Lathe leveling

Shun Chuan Precision Machinery Co.
 
This reinforces my repeated contention that a Starrett #98 level is nowhere accurate enough for machine leveling, except perhaps the toughest preliminary leveling, the Starrett #199 as promoted by Leblond is ten times as sensitive as the #98. A level that is at least .0005" per graduation is the standard of accuracy for machine leveling, and some are more sensitive than that, I have seen some at .00035". Having said that, level is not or may not define alignment and a machine such as a lathe, cutting straight; my 19" Regal LeBlond can be leveled as perfectly as was possible with a precision level and not cut straight, this was a wartime machine with little discernable wear, I leveled it and shimmed the headstock vee ways at opposite ends until it did and does cut straight Rich King would have told me to scrape it, but this was at least 30 years before I met him.
 
Good Lord! The 98 isn't accurate enough? If I fart in my garage, it's enough to change the barometric pressure off enough to move the bubble to the other side of vial! Keeping in mind, a sheet of paper under one side of level will do the same. I'm somewhat kidding, but I would be shocked if the 98 isn't plenty accurate enough for any of us garage shop monkeys...
 
Good Lord! The 98 isn't accurate enough? If I fart in my garage, it's enough to change the barometric pressure off enough to move the bubble to the other side of vial! Keeping in mind, a sheet of paper under one side of level will do the same. I'm somewhat kidding, but I would be shocked if the 98 isn't plenty accurate enough for any of us garage shop monkeys...
Some level of folks and machines perhaps need no level at all, and can make do with the two collar test, or maybe not even that, but if one has a lathe capable of high precision and the work demands it, a high precision level is necessary, as the video presents, If the lathe has a middle set of legs, it is especially necessary. I do know from personal experience, that a lathe leveled "perfectly" with a #98 level is a mile off with #199 or other level of comparable sensitivity.
 
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