I am working with a new editor here at ENR, Luke Abaffy, who soon will be blogging with us, but rather than wait, I decided to loan him my blog page to start a conversation about iPhone and iPad apps. He has been gathering comments about some of the ones appearing on job sites recently, and we will be passing along some of the crowd favorites. Like the iPhone app, iHandy Carpenter.

I had my doubts about the iHandy Carpenter, based on some complaints about both the ruler function and the need to calibrate it before use. 

Upon further inspection I found that the iHandy certainly is handy, and you only have to calibrate it once. 

The goal of this app is to bring basic carpentry measuring devices to your fingertips.             

The five different functions included in the tool kit are: 

-- A surface level

-- A bubble level bar that has nice graphics and accurate readings

-- A plumb bob to see how vertical your walls are

-- A steel ruler that has both inches and centimeters.  You can move the ruler to make it measure even farther

-- A steel protractor that will measure angles from 0º to 180º

To work, you must first calibrate the app. This requires positioning it in such a way that you already know it is perfectly plumb or level, and then pressing the calibrate button. To do this you must already have confirmed your surface with a real level or plumb bob.

 If you’re looking for precision, keep in mind also that the backs of many iPhones aren’t perfectly flat, which may throw off the reading.

I don’t see this app putting any level companies out of business, but if you’re hanging a picture, and don’t have your tools, this is a handy app and for $1.99, cheap.

            -Luke

Surface Level

Inclinometer

Ruler