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Best master level for cnc?s

SND

Diamond
Joined
Jan 12, 2003
Location
Canada
I finally need to get a good master level to reset everything after the move. Was planning on a Mitutoyo 960-613 (.00024"/12)(maybe too precise but not much more $ than the 611 that is only .0012") then I remember the cnc tech who installed my first cnc had a Frame master level. Are these generally better for leveling and re-aligning cnc's or the turrret vs a regular flat level?
Starrett and Mitutoyo don't seem to make that kind oddly enough.

so, what are most of you using?

thanks
 
I'm not sure it even really matters. I got a used Browne and Sharp or Starrett off of e-bay for $50
or something. I don't think it had hardly ever been used.. I've hardly had to use it. I can't
even remember what brand it is, or what the resolution is.

Remember.. Level is just a convenient starting spot to getting the machine all nicely squared up,
and it may not be "perfectly" level once you are done.
 
I use a pair of Polish made Viz levels. .0005/10". Anything more precise will just drive you crazy.

Frame levels are nice for tramming large columns, but for smaller machines they are not needed.

From my experience, leveling of smaller turning centers is basically a waste of time. The castings are crazy rigid and you can't twist them. Machining centers are a little more floppy, but the tram is what really matters, and that can be set with an indicator.
 
12/0.00024 = 50000
10/0.0005 = 20000
1000/0.02 = 50000 : this is a garant 468790 ( attached )

i dont have the price for it, but after a quick on-line check, it is 280 euros

it is a nice sensitive tool :)
 

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I use a pair of Polish made Viz levels. .0005/10". Anything more precise will just drive you crazy.

Frame levels are nice for tramming large columns, but for smaller machines they are not needed.

From my experience, leveling of smaller turning centers is basically a waste of time. The castings are crazy rigid and you can't twist them. Machining centers are a little more floppy, but the tram is what really matters, and that can be set with an indicator.

I am right there with ewlsey the Vis level is good for what you want to do and it wont break your check book.
 
Starrett 199 is working perfectly for me.
You can find used ones in ebay. Send it to calibrate and ready to go!
 
A level is self calibrating. I guess you should calibrate the accuracy of the divisions in the vial. I'm not sure I've ever seen one get calibrated. I've seen calibrated electronic levels.
 
The Mitutoyo's are about 1/2 the price of a 199Z from the looks of it. Mit's are shorter at only 7.87".
I know my VMC takes some tweaking to square it, level didn't do it first time, and not really set up to bolt it down to the floor which would help a lot.
 
I picked up a cheap china one off ebay for about $100 and it has worked good for years ,,, still flat on the bottom and if you spin it 180* it still reads the same ... I`m not a pro china guy but money was tight when I ordered it and I have never thought about buying brand name one.
 
I finally need to get a good master level to reset everything after the move. Was planning on a Mitutoyo 960-613 (.00024"/12)(maybe too precise but not much more $ than the 611 that is only .0012") then I remember the cnc tech who installed my first cnc had a Frame master level. Are these generally better for leveling and re-aligning cnc's or the turrret vs a regular flat level?
Starrett and Mitutoyo don't seem to make that kind oddly enough.

so, what are most of you using?

thanks

Best is not easily available and might be too much trouble but this one works wonderfully :

Carl Zeiss Precision Spirit Level with Micrometer Adjustment .1mm/m - YouTube

You'll need excellent soil prep and a THICK floor for a good level not to be influenced by your weight should machines not be on their own foundation.

I have the equivalent clinometer from Zeiss and use that one as a level. I also have a couple of Polish squares and they "do" but not that well. Easy to read is paramount. The clinometer uses some sort of fancy colored filters / optical stuff and one can estimate 1/4 of the reading - very sharp delimitation line. Those split levels do away with the parallax error and that's beyond useful.

An excellent option is to obtain the level of a decent surveying instrument and manufacture the reminder. Plenty on eBay for peanuts.
 
The choice of levels is affected by what type and size machine you are leveling.

~12" or 300mm styles are usually too big to use on most small to mid size lathes
~6" or 150mm work well on smaller machines and lathes, but are really too small for a large machine.
Frame level (magnetic) is awesome if you are leveling a traveling column machine.

Leveling machining centers with 2 levels is faster than using one and re-positioning it constantly. It also would be handy on lathes, but few have enough room to fit 2 levels.

.0005/10" is decent. If the graduations are well spaced one can "split the line" to achieve closer leveling. Some folks don't like .0002/10" vials cause "they are too sensitive". I think that usually stems from being too aggressive while turning the leveling screws and they just end up chasing the bubble back and forth or a bad floor/foundation. Since many shops don't put machines on proper foundations it can often be hard to use the .0002/10" level.
 
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I finally need to get a good master level to reset everything after the move. Was planning on a Mitutoyo 960-613 (.00024"/12)(maybe too precise but not much more $ than the 611 that is only .0012") then I remember the cnc tech who installed my first cnc had a Frame master level. Are these generally better for leveling and re-aligning cnc's or the turrret vs a regular flat level?
Starrett and Mitutoyo don't seem to make that kind oddly enough.

so, what are most of you using?

thanks
.
my choice is frame level with additional level vial installed from a Starrett 98 level of .004"/10" or .005" per foot in addition to the .0002/10" main vial
.
the Starret level vial is needed to get close as the main vial will 98% of time be off the scale out of level. literally if .001"/10" off the main vial is off scale and you only see 1/4 of a division on the Starrett vial. the Starrett vial is what used 98% of time calculating shims or adjustments
.
i bought the 200 mm frame level in China for $20. the store wanted to get rid of it as they were not selling much and was worried it would be rusty and unsellable. i keep petroleum jelly on it when stored for long periods. nothing worst than a rusty level. i passed tool calibration testing. most are fairly straight forward to adjust.
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out of 6 levels i bought i only saw one level where level vial was glued with rtv glue and it came loose. obviously that level vial needed to be re secured to the plate it is stuck too. i used rubber bands and rtv glue. it worked fine
.
they sell .0001/10" levels too which are useless most times. better off with .0005/10" or coarser level vial
 

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I've never hawked my wares on here, but we make a nice level that is accurate to within .001" per foot, not quite as accurate as the Starrett 199, but it is plenty good for most folks. Price is reasonable and it's easy to use and recalibrate if ever needed.

Products

Was running 10% off on what I have in stock, which is one left.... but I have most everything in stock, just need some more vials which doesn't take too long if anybody else wants one.
 








 
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