The laser measure lied to me and I cut a $400 panel 3 inches short

Honestly I was working on this built-in in Seattle last month and my Bosch laser measure was reading the wall at 72 inches. I cut the maple plywood panel dead on 72 and when I went to slide it in it was 3 inches too short. Turned out the laser was bouncing off a mirror on the far wall and giving me a false reading. I had to order a whole new sheet and eat the cost because the client wanted bookmatched grain. Has anyone else had a laser measure trick them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicew681mo ago

Oh come on, that's rough but a $400 panel? What kind of fancy plywood costs that much? I mean yeah it sucks to mess up but honestly a laser measure is just a tool, you gotta double check with a tape measure on stuff that expensive. Mirrors messing with the beam is a known thing, not really the laser's fault. Seems like a lot of drama over a rookie mistake.

benc531mo ago

A buddy of mine named Dave was doing a custom bar build for a client out of some zebrawood veneered MDF that ran him like $350 a sheet. He used a laser measure to lay out his cuts because he thought it was more accurate and faster than a tape. Well, the laser hit a polished metal vent hood in the room and gave him a reading that was off by almost 2 inches. He cut the piece, went to fit it, and it was way too short. That sheet was toast and he had to eat the cost because the client wanted a perfect grain match on a replacement. He still uses the laser for rough estimates but always, ALWAYS double checks with a tape on anything pricey. So yeah, I get why someone would be upset if they thought the tool was giving them the right number and it just lied to them.