Handy Makeshift Level
If you don't have a level on hand, a speed square with a plumb bob or chalkline can create a level line.
Did you know that you can level a surface using just a speed square and a plumb bob or chalkline? Simply wrap the string over the pivot point and hold it in place on top of the heel/fence of the square and let the plumb bob hang down.
Then pivot the square with the opposite side of the lip resting on the surface you want to level. When the string, which will be hanging plumb, bisects the 45° notch on the square, the hypotenuse side of the square will be perfectly level.
— Byron Schmidt; Chilliwack, B.C., Canada
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