I have read how to calculate “solar south” for my location. If I did it correctly, I need to find magnetic south and then go 12 degrees more to the west, and that will be solar south. Fair enough. What’s got me a bit hung up is that I seem to lack appropriate tools to accurately place this line ON THE LAND. I have a compass, but the needle wiggles all over and I don’t think it will be very accurate. I guess I could hire a surveyor but I would rather not. Do you know of a tool I could by (reasonable price) or rent that can be used to setup a string line on the land that would be N-S, for example. Thanks

I assume you are doing this for solar orientation purposes, so a very high degree of precision (minutes and seconds of angle) is not needed. In any case, the earth wiggles on its orbit (Equation of Time) so solar noon does not occur at the same time year round.   All you need to be is close.

I would go out on a sunny day and do the "sundial" method. You can calculate the time of solar noon for any day here:
http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/sunrise.html



Bruce

Go out and buy or borrow a good compass, either a surveying style one on a good military style one.   Rotate the Bezel ring  12° in the correct direction(348mag).  set up a couple of saw horses and put a sheet of plywood on the top.  Chalk a line across the plywood the long way and put one nail at either end on the line.  Use double sided tape to stick down the compass exactly along the chalk line.  Line up the north arrow by slowly rotating the sheet of plywood on the horses.  now have a friend walk out about 100 ft while you sight down the two nails. and tell him where to place  a sight marker .  Repeat at 10 ft from the plywood and you have your line established, accurate enough for solar purposes. 
 

Good luck

Eric