Where Is the Best Place to Measure Wear on Bed Ways

The wear on the ways will be most pronounced on operator side at the headstock end. A good precision level on the cross slide will detect the carriage drop as it traverses the ways but you may be reading twist in the bed. You can get an initial feel for the wear by setting the carriage lock to just barely grabbing when at headstock end then traverse toward the tailstock end. Ideally the resistance to movement is consistent end to end. If the ways are worn (all are to some degree) the resistance will increase. Where it gets tight and how abruptly it does will give you a basic idea of condition.
 
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