Old timer's chalk line trick saved me 2 hours on the trim job

Was doing crown molding at a house off Route 9 and the guy watching me, probably 70, said to snap the line twice at an angle so the dust makes a shadow line. Tried it on the second room and my miters lined up first try, never going back. Anyone else got a weird old-school tip that actually works?

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nelson.nancy12d ago

Ha! That shadow line trick is gold, but here's the one that blew my mind: use a cheap laser level to throw a dot on the ceiling, then line up your chalk box with that dot. Sounds dumb, but it keeps your snap straight on long runs where the board bows. Old timers didn't have that, but they did have the string trick where you pull it tight and pluck it like a guitar string instead of dragging it. The snap is cleaner and the dust sticks better. That's saved my butt on cedar siding more than once. You got any other dusty tricks up your sleeve?