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Old timer in Omaha told me to quit wasting time on string lines

Was setting posts for a 200ft privacy fence last Tuesday and this retired guy walks over, says my string line method was costing me an hour a day. He showed me how to mark and eyeball it instead, and I got done by 2pm instead of 5pm. Anyone else ditch the string and just go by eye or am I asking for crooked fences down the road?
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3 Comments
blake432
blake4322mo ago
That old timer probably saved you a ton of headache. String lines are great for straight runs but they slow you down big time on longer fences. I started eyeballing posts after watching a crew do it fast on a job site. Just take your time marking the corners first and the rest falls into place. You gotta trust yourself a little but it works out fine.
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saraho48
saraho4813d agoMost Upvoted
Trust yourself a little but it works out fine" is exactly what my buddy Mike kept saying before his fence project. He watched a few youtube videos and decided to skip the string line on his back 40. @blake432 you would've laughed, his first few posts were way off from each other and he had to dig em back out with the tractor. Took him twice as long in the end because he kept second guessing and remeasuring. He finally gave up and borrowed my string line just to get the last stretch done straight.
7
jenny_fox
jenny_fox2mo ago
Sold mine after the first buddy-taught fence row.
1