Clamping level tool

A level tool comprising:

• a body;
• a pair of arms extending from one end of the body including first and second arms having oppositely facing interior surfaces that define an opening therebetween for receiving a portion of a workpiece,
• wherein the interior surface of the first arm has a generally concave shape that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first arm and the longitudinal axis of the body;
• and
• a fastening member operatively coupled to the second arm and releasably engaging the portion of the workpiece against the contact surfaces.

A method of monitoring an orientation of a workpiece with respect to a reference axis using a level tool comprising a body, a vial supported by the body that is aligned with the reference axis, and a clamping portion disposed at one end of the body, the clamping portion including a first arm having a plurality of spaced-apart contact surfaces extending substantially along the longitudinal length of the first arm in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body and a second arm having a fastening member, the first and second arms defining an opening for receiving a portion of the workpiece, the plurality of spaced-apart contact surfaces and the fastening member cooperating to releasably clamp the portion of the workpiece received in the opening, the method comprising:

• positioning an end of the workpiece over the first arm such that the first arm is received within an opening defined by an interior cylindrical wall of the workpiece and the two contact surfaces of the first arm engage the interior cylindrical wall of the workpiece at opposite locations corresponding to the ends of a chord extending across the interior cylindrical wall in a plane of the contact surfaces;
• tightening the thumbscrew against an outer surface of the workpiece to engage the outer surface at a location between the ends of the chord;
• and
• viewing the vial to monitor the orientation of the workpiece with respect to the reference axis.