California Surveyors Forums

I just want to take a moment to share with you folks a cool new tool that has been added to my monument setting arsenal. It should be noted that I received this tool as a demo; however, my excitement for this product has nothing to do with how it was obtained.

The above being said, the O-TAGS Drill Tap is one awesome tool. After setting my first monument with it, I looked up at my chainman (Of course I got to use it first. He had to watch.) and said "This is the only way to go!" Connected to a rotary hammer, the Drill Tap centered nicely on my scribed "X", drilled down deep enough to make room for a tack and at the same time recessed a spot large enough to accommodate a brass disc. This process took but a few seconds. The end result was a perfectly centered, counter sunk lead & disc that looked pretty and will be there for a long time. Needless to say, I was impressed; so impressed, in fact, that I am shamelessly plugging the O-TAGS Drill Tap on this forum in hopes that you folks give it a shot.

Take a look at the "Posted" photo (pun very much intended). See....awesome! Even if the monument was set in the wrong spot, it sure looks good. Usually, in order to recess a disc it would take multiple drill bits and/or some crafty chisel work. I am not going to lie, sometimes on a Friday at the end of the day my tags didn't get countersunk. Now.....every time! If more crews used this tool "Found Lead No Disc" would be a much less common description.

Now all we need to do is convince surveyors to stop using plastic caps on rebar and pipes!

Additionally, Teddy, the owner, is a fellow California surveyor and a very nice guy. Below is a link to his website and a You Tube video:

http://www.o-tags.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0RZc4BBrNk

Ryan A. Post, Principal
Licensed Land Surveyor (CA, AZ, WA)

ATC DESIGN GROUP
Architects | Engineers | Surveyors

It appears to make it easy for the PLS to meet the requirements of 8771 & 8772.

8771. Setting of monuments; monument perpetuation
(a) Monuments set shall be sufficient in number and durability and efficiently placed so as not to be readily disturbed, to ensure, together with monuments already existing, the perpetuation or facile reestablishment of any point or line of the survey.

8772. Marking of monuments
Any monument set by a licensed land surveyor or registered civil engineer to mark or reference a point on a property or land line shall be permanently and visibly marked or tagged with the certificate number of the surveyor or civil engineer setting it, each number to be preceded by the letters “L.S.” or “R.C.E.,” respectively, as the case may be or, if the monument is set by a public agency, it shall be marked with the name of the agency and the political subdivision it serves.

Nothing in this section shall prevent the inclusion of other information on the tag which will assist in the tracing or location of the survey records which relate to the tagged monument.

I agree. They work well and look very nice when set. It takes a little practice because there is no room for "slop."

We got one at a recent conference and have used it recently.

We like it!