Thread: Not Level.

You just adjust it, very easy to do on one of them...... I cannot remember what side is the adjustment side though... But they are easy to do...

as its measuring a very few thou does it really matter that it fails the 180 test...if you use it that same way/direction eg for setting up a lathe it wont matter that the lathe tilts say 3 thou either backwards or frontward or to one end

Not that you're meant to read them when they are off scale like that but lets call it 8 divs thats 1mm a foot thats 0.5mm over the length of the level. As you appear to be on a wooden bench(?) it may in fact fail the "pick it up and put it back down in roughly the same spot" test

You need something flat and/or a way to make sure you are putting the level in the same place each time. Or you'll do your head in when you try and

Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Not that you're meant to read them when they are off scale like that but lets call it 8 divs thats 1mm a foot thats 0.5mm over the length of the level. As you appear to be on a wooden bench(?) it may in fact fail the "pick it up and put it back down in roughly the same spot" test

You need something flat and/or a way to make sure you are putting the level in the same place each time. Or you'll do your head in when you try and

Stuart

What stu said! Those levels are ridiculously sensitive, you can have the bubble go from off the scale one way to off the scale the other direction, and you'll barely pick the movement on a carpenters level.

Assuming you do actually have a repeatable surface underneath it though, as RC says they're 'easy' to adjust. I put easy in quotation marks, as due to the sensitivity of the things, it's painfully fiddly to get it right. I seem to remember reading somewhere the heat of your hands warms them up enough to change the calibration.

Hi,

I should have mentioned I was on the kitchen bench, lucky the Wife isn't home. And I don't really have a truly level surface to check against at home. I did try it on the lathe bed with pretty much the same results but I know the lathe isn't level. The mill at work most probably is level but I'm not back at work until late January. I'll have to try and resist the temptation to try and level the level at home.

On a side note, it's a well made and lovely piece of equipment. I really hope it comes good.

Thanks Ben.

You don't need a level surface but you do need a repeatable one.

It needs to be pretty level as well, 10 thou a foot or better.

Stuart

All that needs to be done is split the error. If the world depended on a truly level surface to set up a level nothing would be able to be adjusted in the field. Also if you want to get that pedantic what temperature is the room supposed to be?

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

All that needs to be done is split the error. If the world depended on a truly level surface to set up a level nothing would be able to be adjusted in the field. Also if you want to get that pedantic what temperature is the room supposed to be?

No, Splitting the error is how you bring the level to level.
You know the level is level when turing it 180 gives you the same reading.
The maximum reading on this level is 10thou a foot after that it goes off scale and shouldnt be read. To take the picture above as an example the bubble is one small line to the right of the left large line, you cant read it like that as the ends of the bulb would come into it and they wont be controlled to the required level.

Stuart

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

All that needs to be done is split the error. If the world depended on a truly level surface to set up a level nothing would be able to be adjusted in the field. Also if you want to get that pedantic what temperature is the room supposed to be?

That's really rude, to those of us that live or die by the level. How would you suggest to set them up otherwise?

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

All that needs to be done is split the error.

Care to ask us how you split the error when the bubble is off the end of the graph? And if the bubble is off it's tits like that last pic, whats your solution?

Do you read H.S.M?

Originally Posted by bwal74

I should have mentioned I was on the kitchen bench, lucky the Wife isn't home. And I don't really have a truly level surface to check against at home.

Provided the kitchen bench is solid it won't matter. What I suggest is getting a solid flat piece of something (piece of angle/ I beam or even a solid chunk of timber) and clamp or otherwise attach two strips of something at right angles so that you can repeatably locate the level. Put the level on and then shim one end of the solid thing so that the level will read. Turn the level 180 degrees and check again. If your level is spot on then the bubble should go to the same position which ever way it is orientated. If your surface is out then adjust the shimming so that the mean position of the bubble when the level is swapped end to end is in the middle. Once you think your surface is flat then start playing with the level adjustment. As was mentioned you adjust the vial to split the difference. You may have to re shim a couple of times if it is way out (but probably won't be).
Fiddly but not difficult.

Michael

Hi Michael,
I started writting something along the same lines but it got so long I deleted it lol. One thing I would add if using the method above, a piece of cardboard, say 10mm wide, each end of the level(also going under the blocks so it does not move). Just to make sure you're repeatably resting on the ends of the level and not rocking in the middle(or is the starret relieved in the center?)

Stuart