That was my initial reasoning and buying a machinist's level is my plan B. Mostly out of curiosity I want to see first how far I can get without one.
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Lathe installation without a precision level?
- Thread starter Tozguy
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That was my initial reasoning and buying a machinist's level is my plan B. Mostly out of curiosity I want to see first how far I can get without one.
I hear ya. I really don't want (or see the need as of right now) to buy a $90 level that I think I'll use very little after leveling the lathe. But everyone did tell me it's an expensive passion ("hobby" sounds disrespectful to me). Do you have any schools around you that offer machine classes? If you were to take a lathe class you might also find someone with a machinist's level willing to loan it to you, or help you level your lathe. My local college used to have a lathe course but the instructor died and no one has since replaced him. A shame, actually, IMO.
A lathe does not need to be perfectly level as George points out. How do they level a lathe on a aircraft carrier? Or look on the web for a slant bed lathe. How do you level a slant bed lathe? You don't level the ways level to the earth they use a level to align the beds ways. If you have a level you can set it on the top of the compound or cross-slide and move it back and forth on the bed by cranking the saddle left and right and adjust the leveling screws.
I use the 2 collar test to align the ways perfectly parallel or on the same plain. We level lathes if the customer is going to use coolant so the coolant runs down the ways to the coolant tank. I learned to level lathes from my Dad who owned and was and operated a Machine Rebuilding / Millwright company that I inherited so I can honestly say I've been leveling / aligning lathes for 40+ years and the 2 collar method is the easiest and best way to do it if you do not own a level. But if you want to re-invent the wheel, go for it.
I use the 2 collar test to align the ways perfectly parallel or on the same plain. We level lathes if the customer is going to use coolant so the coolant runs down the ways to the coolant tank. I learned to level lathes from my Dad who owned and was and operated a Machine Rebuilding / Millwright company that I inherited so I can honestly say I've been leveling / aligning lathes for 40+ years and the 2 collar method is the easiest and best way to do it if you do not own a level. But if you want to re-invent the wheel, go for it.
Is your last comment directed at me?
everyone reading.....not trying to insult anyone, just trying to educate people in proper methods that the professionals use.
hobbygun's approach is interesting. I know my lathe isn't perfectly level lengthwise. My main concern was getting any twist out of it, which is even more important. Using the glass method with a non-level lengthwise bed, the ball bearing would go downhill, and any twist that's present would send the ball to the left or the right. Everything would need to be perfectly clean and I would flip the glass over and try it again and also flip the glass around to test each and maybe use a second ball bearing. Do this for a number of trials, and keep score where the ball bearing went and test for significance and standard deviation and you'll have a nice little scientific experiment.
There might be other ways to do ways. Clear tube with water method. Small loop of red-dyed water in tube going under the ways and up to each side, then use a professional scale and a large magnifying glass to see exactly where the water is on each side.
There might be other ways to do ways. Clear tube with water method. Small loop of red-dyed water in tube going under the ways and up to each side, then use a professional scale and a large magnifying glass to see exactly where the water is on each side.
I like to know how much I have... using a mic and knowing it is .0002" or .0005" compared to a ball bearing running down a hill?
I know a few Engineers who are always trying to re-invent the wheel...Like I said...try it out if you have lots of time on your hands.
I
I know a few Engineers who are always trying to re-invent the wheel...Like I said...try it out if you have lots of time on your hands.
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Thanks for the tip (no pun intended). Does it matter whether the quill is full in or full out of the tailstock? I apologize for such a silly question but this is all so new to me. I feel like I already have a good grasp of the test bar turning procedure. My focus for now is what can/should be done prior to turning the test bar.
The cement floor where the lathe is going is sloped for drainage. The steel stand that the lathe will sit on doesn't seem very rigid. Hence my concern for getting things as level as possible at each step of the installation. This is purely entertainment for me and I will take all the time required to be confident about my set up before the lathe is turned on. Having things level, plumb, straight is important to me whether it is necessary or not, I'm just funny that way.
Most of the installation procedures that I have read say something like 'If you have a machinist's level.......'. This implies that if you don't that's OK too.
I understand why this might be so because the concern is not levelness but twist and the ultimate test bar turning should catch any twist error left in the set up no matter how great or small it is.
If I am missing something please let me know.
Se18, thanks for your input, that's right up my alley! Not sure that I would go the statistics route but it might be an interesting challenge to try to get the ball bearing stationary in the center of the glass plate at both ends of the ways. Fortunately I don't have any hair left to pull out!
Would this make sense? (haven't tried it yet)
Use a laser level (something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-1-magnetic-torpedo-laser-level-67800.html )across the bed near the headstock and mark the spot it makes on a far wall. Do the same at the tailstock and compare the height of the spots. I could be making a logical error somewhere but It seems to me it would measure the twist (or lack of twist) in the bed very accurately.
Use a laser level (something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-1-magnetic-torpedo-laser-level-67800.html )across the bed near the headstock and mark the spot it makes on a far wall. Do the same at the tailstock and compare the height of the spots. I could be making a logical error somewhere but It seems to me it would measure the twist (or lack of twist) in the bed very accurately.
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