[mgalusha]

While working on my recent TT rebuild I got to thinking that if I'm going to all this trouble and expense that perhaps investing in a really good level might be worthwhile. After searching a bit I ended up choosing a Starrett No. 98-8 precision machinist's level.

This is an 8" long level with a cast iron base. Accurate to .005 per foot, better than that if one interprets between the marks. I don't expect this would work well for suspended turntables but for solid high mass units you can really get it level. Makes my bubble level seem broken. Enough deviation to move the Starrett bubble from end to end is nearly invisible on the bubble level I have.



Not cheap but I am very happy with the results and knowing with certainty that my 'table is dead level.

More info here.

[orthobiz]

How about an iPhone 4 as a level. Multiple apps for that and the smallest movements make deviations in the readings.

Paul

[mgalusha]

Not sure how sensitive the accelerometers are. I have a level app for my HTC Evo and it seems very sensitive but somehow I doubt it will resolve < 100 seconds of arc. I'll compare them.

[orthobiz]

And in those digital vs. Analog shootouts we all know which one wins...

Paul

[macrojack]

We're all toy freaks on this site. We dig our gadgets and some of us consider precision to be the highest form of art. Mike Galusha is clearly an advocate in good standing, if not one of our more prominent leaders. If he becomes giddy about the cool of this Starrett gizmo, we owe it to him to play along.

After reading Paul's I-phone comment, I searched for, and found, a very useful, fun and free level app which I downloaded. It works and seems extremely precise. It has its own gizmo mojo and is certainly all I need to be confident in my perpendicularity to earth's center. But I understand at the same time that it lacks the ultimate gadget charisma and soothing tangibility of the Starrett masterpiece.

So, while Paul and I can be perfectly happy with a photo of The Mona Lisa, Mike has to have the painting, just as Leonardo had to have her.

We all respond to some kind of stimulus and none of us is wrong about what makes our banana stand or how our bubble gets centered.

[TheChairGuy]

Great idea, macrojack - I just downloaded iHandy Level free app and it looks useful.

Seems as useful, or more, as my Sonin 5-in-1 tool I have used the past few years.

It's incredibly useful to level a suspended belt driver...but pays some small dividends to level any TT; belt or direct drive I've found over time.

[mgalusha]

We're all toy freaks on this site. We dig our gadgets and some of us consider precision to be the highest form of art. Mike Galusha is clearly an advocate in good standing, if not one of our more prominent leaders. If he becomes giddy about the cool of this Starrett gizmo, we owe it to him to play along.

Funny, the purchase of this level had nothing to do with any toy factor, only precision. Simply a matter of doing the job as accurately as possible. Precision matters, at least to me. "Playing along" is not necessary, it matters not; I was only trying to bring attention to a superb tool, that effort was obviously wasted.

[*Scotty*]

Mike shoot me a PM if you know of any good deals on micrometers or vernier calipers.
Scotty

[jimdgoulding]

Funny, the purchase of this level had nothing to do with any toy factor, only precision. Simply a matter of doing the job as accurately as possible. Precision matters, at least to me. "Playing along" is not necessary, it matters not; I was only trying to bring attention to a superb tool, that effort was obviously wasted.

Nope, it weren't.

[Occam]

Mike,

What exactly are you leveling?
The shelf upon which the tt rests?
The plinth or subchassis upon which the bearing is mounted?
The platter which holds the vinyl?

Or does one have to successively start at the first in order to have a chance at the later?

[mgalusha]

What exactly are you leveling?
The shelf upon which the tt rests?
The plinth or subchassis upon which the bearing is mounted?
The platter which holds the vinyl?

Paul,

I started with the shelf but ultimately I was concerned with the platter being as level as I could make it. My thinking was that anything other than level would have to impact the skating and possibly the tracking force since the counterweight on the arm is below the pivot.

mike

[Occam]

Mike,

In retrospect, my question was sort of silly. The only requirement is that the spindle of the platter be perfectly centered and perpendicular. Assuming, also a perfect bearing  all the rest can be compensated with 3 adjustable thingamabobs, underneath, defining a plane.

I take it your ultimate test is to put the level as a chord across the platter, verify level adjustment, and then rotate the platter 90 degrees and check again?

Thanks,
Paul

[mgalusha]

I take it your ultimate test is to put the level as a chord across the platter, verify level adjustment, and then rotate the platter 90 degrees and check again?

Si.