Fred :
They're not kidding, but with a HF lathe I doubt you'll be able to tell the
difference. A good carpenter's level should be good enough. If you can find a
library that carries it, there have been some good articles in Home Shop
Machinist about lathe leveling, and other means of getting your lathe as
accurate as possible. Or, any decent book on how to setup and operate a lathe
should have leveling instructions. Lindsay books ( http://www.lindsaybks.com )
has a nice variety of reprints at very modest prices. "How to Run a Lathe" by
South Bend is one good choice.
For more info, ask on news:rec.crafts.metalworking . Lots of good (and some
not so good <g>) machinists hang out there.
Randall
> From: Fred Zampa <FZampa@mail.maconstate.edu>
> Subject:
> Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 14:54:14 -0400
>
> shop-talkers:
> the instructions with my new harbor freight 12" lathe call for
> me to level the thing within a couple of thousandths of an inch.
> are they kidding? how important is that ? how the $#%%^$#@@~! would
> you do that even if you wanted to-- and what measuring tools would you use
> ??
>
> any help in how to level a lathe (or rationalizations for not doing so )
> would be appreciated.
>
> fred zampa
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