That blooming Bermuda triangle is back

[cooper1203]

I did have my lathe bed reasonably level but then decided the chineesium bench wasnt stable enough and modified it by bolting a brace along the back wall and then bench to that. Something weird is a foot because i can get the level across the ways knob on by the headstock and by the tail stock but if i put the level in the middle its telling me its like the north face of the eiger.

 

[RJSakowski]

How old is the lathe? As lathes age, they will wear most in the center of the ways while the area near the chuck and the tailstock see little use.

 

[cooper1203]

How old is the lathe? As lathes age, they will wear most in the center of the ways while the area near the chuck and the tailstock see little use.

83 as far as i can tell
Trouble is everything is an unknown. the level was bought reasonably cheaply from ebay and is a chineseium moore and wright. I calibrated it on one axis on my kitchen worktop as i have no true level surface. as said the bench is chinesium and the builders who built the house and garage want shot. If they can save 1/4" of wire by cutting it that bit shorter they have same with the bloody plumbing. so i doubt the floor is even on a plane let alone level

to be fair the molo shows just three positions with the level

 

[brino]

To check for bed wear you could try tightening the carriage lock in the middle of the ways, and then see if you can easily move the carriage end-to-end. Don't force anything, but it can help to evaluate what you have..

Brian

 

[RJSakowski]

Levels are simple devices. In fact, they don't even have to be calibrated to be useful in leveling a lathe. What you are looking for is no change in the reading at the various points you are checking. If you truly want to level something, look for for the same reading but reversed when you flip the level 180º.

A problem with using something like a kitchen countertop for a level calibration is flatness. Even the best stone or quartz countertops are seldom flat by machinist's standards. If you are going to use one, place a heavy object with flat edge to mark the long way and another object to mark one end. This will ensure that you are positioning the level in exactly the same spot and orientation when reversing it. Rather than the heavy objects, you can lay down strips of masking tape. If the surface is reasonably level to start with, this should allow you the successfully calibrate your level.

 

[silence dogood]

Before leveling my lathe, I check the level of the bench first to make sure that it is flat and rigid. Then I mount the lathe on the bench. After leveling my last lathe, it was easier to know where to place the shims. In this case the back side of the tailstock was off by 4 thousand. A shim took care of that.

 

[cooper1203]

@brino I have borrowed a known straight edge from my friend 1500mm long so will check the ways tomorrow with that and a feeler gauge

@RJSakowski I taped a piece of paper down and drew around the level is that "good enough"?

@silence dogood that is part of the issue i am having .... one corner was so far out i had to use a 1mm plastic shim plus some beer can shims

 

[RJSakowski]

I prefer to set the level on a rigid surface. A sensitive level can show a difference depending upon the force the level is exerting on the paper. This can have you running in circle when trying to calibrate a level. Just changing your position can have an effect. I check my level on my mill table. It is on a sturdy base and the table is reasonably flat. Another good surface is a surface plate.

You will notice that you have a cross level vial. The reason for that is the precision vial is sensitive to cross tilt. Nothing like the sensitivity of the main vial but if the tilt is great enough, it can mess up your calibration. For that reason, I like to have a calibration surface that is reasonably level in all directions.

 

[cooper1203]

ok im confused.com Put my straight edge on both the ways on the one nearest me (side with the handles) i can get a 2 thou shim under at the tail stock end about 2 inches along on the other way it wont go under anywhere. Resting my hand on top of the straight edge with a cigarette paper under it on the near side it grips bar the last 2-3 inches on the far side its about the same.