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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Tasmania
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    50

    Default Steelmaster machine levels

    I am looking for a machine level and found these on eBay. Only one feedback was that when compared to another level they were not accurate. That to me doesn't prove anything as no claim to validate the reference level.

    To my thinking if the base is truly flat and the tube is adjustable, which it is then these should be able to set up well. Am I missing something? Quality of the glass tube etc?

    I would have thought simply turning it 180 degrees should highlight any error. They are badged "Industrial Australia" bit of an oxymoron these days and assume they are made closer to Beijing than Melbourne.

    Thoughts?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    Athelstone, SA 5076
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    4,255

    Default

    this might explain something...worth watching in any event

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIDL77qt1tI

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Geelong, Australia
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    57
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    2,651

    Default

    Check this one out. Looks pretty much the same as the Steelmaster. I don't have one, but the other items I've bought from Mag-Pro have been pretty reasonable.

    Machinist Levels,8"_Measuring Instrument_M&G Productions

    Not sure what his postage rates are like these days - I know they were quite dear a while back. Would easily go in a small express post satchel and they aren't far from my work. PM me if I can help.

    Steve

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
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    1,322

    Default

    I recently bought a square/box machinist's level off Ebay, mainly to check if the ways on my lathe had any twist. Out of the box, it certainly wasn't true, but in a way, that didn't matter for my lathe - it leans back and to the right a bit, I assume to encourage coolant to run to the drain in the back right corner. The level allowed me to confirm that the backward lean was identical at each end of the bed.

    It came with a little tool for adjusting the levelling nuts, so after checking the lathe, I spent a bit of time switching the orientation of the level while adjusting the vial until it showed an identical reading for 180 degree rotations.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,416

    Default

    I've got a couple of 0.005 starretts and a high precion 0.0005 Chinese one, all work great.
    You really need to use the 0.005 one before using the 0.0001 one, or you will be chassing your tail.
    Using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    Athelstone, SA 5076
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RustyArc View Post
    I spent a bit of time switching the orientation of the level while adjusting the vial until it showed an identical reading for 180 degree rotations.
    If you watch the video above you will see how to calibrate it..starts at around 7mins

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by eskimo View Post
    If you watch the video above you will see how to calibrate it..starts at around 7mins
    Cheers. While that guy's content is really valuable, I struggle with the slow, rambling way he delivers it. If he edited his videos properly they'd be 1/3 the length with just as much information.

  8. #8
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    Dec 2013
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RustyArc View Post
    Cheers. While that guy's content is really valuable, I struggle with the slow, rambling way he delivers it. If he edited his videos properly they'd be 1/3 the length with just as much information.
    I never watched it, but after just starting to watch videos, I don't like videos like that, they need to just get to the point, lol
    Using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Melbourne
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    35
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave J View Post
    I've got a couple of 0.005 starretts and a high precion 0.0005 Chinese one, all work great.
    You really need to use the 0.005 one before using the 0.0001 one, or you will be chassing your tail.
    Your post made me wonder why I have never seen a box level with a 005 vial on one side and a 0001 on another so all you had to do is turn it ,,90 degrees rather than carry two levels.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    50

    Default Thanks for assistance

    Thanks everyone, I pulled the trigger on one, I will report back when I assess it.

    Next is a surface plate or small camelback. I may check in on folks experiences with these as they come up.

  11. #11
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    Dec 2013
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by caskwarrior View Post
    Your post made me wonder why I have never seen a box level with a 005 vial on one side and a 0001 on another so all you had to do is turn it ,,90 degrees rather than carry two levels.
    Don't think I'd cope with a.0001 level.
    When I first started out I used stabila builders level, worked perfectly.
    Using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
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    Default

    Those levels that are extremely sensitive are not very useful. They are simply too sensitive.

    The Starrett 199 is just about spot on sensitivity wise for what you want to use. It is slightly more sensitive then the common old 0.05mm/m levels which are good enough.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    574

    Default

    I have a chinese .02mm/m level and attempted to level my lathe with it, it is seriously sensitive, just using the top slide to steady myself while leaning over to look at the level caused the bubble to shoot off the scale, as dave j says it is very easy to go round in circles chasing your tail. Even tightening the bed hold down bolts slightly unevenly made the bubble move off to one side.

    I spent a complete weekend playing around with the leveling and the affects it had on turning and found that I was hard pressed to measure any difference, I even at one point jacked up the bed at one corner and took a test cut along a 6inch bar, measured the diam - lowered the corner back down and took another cut at the same setting and found I could not measure any real difference in the two diameter settings, possibly it may have been 1 or 2 tenths of a thou. After getting the bed level to my satisfaction I found that it made no difference my lathe still turned tapered around .001" in 6 so I resorted to adjusting the headstock and eventually settled on .0005" in 12, not perfect but probably better than I am able to work to. The lathe is Taiwan made from the early 80's and looks very much like others of the eara with names like Lam, Honden,Heerless,Churchill etc.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Australia east coast
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post
    Those levels that are extremely sensitive are not very useful. They are simply too sensitive.

    The Starrett 199 is just about spot on sensitivity wise for what you want to use. It is slightly more sensitive then the common old 0.05mm/m levels which are good enough.
    Agree. I moved my metal planer recently and had to re-level it. Using a 0.02mm/m level on both ends of the bed I got it down to half a grad so in theory 10 microns in a metre out of level. I have 2 precision levels and had one on each end of the bed to speed things up, then swapped them over to check for error.

    Good enough for me.

    I don't care much about the lathes except to remove twist if necessary but it's nice to have mills etc set up as near to dead nuts level as you can get simply because then you can use a clinometer to set up angles on tilting angle plates and the like.

    PDW

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Geelong, Australia
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    Default

    Not sure if I'm the only one, but I've struggled with getting my head around the various ways of stating the accuracy of these levels.
    There's mm/m, thousandths per foot, decimal degrees, seconds, thousandths per 10"" etc etc!!
    To add to my confusion, often in discussion people don't actually include the units...

    Noting .RC.'s comment about the Starrett 199 being "just about spot on sensitivity wise" I went to check what its accuracy actually was.
    Probably the clearest statement I've seen:

    "Ground and graduated main vial of 10-second accuracy; one division equals 1/2 thousandth (0.0005) of an inch per foot, or 0.04mm per meter"
    Here's the page that statement came from:
    199Z Master Precision Level

    Steve

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