how do you get it level?

Frank Fusco

Member
Messages
12,782
Location
Mountain Home, Arkansas
I just saw a really attractive table made from several pieces of driftwood with a large, oval, glass top. The table had three large, mounted bass 'swimming' around under the glass. Masterfully done, looked like they were in their natural element. OK, the question: The irregular pieces of driftwood (of course) had flat feet that sat level on the floor. The top(s) of the pieces also was level to hold the glass properly. How is that done? :huh: Separate, irregular pieces with no reference point, like an edge to hold your tool. All I can think of is a tiny bit at a time with a sander.
 
Hi Frank,
Everybody has an opinion, this is mine and for me it has worked numerous times. Figure out how you are going to join them together and do that first in the configuration you find pleasing, in a dry fit (knock down version). Since there are three feet they all will touch the ground, there fore after deciding which end is up,:D sitting on a flat surface scribe lines around each leg using a block of thickness that will allow you to acquire a true line around the pieces,( this block may need to be creatively shaped to allow you to scribe such inconsistent pieces). Disassemble and proceed to hand saw with a sharp saw along those scribed lines thus giving you three true flat feet. If that sounds feasible then let me know and I will share with you how I would do the top.:D
Shaz
 
What Shaz said. If it's still a smidgen off after assembly you can set the whole thing on a flat surface (top of a TS works well) with a sheet of sandpaper taped down under the longer legs. Usually 5 mins of moving the piece back and forth a few inches is enough to work out the last little bit of rocking.
 
Sounds like a plan gents, but this is assuming the floor is flat, one thing I find VERY rare around here, due mainly to all the shifting from earthquakes etc.

Thus, I like to have some sort of leveling feet on the table, true with 3 feet you are better off than 4, but still. :D
 
I would likely use a jig. I would do as Shaz said, first figure out how to join it together and do that. Then as the pedestal stands build a jig around it that sits flat and allows one end to protrude through. Visually what you have is an island (the jig) with a tree coming up the middle, sticking out (the part of pedestal you will chop off). Then using your jig to hold the saw blade flat and level start cutting. Adjust the jig for height, flip your pedestal over and do it again.

I have seen this jig used for cutting four legs on a chair to level. It was just a level, flat surface suspended, with four holes in it allowing the chair legs to pop through.
 
I would use the same leveling method the Romans used to build the giant aquaducts, roadways and buildings 2000 years ago...the simple water level.

Get a clear piece of plastic hose, fill it with water and then lift one end at your benchmark. The other end you hold on the other two legs and mark them. Since water always seeks its own level, you got your level problem solved.

WaterLevel2.gif
 
Well Frank I would like to take credit for it, but as I said, the Roman's used it a long, long time ago.

I have used it in the past however. My father and I used it to put his pool in. Again even with a transit you can make mistakes with math and whatnot, but with a water level, its just mark where the water level is.

Another good use is in the making of a tree house. The limbs are never quite right, but you can easily set your floor level and plumb the rest of the building off that.

Of course a water level is only limited by the length of clear plastic hose you can get, your imagination and how good of sight you have. I help myself by adding food coloring to the water so I can see it easily inside the tube.
 
Travis, I hate to be a smart alec, but what kind of plastic tubing did the Romans use? Or a more polite way of asking the question - given that they had no plastic tubing, what was their method?

Ken
 
Last edited:
I knew someone was going to mention the plastic thing!!! :huh:

The romans actually developed glass making for use in road and viaduct construction. They also had access to copper and iron pipe back then as well, so by putting glass vials on the ends of the copper pipe, they were able to cobble together the water level.

I was thinking to myself the other day that if you mounted a short water level on a tri-pod, (say 2 feet long) and used a board and pin sights, you would have a very rudimentary transit wouldn't you? I am not saying the romans used this, but it would not be a stretch to assume they COULD have had one. (just thinking out loud).
 
Travis, that's genius and simple. I like simple. Problem solved and no modern laser thingys needed.

I've used the water tube trick and have been very successful following the directions suggested... but SWMBO insisted (really, insisted) that I buy one of those little lazer "thingys" They are worth the money. I bought a cheap one at a B&D outlet store on the way home from Florida last spring for around $10. It is the "Cat's Meow" (does that date me?)

I already had a larger one for outdoors and setting level around the yard and construction etc. but this little gem is the ticket to do that kind of effort. But the Bong and clear tube works well too.
 
I never had much luck with water levels. Maybe its the elevation:D :D :D

Even big tubing didn't work well, but then we had something like 50' of it. Too much friction on the sides of the tube, mine was only repeatable to within an inch or so.
 
IIRC, Marty used a water level to set the finished grade for the piers under his shop. Garden hose, I believe.

Vaughn,

Good memory recalling that I used a "Hillbilly Laser Level" to set all the piers for my shop.

I did in fact purchase a GOOD laser level...on the order of about $500 or so...but it wasn't the self levelling type. After hours of frustration, and winding up with piers that were "close", I took tod's advice and got 100' of 1/2" plastic tubing from the borg (for I think it was about $0.20/ft). Oh, and luckily, Amazon took back the laser level! :D

The water level was EXACTLY what I needed! The ENTIRE shop is DEAD level! It took some getting used to using, but that water level is the ONLY WAY I'll do any serious levelling from now on.

Thanks again tod! :thumb:

- Marty -
 
yur welcome marty!
i use a water level to check my lazer.....if a fellow is working with thousands of dollars of material i`d just as soon be sure and a water level has never failed me ......just like i use a plumb-bob to check my crick levels for plumb, and the water level to check `em for level.
better safe than sorry:eek:
 
Ok, so now I'm really wondering what I was doing wrong with the water level :huh:

Tube with water in it.... sounds easy.

What I recall is that it would take a long time (well, several minutes) for the level to fully react to a small movement of the tube. Am I just too impatient? :dunno:
 
Top