# Techy tool that I found helpful!



## Elennox (Jan 2, 2012)

For those of you that have an android phone there is an app called bubble. I am amazed at the accuracy and the feature that shows the degree of the angle. Also allows you to calibrate it. Liked it and I hope you enjoy.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

The usefullness of this would be????????????

Reads like SPAM to me.

G


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## Elennox (Jan 2, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> The usefullness of this would be????????????
> 
> Reads like SPAM to me.
> 
> G


Confused! Why would this read like spam to anyone. Maybe you don't know what an Android phone is. Sorry that you thought someone was advertising for a free program that is a level and is in your pocket wherever life takes you. I am in insurance agent in the Midwest.


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## cabomhn (Jan 14, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> The usefullness of this would be????????????
> 
> Reads like SPAM to me.
> 
> G


I think the usefulness of what he posted is somewhat apparent. If you're in a hurry and need an angle estimation without having to pay a high price for a digital level then you can simply just use your phone and have it be accurate to some degree. Sounds pretty useful to me.


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## chrisgerman1983 (Jan 17, 2009)

Another useful android app is smart measure :thumbsup: It uses triangulation to measure the height of pretty much anything, as long as it is not too tall. Again it is amazingly accurate.... within an inch on something I knew was 12 feet


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

cabomhn said:


> I think the usefulness of what he posted is somewhat apparent. If you're in a hurry and need an angle estimation without having to pay a high price for a digital level then you can simply just use your phone and have it be accurate to some degree. Sounds pretty useful to me.


You keep a cell phone lying around in your garage?

I still say spam.

George


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## chrisgerman1983 (Jan 17, 2009)

Most people's phones are always within an arms reach... mine goes in my pocket when I wake up in the morning and comes out when I go to bed. I have used my bubble level to level stoves on a couple occasions... and right now I am posting on the forum using the woodworking talk app...


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## Taylormade (Feb 3, 2011)

Concur with the others, George, the iphone also has a nice bubble level app that's remarkably accurate. I've used it to hang many a picture. :thumbsup:


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Sorry George, but nowadays many (if not most) people's cell phones are never out of reach. And it's only going to get worse.:smile: It doesn't hurt to have a few apps that are woodworker or DIY friendly.
--Matt


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

My cell phone lives in my automobile. It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so. The land lines are bad enough.

George


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## dmh (Sep 18, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so.


I agree, I just don't answer mine.:laughing: Land line? Got rid of that sucker a few years ago.:yes:


I do need to add though, I love my smart phone. Just hate anwering it.:laughing:


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

This isn't spam, it is a good tip. There was a thread on this awhile back too. Thanks for the tip and welcome to the forum. My cellphone is an essential part of my life. I need it for work and for family and it is always in my pocket. I'm smart enough that if it rings mid cut to finish my cut and make things safe before answering.


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## nmacdonald (Jan 13, 2012)

This is one on my iPhone but I do not use it s for the case being on the phone.


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

Probably the most useful app I have downloaded was the Construction Master Pro. It's a $20.00 app but cheaper than the actual handheld calculator plus I always have my phone.

Does calculations in feet, inches and fractions.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

There's another one that I kinda like, I haven't used it that much. I'm not really 
Sure how accurate it is. It called leaf snap
Take a picture of a leaf on a white background and it tells you what kind of tree it is. Give it a try I think it's free on iPhone.


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## arkansasdutchman (Jan 14, 2012)

*Me too*



Elennox said:


> For those of you that have an android phone there is an app called bubble. I am amazed at the accuracy and the feature that shows the degree of the angle. Also allows you to calibrate it. Liked it and I hope you enjoy.


 
I deliver appliances and I use it to level washing machines and such. it is real handy


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

GeorgeC said:


> My cell phone lives in my automobile. It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so. The land lines are bad enough.
> 
> George


Well George, I suspect that you're not going to be on board in about 20 years when they start wiring the phones directly into our brains.:laughing:

--Matt


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

chrisgerman1983 said:


> Most people's phones are always within an arms reach... mine goes in my pocket when I wake up in the morning and comes out when I go to bed. I have used my bubble level to level stoves on a couple occasions... and right now I am posting on the forum using the woodworking talk app...


Where would I go to to get this app?

I have the Autoguide.com App for a Powerstroke forum that I am on...


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

Never mind, I got out and am on it now.
There are times at work when I an sitting in the pickup and I think of stuff that I would like to ask/look for on here and I usually forget by the time I get home...Not no more!!!


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

Like now, I am out in the middle of nowhere on here...neat!


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

GeorgeC said:


> My cell phone lives in my automobile. It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so. The land lines are bad enough.
> 
> George


Mine is with me at all time's and ring's when someone want's me. If i fell down out in the yard in back of the house and no one is around . Dam i sure wish i have the cell phone??? I guess not for every one. Oh i don't answare the land line. Only the cell and it is some one that has that number so you won't be able to call me unless you have it ??


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

George is just reminding us all that he's part of a dying breed, about to go the way of the dinosaur. He also dislikes TLA's (three letter acronyms) and other abbr. ;-)


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## IwoodifIcould (Nov 10, 2011)

@George: first of all, no one has to sell Bubble Level because its a free app. It was one of the 1st tools I installed. I love it! 2nd: who has a land line anymore?? That is the real dying breed right there. .... 

I sleep with my phone since it is also my calendar, and my alarm clock, my email, web browser, and my coffee maker.  

Cheers


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## IwoodifIcould (Nov 10, 2011)

Oh yes and I've only ever been on this forum in my phone. Anything to avoid powering on the desktop and sitting at a desk! =D


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## MR.WOODCOCK (Feb 7, 2012)

*Hater*



GeorgeC said:


> You keep a cell phone lying around in your garage?
> 
> I still say spam.
> 
> George


It's 2012..... who doesn't have a phone lying around or in their pocket. When I am in the garage my phone is hooked up to my radio a couple of feet away playing music. You're just a hater with a flip phone. Technology is our friend.

I have an app XClinometer for android that is pretty spot on once calibrated. But i wouldn't recommend it to anybody that doesn't like free, handy stuff.


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## MR.WOODCOCK (Feb 7, 2012)

*XClinometer*



Elennox said:


> For those of you that have an android phone there is an app called bubble. I am amazed at the accuracy and the feature that shows the degree of the angle. Also allows you to calibrate it. Liked it and I hope you enjoy.


You should try an app called XClinometer. It too is pretty neat. :thumbsup:


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## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

IwoodifIcould said:


> @George: first of all, no one has to sell Bubble Level because its a free app. It was one of the 1st tools I installed. I love it! 2nd: who has a land line anymore?? That is the real dying breed right there. ....
> 
> I sleep with my phone since it is also my calendar, and my alarm clock, my email, web browser, and my coffee maker.
> 
> Cheers


what he said. up until three years ago i couldnt stand my cell phone. i dropped two in the water trough and countless others in the pastures and down fence post holes. now, my smart phone is always i my pocket. for me it is essential to receive emergency phone calls since at work i am not always at my desk and i am available on my cell phone. it is a part of our present and most definitely a part of our future. it is not going away.


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## crookedcut (Feb 7, 2012)

MR.WOODCOCK said:


> It's 2012..... who doesn't have a phone lying around or in their pocket. When I am in the garage my phone is hooked up to my radio a couple of feet away playing music. You're just a hater with a flip phone. Technology is our friend.
> 
> I have an app XClinometer for android that is pretty spot on once calibrated. But i wouldn't recommend it to anybody that doesn't like free, handy stuff.


 lol.... i bet he has a old bag phone......... with a antena on his back window


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## IwoodifIcould (Nov 10, 2011)

desertforest said:


> what he said.....


@desertforest: thanks! But, I'm a 'she.' ;-)


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## IwoodifIcould (Nov 10, 2011)

crookedcut said:


> lol.... i bet he has a old bag phone......... with a antena on his back window


LOL . Highly likely!


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## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

IwoodifIcould said:


> @desertforest: thanks! But, I'm a 'she.' ;-)


 
D'OH!! i apologize. no offense meant. 
color me stupid.


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> My cell phone lives in my automobile. It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so. The land lines are bad enough.
> 
> George


My cell is with me and turned on 24/7/365. My mother is in her 80's and though she lives independently she relies on me to be there when she needs me.

Aside from that, in this age a phone is more a phone. It's a tool and has a place in my shop like any other.

A smart phone is nothing more or less than small portable computer that also makes telephone calls.

I use mine in the shop as a calculator and camera. It contains PDF documents such as project plans, woodworking tips, conversion charts etc.

I also use it to store material and hardware lists. I can shop for tools and refer to this forum online right from the shop.

Since my phone contains my favorite music and I have the I Heart Music app I simply plug it into auxiliary speaker setup or ear buds for nice listening while I work.

With its online video capabilities I can watch how-to videos if I'm unsure how to perform a particular operation.

My phone definitely has a place in my shop. It's not an "interruption". Its a very useful convenience.

Just sayin'.....

Jeff


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

Oops, double post


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## LuckyNumber7 (Feb 4, 2012)

Big Dave said:


> Probably the most useful app I have downloaded was the Construction Master Pro. It's a $20.00 app but cheaper than the actual handheld calculator plus I always have my phone.
> 
> Does calculations in feet, inches and fractions.


This is by far my favorite construction / woodworking based app too. 

Good enough that when I went from Android to iPhone I bought it again :thumbsup:


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## IwoodifIcould (Nov 10, 2011)

Desertforest: no offense taken ;-) 

Poor George. Does he know they've invented the lightbulb, and the airplane?


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## OKIEhoma (Feb 15, 2012)

Who wants to bet that George is racking his brain right now trying to figure what an "app" even is.


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

OKIEhoma said:


> Who wants to bet that George is racking his brain right now trying to figure what an "app" even is.


Yup, that made me blow milk all over the place :thumbsup:


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> My cell phone lives in my automobile. It has no business being an interruption in my life when I do not direct it to be so. The land lines are bad enough.
> 
> George



just because you don't utilize technology the way others are increasingly doing doesn't mean that those who do and share are spamming. 

i've found my smartphone (android OS) to be incredibly helpful in more ways than I count. Mainly, it has a camera and I have picked up custom orders because I carry photos of my work with me. Also, it has satellite GPS which helps when I make a wrong turn someplace and get lost. I listen to various news sources, talk radio from all over the world, listen to great music channels and can plug it into my stereo system at home and never worry about a cd, etc. really, for all their faults, these things are amazing.

but to each his or her own. no use belittling people who have adopted new technologies...


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

George,
I tend agree with you. 

Where do I need accurate angle measurement? In the shop setting the table saw blade. The phone app ain't going to be useful for that. It is necessary to use an angle box.

Where do I need a level measurement? On many jobs in and out of the shop, HOWEVER in most cases a four foot level is barely long enough for accuracy. I doubt that the phone app would ever replace a 12" level.

However if you suspect that you are parking your car on a hill, the app might tell you if you need to turn your wheels toward the curb. :yes:


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

Further proof that a Smart phone is a useful shop tool.

I needed to glue a rare earth magnet onto a small project and the epoxy label instructions were so darn small that I couldn't read them even while wearing my glasses. 

I usually reach for a magnifying glass but I couldn't locate it.

I picked up my phone and used the Macro setting on the camera to take close-up of the label.

Then I viewed the photo to read the instructions.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

I don't know if my Blackberry has a macro setting. But that would come in handy when trying to read an upside down pump label.

Al

Friends don't let friends use Craftsman.


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## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

Check out wolframalpha for iphone or iPad (don't know about android). It does an amazing amount of things for only $3 but among others it's a pretty nice calculator for manipulating fractions, decimals, converting between them and metric English conversions etc. It takes a bit of getting used to since you type your equations formulas or questions into a search box but for $3 it's a very handy tool. I don't even know where my calculator is. Plan on spending a bit of time to learning to use it's many features but it's time well spent. I love being able do things like type in "area of a sphere" or whatever formula I can't remember and having the answer with lots of extra info pop up right away. Or asking it when the next total solar eclipse is for where I live so I don't accedently set my table saw up outside just as it gets unexpectedly dark .


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

Thanks Lostin, 

Definitely gonna check that app out.


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

Ok, still more uses for a smart phone in the shop:

Flashlight app, uses the phones LED camera flash for use as a flashlight. Very handy when that dropped washer rolls under a bench or piece of equipment.

Timer app: I use this mostly for adhesives so I know when to unclasp or for finishes so I know when to sand and apply another coat.

Stopwatch app: I'm very concientous about billing when I charge an hourly rate so I use this app to track my time. Lunch break, stop. Back in the shop start....


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

Bosch Digital Angle Finder for cutting crown on the flat. Place crown on gauge referencing the bottom or wall side of crown. This Degree is your Spring Angle. Most common crowns are either 38 or 45 Degrees. However a lot of custom run moldings are not. Once you have determined spring hit Enter on device. Now set gauge to wall corner . If your doing cabinets you can just set device to 90. When this step is done hit Enter the device will give you Miter and Bevel of your saw.


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## Glidden (Dec 2, 2010)

I have my phone with me all the time, so having a bubble level makes perfect sense to me. Additionally, I have an app called segment calculator for working out the size of segmented rings for some of my turnings, saves a lot of time doing calculations.


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## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

Elennox said:


> For those of you that have an android phone there is an app called bubble. I am amazed at the accuracy and the feature that shows the degree of the angle. Also allows you to calibrate it. Liked it and I hope you enjoy.


Those things are not accurate. 
It's gee whizz as far as phones go, but they are not instrument grade measuring devices.


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

Cliff said:


> Those things are not accurate.
> It's gee whizz as far as phones go, but they are not instrument grade measuring devices.


I don't bust it out in front of a customer LOL but you would be very surprised I layer it without case in top of my Stabila and it was dead on


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

I don't usually use my phone as a tool in the sense we're talking about here. Occasionally I'll use the calculator, but I tend to use the unitaskers for woodworking.

Where my iPhone shines the brightest though, is in the etcetera category. I use it to stream from DI.fm, or listen to the Dan Patrick Show. When baseball season starts up, I'll purchase the MLB At-Bat app and listen to the Braves games. I have THIS which I can slip the phone into the back of and use the included aux jack. I like something on in the background to pass the time when I don't have to keep an ear out for my kids.

Or I'll hop on this or another couple of forums and ask a question or take a break. Or watch an instructional vid from Norm, Mark or the like. I also keep my product manuals and quick reference guides as PDFs for easy access.

Then of course there's access to Twitter and FB and updating the shop blog with pictures.


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## Davisjr70 (Mar 31, 2012)

Big Dave said:


> Probably the most useful app I have downloaded was the Construction Master Pro. It's a $20.00 app but cheaper than the actual handheld calculator plus I always have my phone.
> 
> Does calculations in feet, inches and fractions.


Purchased this app for my iPhone when it first appeared on the app store. Introductory price was $9.99. Used many times out on the field at work.


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## jharris2 (Jul 9, 2012)

I have a Droid X2 and often have a lot of trouble posting the pictures I take with this phone.

If I grab a photo off the web no problem.

Does anyone know how I can resize the pics I take with my phone without loading them on my laptop?

PITA?


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## Woodwart (Dec 11, 2012)

Well, I just downloaded bubble, and plumb bob. I have a number of uses for a bubble level, and I didn't have one until now.

With Plumb Bob, I'd be able to tell that Deano's chest of drawers was off square.:tt2:


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## Baileigh Inc (Nov 1, 2012)

nmacdonald said:


> This is one on my iPhone but I do not use it s for the case being on the phone.


 
Right on thanks, just downloaded the bubble app on my android.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

geez folks. let george up, he's bloody. as my late mother in law said, "where i am now, you soon shall be". 

i have mine with me pretty much all the time too. if i didn't, i'd catch you-know-what from SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED

just how accurate are these things? can i use it to, for example, accurately set a table say blade to 22.5 degrees?


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

George: Some of us do not have landlines. In fact, I get less trash calls with just my cell phone. If your landline rings you have to go see who it is, answer it, then give the phone to whomever the call is for. If my phone rings I know it is for me. Same for my wife and son. And I do leave my phone in the shop with me since it is my primary means of communcation.
BTW: I have Angle Meter for my phone.


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## Whistalcup1928 (Feb 25, 2013)

It's hard to come by experienced people on level, but it seems like you know what you're talking about, George! Btw, there are many apps that are very useful and bubble is really cool tool. :yes:


Medisoft program


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