12" machinist level

[Aukai]

Am I going to be chasing my tail trying to use this level? it's already frustrating just trying to get it calibrated. I'm at work, and the building has a wood floor, if I lean, or move so does the bubble. Then I got it to level, turned it, the bubble goes completely buried in the one end. With the adjuster It comes back, flip it, and it buries in the end again. The video I watched for this one is in Chinese....

 

[mikey]

你的意思是你不会说中文？你太无耻了！

 

[Joeman77]

Well, sounds like you've got one of those fine Starrett 199's (or the Chinese equivalent), congrats on that! They can be maddening. My only advise is to adjust slowly (very small tweaks) & let it settle between tries. Remember, you can't rush precision.
I once tried to use one to level a pool table & I watched it change reading as I walked from one end of the pool table to the other! And it was setting on 5" of concrete & 12 feet from an outside wall. I can't imagine using in a room with a wood floor!
Good Luck!

 

[Dhal22]

I leveled my pool table before I put the felt on with just rolling the pool balls around. I don't remember the time I spent leveling but it was a lot.

 

[Aukai]

I'll be needing it....I have an Al tray with leveling legs for scaling cars I'll bring to work tomorrow.

 

[tjb]

你的意思是你不会说中文？你太无耻了！

I agree.

 

[Cooter Brown]

When Richard King came to my shop and setup the King-Way tool on a grinder table, I stood in front of the king-way and all 10 other guys moved from my left to my right and when they did the levels on the king-way moved in the other direction instantly. This showed us just how much a 10" thick concrete floor can move just from something heavy on it.

 

[RJSakowski]

Am I going to be chasing my tail trying to use this level? it's already frustrating just trying to get it calibrated. I'm at work, and the building has a wood floor, if I lean, or move so does the bubble. Then I got it to level, turned it, the bubble goes completely buried in the one end. With the adjuster It comes back, flip it, and it buries in the end again. The video I watched for this one is in Chinese....

When adjusting a precision level, the calibration surface has to be close to level to begin with. Additionally, the surface should be flat in the region used for calibration. A surface plate would be the first choice. The bed on a lathe or mill would work. A table saw surface may work. Stone or quartz countertops are seldom flat. When I asked various manufacturers about a flatness spec, the best I could get was 1/8" in 120". Quartz counter tops are epoxy composites and can and do warp.

If you have a flat surface, there will be some orientation on that surface that is level. Rotate the level to find that line. This will be the orientation where the deflection is equal when flipping the level. Place a straight edge along side the level as a reference and fasten in place. Place a stop block at one end of the level to reference the position along the straight edge and fasten in place. Now you're ready to calibrate. The surface need not be absolutely level as you are looking for equal deflection when flipping the level.

Precision levels have a secondary level for a reason. For most accurate calibration, the calibrating surface should be level in two directions.

 

[Aukai]

你的意思是你不会说中文？你太无耻了！

Do I need my N-95 to read this?

Well I'll get some practice at work, then re level the level by the lathe. In my old age I don't think I can throw it too far when I get upset.

 

[DavidR8]

I’m Chinese. Send me the manual. I’ll translate.


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