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After reading many posts on larger DIY steel frame machines, one of the subjects that keeps being mentioned as a potential weakness is leveling the machine. I wondered if there was a way of creating a system to level say 4 supports from the machine. Maybe the 4 buckets full of water and connected by pipes sort of thing. Any thoughts???
one of those rotating lasers
Ive got a self leveling laser but i was more interested in some concept that could be incorperated into a gantry type 8x4 that would make leveling automatic and then be locked into that position untill the machine is moved and then used again to do it again..Quote:
Originally Posted by i2i
do you live in an earthquake zone?:peaceful:
No but im always looking for a bigger cheaper and longer term workshop and with people (i2i)teasing me with these large mills it becomes even more certain i will move....Quote:
Originally Posted by i2i
Four of these connected with pipes and some sort of locking mech filled with water under the piston of course..
Attachment 6084
You could always consider hydraulics but then you would have to consider the weight changing as the head moved!
Seen on the box where they lifted a building using hydraulics from that they just made sure the pressure in each piston was the same.
peter
The machine it's self doesn't need to be level it could be at 45deg and workfine, it needs to be sat on flat surface with no twist.
It's getting the parallel rails level on the same plane thats the more important thing.!! . . . . Very hard to do and time consuming best done with precision straight edges and machine levels.
Even then it's not fun.!!! . . . Must have took me 6 weeks to tweak my machine into a position where I was happy with it.
I am confident that My rails will be parallel however the surface the machine will be standing on is rough tamped concrete and although it will sit evenly on all four feet it does matter to me that it is as level as i can get it, because i will be using the bed for other things when the cnc machine is not in use..Quote:
Originally Posted by JAZZCNC
The spinny laser thing would project a flat plane, but not necessarily a level one.Quote:
Originally Posted by JAZZCNC
Next thing you'll be saying it's 12x6' with a pocket in each corner...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardoco
I've got one of themQuote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan
Shame if he was cos I've just flogged the slate for a fullsize table.!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan
My one is on a gimble and points the laser verticaly down to a rotating mirror and so im lucky enough to have it be level..Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan
Darn ive been rumbled!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan
A customer in the US used pretty much this set up to level the jigs and platforms they built their aeroplanes on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardoco
We used ultrasonics to measure the level of 'water' in the connected 'buckets' to within a couple of mm, hydraulics did the actual movement. Why go to all this trouble? If nothing else, gravity can assist in measuring precise angles.
Its not just in America they use Jigs :whistle:Quote:
Originally Posted by ecat
Its no trouble for me to do really, i was playing in the garden today and ive arrived at the design WITHOUT using a hose pipe of course :whistle:Quote:
Originally Posted by ecat
with the ban and all...lol it must have been all the usefull information i gathered from the post...lmao
No such thing up here mate we have more wet stuff than we know what to do with. . :toot:. . . Well we do have to have something to compensate for all the times you get the sun while it's pissing it down up here. . LolQuote:
Originally Posted by Ricardoco
I do sympathise with you i really do (except for the fact your beer is cheaper that is).., and i wouldnt mind the hose ban if we hadnt had the highest rain fall since records began, i do admit it all fell in the last 8 weeks but still they say they arnt going to lift it.........Quote:
Originally Posted by JAZZCNC
And it don't taste like waterd darn dishwater..!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardoco
Couldn't the bed be made with three legs supporting a torsion box type table? It may not be level but any twisting moment would be eliminated.
aha! a recent batch of 542H been purchased?? :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardoco
You could always make your own ferrofluid or Electrorheological fluid and have active suspension? but in practical terms, horse mats!