Combination level, plumb tool with single-hand engagement

A combination plumb and level tool has an elongate body with separated longitudinal arm members that have spaced apart, proximal ends fixed to the body and extend therefrom to respective separate distal free ends. The distal ends form longitudinally extending interior surfaces disposed in facing opposition located between their respective fixed and free ends. The arms and the body between them have a generally U-shaped cross section that forms an open trough from the free ends to a base contact surface between the proximal fixed ends. At least one of the arms has longitudinal extending first contact surface portion disposed on its interior surface. The first contact surface portion faces an opposing second contact surface portion of the facing arm interior surface. An elastic member cooperating with the first arm and the body biases the first arm inward, toward the second contact surface portion on the other of the arms. The arms are separated so the contact surface portions are spaced less than the width of a work piece received therein that is to be leveled or plumbed. The two arm contact surfaces and the base contact surface are disposed so that a rectangular object having an edge face between opposite parallel sides and a width between the parallel sides greater than the initial spacing can be received within the open trough with its edge face in contact with the base contact surface and the opposite sides in contact with the opposed facing contact surfaces of the two projecting arms. The tool is applied to an elongate work having opposite sides connected by an edge face, by aligning the trough and work longitudinally with the free end of the biased arm in contact with one side of the work and the free end of the other arm in contact with the edge face. The level is pressed toward the work, simultaneously forcing the work into the trough by using the work as a wedge that forces the two arms to spread apart until the opposing interior arm surfaces proximally engage opposite sides of the work. The level and the work are then moved together until the adjacent side of the work in the trough contacts the base contact surface of the body along its length. This leaves the body and the work aligned in two orthogonal axes defined by the arm's contact surfaces and the body's interior contact surface.