Nicely done. I've been contemplating the exact same problem for a few months now. Never considered trying to bend the glass tube with a shim. The idea I settled on was making a bidirectional level by lapping glass like a telescope mirror and then using that to make a level like oxtools repaired. Bending the vial seems easier.
I made one some time ago. Bought a vial online for us 15 that has around 9000:1 resolution, or ~ .001" over 9", or 1mm over 9m. Works great, but the 40 TPI adjustment screw is far too coarse. I'm going to rebuild with a 10:1 lever, making my 40TPI threads more like 400TPI. Yours is beautiful, mine is aluminum.
Despite the (small) leverage even my screw is too coarse, on the other hand I find it useful to compare surfaces that are not even close to level. Thanks for commenting.
So my memory didn't served me well, the actual pitch is 0.7mm (not 0.5) and the distance from the trunnion is 103mm (not 70). Therefore one revolution of the adjusting knob causes a tilt of 0.39° or 1401 arcsec (since you like this unit :) ). The sensitivity is 0.01mm / 200mm per division, equivalent to 0.05mm per metre, thus an angle of 0.0029° (or 10arcsec) per div. (run by rise). So the adjustment knob causes a correction of a full division per each 2.6° or knob rotation, which is pretty touchy as I said in the previous comment, yet usable with some care. Because the knob has a diameter of 18mm this means that with a rotation of ~0.4mm at its circumference makes a full division tilt. Using a finer thread would have been better, but I hadn't any finer screw handy and even less the tapping tool.
@@AccidentalScience yes that makes sense, like I said in the first comment 0.05/M i did many calculations for the thread pitch also and find it has to be around 0.25mm and even on that pitch it is very tricky coz i am using a 0.02/M vial too sensitive
Nicely done. I've been contemplating the exact same problem for a few months now. Never considered trying to bend the glass tube with a shim. The idea I settled on was making a bidirectional level by lapping glass like a telescope mirror and then using that to make a level like oxtools repaired. Bending the vial seems easier.
This sounds like a pretty good idea. I wonder if you pursued it.
You win the internet today! Bravo!
Very interesting to apply a very small pressure to the vile works ..i thought it would crack before being operatable
I love this idea! props for getting it working too, looks great :)
Excellent work! Science and art in a beautiful tool! Thanks for sharing!
I clicked so fast when I saw you had a new video. Keep up the good work it inspires me to keep working on my lathe project
Great stuff. I also love your accent. Wonderful combination of interesting content and great narration
Thank you Brian, I really appreciated your comment.
Cool!
I saw some people using liquid gas ( gpl for lighter) inside the "vile"
Nice idea and fine work too. congratulations.
dude the precision level of the metal working is so sexy lol great job
I'll just buy one. A ton of work went into this. Credit given
Most awesome. Fantastic job!
I was considering it myself many times. Thnx for tips. I think copper is not the best material for this, since it's heat expansion rate is huge.
Actually brass is even worse!
@@AccidentalScience I meant brass, sorry, my brain is slowly shutting down, tough week.
Very labored English but very clear and not bad! Keep working hard!
Maybe this could be built on a sine bar base, to make calibration simple?
Very interesting!
Nice video. Was this also for the lathe? Looking forward to part 5
Yes.
Thank you for video.
I made one some time ago. Bought a vial online for us 15 that has around 9000:1 resolution, or ~ .001" over 9", or 1mm over 9m. Works great, but the 40 TPI adjustment screw is far too coarse. I'm going to rebuild with a 10:1 lever, making my 40TPI threads more like 400TPI. Yours is beautiful, mine is aluminum.
Despite the (small) leverage even my screw is too coarse, on the other hand I find it useful to compare surfaces that are not even close to level. Thanks for commenting.
You can buy a precision level vial from leveldevelopments for $20. I applaud the curiosity.
I did exactly this with a shim. Wasn't perfectly stable though. Temperature changed the flex shape.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Awesome build buddy. What's next? A dial indicator from sewing machine and fishing real parts?
That would be a cool idea but I'm afraid my wife would kick me out if I'd try to dismantle her sewing machine :)
@@AccidentalScience yeah mine too but it cant hurt to think it thru.
Fantastic... Funny as well 👍
nice, so about 0.05mm over 1 M ?
what thread pitch did you use for balancing?
0.5mm at a approx. 70mm radius from the trunnion ...it is quite sensitive, it would have been better a finer pitch, but it is usable.
@@AccidentalScience
let me ask it in another way
how many arc sec per division?
the thread pitch is 0.5mm?
thanks
So my memory didn't served me well, the actual pitch is 0.7mm (not 0.5) and the distance from the trunnion is 103mm (not 70). Therefore one revolution of the adjusting knob causes a tilt of 0.39° or 1401 arcsec (since you like this unit :) ).
The sensitivity is 0.01mm / 200mm per division, equivalent to 0.05mm per metre, thus an angle of 0.0029° (or 10arcsec) per div. (run by rise). So the adjustment knob causes a correction of a full division per each 2.6° or knob rotation, which is pretty touchy as I said in the previous comment, yet usable with some care. Because the knob has a diameter of 18mm this means that with a rotation of ~0.4mm at its circumference makes a full division tilt. Using a finer thread would have been better, but I hadn't any finer screw handy and even less the tapping tool.
@@AccidentalScience yes that makes sense, like I said in the first comment 0.05/M
i did many calculations for the thread pitch also and find it has to be around 0.25mm and even on that pitch it is very tricky coz i am using a 0.02/M vial too sensitive
Love the challenge, but man that is way too much work, lol...
Yeah :D
Amazing work, thanks for sharing!