Heres my new lathe

Where would on get that type of level and what do they look like.

I found a belt that Im hoping will work off Epay last night. Ill get one of my friends to fix the wiring on the on off switch, looks like I did it lol, I dont do wiring well. I talked with a friend of mine that dose CNC work and hes going to try and come up next weekend and fire it up with me.

Gosh I cant wait to try this out!
 
Vince,

As you can see if you follow the link, precision levels aren't cheap. But unfortunately, cheap levels aren't precision. That's why I suggested borrowing one if you can.

I forgot to say earlier, first roughly level the bench or stand in both directions with the lathe not sitting on it. For that you can use a carpenter's level. Then the lathe needs to be leveled in both directions. So you need a precision level at least 8" long to go across the ways. 12" would be better. I bought mine (a 15" Starrett No. 199) on eBay for about $250.

Leveling instructions showing the places to put the level are in the owners manual for each lathe.

You can buy machine leveling shims (square aluminum or steel with a slot from one side to the center) both individually and in assortment packs from places like McMaster. I would start the operation with say a 1/8" shim under each corner. You don't want to end up with only a thin shim under one corner, especially if you are bolting to a wood base. If one corner has air under it at the start, under that corner slide shims to fill the gap. From there on, it's sorta cut and try, although there are marks on the level vial from which you can do calculations to get close to level fairly quickly. According to the screed at the site the link would take you to, I believe it said each mark is 0.005" per foot. So the number of marks off level times 0.005 times the distance between the tie-down points in decimal feet would give you the shim stack required to get close. First level it left to right. Then front to back. Then recheck.

Robert D.
 
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "jawdrop:

This is starting to look like I just need to keep payin my buddy to face my clutch plates and make my bushings. For 300 bucks Ill dump into this, that will get me ALOT of work from him.

I think Ill rethink this whole thing of having a lathe
 
If your buddy isn't going to be upset with the loss of your business, borrow his.

Robert D.
 
Vince,

Harold Hall describes in his book "Metal Lathe for Home Machinists" a process of turning a 1" x 4" long round bar and measuring for error as an acceptable alternative to the machinists level. I'll be borrowing a level from a friend to set up my new machine, but it seems like it's worth a try to Google "setting up a lathe without a level" and see what you can find before giving up. At a glance, it looked like quite a few possible sources.

Alternatively, Hall's book only cost $15. If you buy it just for the level exercise, you'll also be walked through a number of useful tool projects that build skills and progressively get more difficult. However, my machine shop experience is fairly limited, so take this for what it's worth.

-Ryan
 
At the risk of starting a controversial discussion, I suggest that we consider that on Naval vessels, the machinery is rarely level. The main purpose of using a level on a stationary installation is to detect twist or distortion in the frame of the machine. Unless you get unacceptable taper or other issues with the lathe, just don't try to bolt it down tight to a surface that is NOT flat. It's really more of a flat issue than a level issue; it's just easier to tell if a surface is level at all points than it is truly flat.....but in a stationary surface, level is a good indicator of flat. Just use common sense.
 
Tony Wells said:
At the risk of starting a controversial discussion, I suggest that we consider that on Naval vessels, the machinery is rarely level. The main purpose of using a level on a stationary installation is to detect twist or distortion in the frame of the machine. Unless you get unacceptable taper or other issues with the lathe, just don't try to bolt it down tight to a surface that is NOT flat. It's really more of a flat issue than a level issue; it's just easier to tell if a surface is level at all points than it is truly flat.....but in a stationary surface, level is a good indicator of flat. Just use common sense.
Click to expand...



Not controversial at all, just a fact of life.
 
Well guys the belt came in yesterday and Im rewiring the switch today here at work and going to mount the pully on the motor. Ill do this now till I can eather get someone to cut a key way in the shaft or I can aford to get a new motor with a keyed shaft.

I ground a pice of HHS as best I could following the tubalcain vids. Im sure its not right, or as well as you guys could do, but for my first time, it will have to do to start the learning prosses. I picked up some ailminum drops last week at the show, and in talking with the seller who ran a shop here locally for 30 plus years, he seemed to think this would be a good start for me. Also he had some plastic round stock too. Im out 5 bucks for the material, so I hope this will get me the feel of a lathe. He told me just to cut it and chuck it up and just start easy turning it down, so Ill throw his advise in the pot with everyone elses and start the trial and error prosses!

As far as the leveling goes, Ill do the best I can with what I have. My first project will be to make some 2 inch pins for my loader bucket and lift arms. Ill need to make a slot in them to hold the clips. I watched a guy do them for my last loader and I think I can do it :lmao:, oh this will be fun! Most everything Ill do with this will be about an inch or two from the head stock so there will not be any long turning to do. What Im doing isnt that critcal in measurments, but I dont want to develop bad habits right off. I have some shim stock so Ill see what I can do.

Thanks everyone for the input, pics of screw up to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Vince if you watch ebay close you can get a level fairly cheap, I got a 12" Lufkin for under a 100.00. The 6" go a lot cheaper.

I'm surprised no one told you that.

Paul
 
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