Tell you what, guys. You do not need a surface plate to level a precision level. The table you use simply has to be flat and it has to be able to be leveled to the world (ideally with a tripod adjustment) and it has to sit on a solid surface that you do not lean on or touch. That's it. This is not rocket science or magic.
Basically, you have a precisely curved sealed vial filled with liquid and a bubble. One end of that vial will usually be the adjustable side and the other side will hinge. That's all there is in there.
The basic idea is to level the table with a bullseye level first. This will not get the table perfectly level within a millionth of a degree but it will get it close enough to do a preliminary adjustment of the precision level (PL). Let me tell you what I do and I'll make it as simple as I can.
I am assuming you have a flat table with three adjustable feet - two feet on one edge and one foot in the middle of the opposite edge. The table should be at least a foot square and it
must be flat. Plywood, Melamine ply/mdf will work. If you don't have such a table, go make one. If you choose not to then you're wasting your time.
- Put a small framing square or two flat pieces of something a precise 90 degrees to each other on the table and clamp it in place. This will be used to precisely flip the PL 180 degrees and reproduce its position.
- Then use a bullseye level and get the table level. Get the bubble as dead center as you can.
- Determine one orientation for your PL that will be the primary position. In Aukai's instance, we called this the Front. Put the PL in this position so the long side and one end touch your orienting brackets or whatever you chose to use.
- Look at the bubble of the PL and note its position, then flip the level 180 degrees and note the bubble position again. There are only 4 possible outcomes:
- The bubble is dead center, in which case the table is level and the PL is calibrated.
- If the bubble moved to the same side when you flipped the PL, the table is off.
- If the bubble moved to the other side when you flipped it then the table is okay and the level itself is off.
- It is possible that the bubble position will be aberrant and not consistent, in which case both the table and the PL are off.
It appears that at least in Aukai's case, the last outcome is what we're dealing with. To address this, knowing that the table is at least roughly level because your bullseye level says it is, you start by adjusting the level to get it to the point where the bubble is not pegged or buried at either end. Then you adjust the PL until the bubble moves to the same side when flipped. This allows you to finely tune the table so turn one of the table adjusters until you get movement and repeat the flip procedure. Adjust the level and the table position until you get the bubble centered when flipped.
This is the only possible way you're going to get the PL calibrated. At this point, you have touched the PL adjusters so you don't know where you are so you'll have to go through this until you get it adjusted.
I know you guys are frustrated but none of this is hard. You just have to be patient and persist until you get it adjusted. I've done this multiple times and haven't yet failed to get one calibrated.