Patent ID: 7707734

Claim:
An apparatus, operable by two hands of a user, for snapping a chalk line against a surface of a workpiece, so as to leave a linear chalk mark on the workpiece surface, said apparatus comprising, in combination: (a) a housing for storing, dispensing and retracting a chalk line, said chalk line having a free end that is capable of being gripped by one hand of the user and drawn away from the housing to extend the chalk line over the workpiece surface, and (b) an element, attached to the housing, having a gripper, for lifting the chalk line away from the workpiece, when the chalk line is extended from the housing and stretched taught, and releasing the gripper suddenly to allow the extended chalk line to snap against the workpiece surface, said element being adapted to be operated manually by the other hand of the user, and said element extending outward and supporting said gripper at a point remote from said housing.