Shoutout to the shop in Detroit that showed me a better way to tram a mill

I was at Midwest CNC Repair last month and the guy there used a simple machinist's level instead of an indicator to rough in the head. Cut my setup time by about 15 minutes on the first try. Anyone else use a level for this or am I doing it wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorc4024d ago

Wait did your buddy learn that from the same old timer or just pick it up elsewhere? I had a friend who worked in a shop in Toledo and his mentor showed him the same trick with a machinist's level on a Bridgeport. He said it got him within a few thou every time and saved him a ton of headache on big jobs where the head was way off. He still uses a indicator for final tweaks but swears by the level for roughing it in fast. I tried it on my mill at home and honestly it worked way better than I expected lol.

the_grace21d ago

My dad's old shop teacher in Flint showed him the exact same trick back in the 80s with a Starrett level. He used it on a beat-up Bridgeport that was always getting knocked around on big die jobs. I tried it on my own mill after he showed me and it got me within two thou on head nod every single time. Still grab a test indicator for the final tenths but the level saves me so much time on the rough setup. I tell all the new guys at work about it and they look at me like I'm crazy until they try it and it works.

blair_martin24d ago

Oh man that's a great trick and yeah I've been doing it that way for a couple years now. I got shown by an old timer at a shop in Cleveland and honestly it's tough to go back once you see how quick it gets you in the ballpark. You're definitely not doing it wrong it's just one of those things nobody talks about until somebody shows you.