Most are laser "projectors" that require leveling of the projector manually using built in spirit levels and screws. I use one mounted on a camera tripod for easy movement / adjustment. There are also some geometric considerations to avoid errors (generally well covered in the instructions).

With those points considered, I find them a useful tool in building. The Craftsman unit I have allows 90 degree rotation of the plane, so one can align the laser on the rudder post centerline and rotate the laser to establish perpindicularity with the stab / wing. As mentioned, the laser will be visible through a composite fuse, so if projected vertically through the fuse (say into the fin without the centerpost), a centerline will be visible the entire length of the fuse (assuming no bulkheads).

While useful, the width of the laser is too much for some alignment. I prefer a digital level for most precision work.

Earl