If you’re tired of winding the string on your plumb bob, and you’ve got an empty spring-wound tape case lying around, try this. First, whittle a wooden plug to fill the tape slot, and drill a hole in it a little larger than the diameter of the string you use. Now remove the old tape and tie your line to the end of the spring. Let the spring and some of the line retract into the tape case, thread the string through the hole in the plug and press-fit the plug in place. Now tie a knot in the line or attach your plumb bob, and you’re in business. You can get at least 25 ft. of line in a 25-ft. tape case, and with a larger-diameter line, the push lock will still work.
—Brent Lanier, Pleasant Gardens, NC
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #24
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Tajima makes these for $16.50
A chalk line without the chalk works, too.