Gallery, Projects and General > How to's

Fixing a Moore & Wright level

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JimM:
Know this is an old topic but I've just followed this guide to repair a broken M&W level I picked up on the bay and thought I'd give a quick update on where to get the vials.

They can still be had from Moore & Wright direct, currently priced at £20.40 inc VAT each but still a minimum order of £50 but theres no P&P charges.

Alternatively they can  be purchased individually from Cromwell Tools at £19.20 inc VAT plus £4.95 P&P (part number is ELS06)

HTH

Jim



 

Bogstandard:
Jim,

Many thanks for the update on where to get the vials from individually. That will certainly help someone if they have one of these levels to repair.

I hope the guide was good enough for you to get your level up and running again.

If it did, that means at least two people (excluding myself) have been helped by the post, which is absolutely great, and is what passing little snippets of information on is all about.


Bogs

dickda1:
Ah, another very useful project.  Since an engineer's level is very expensive and a vial is somewhat less, what is your opinion on the possible construction of a level?   I have a couple of precision vials from an old job and was wondering about building a frame to put them in  Have long wondered if one had a supply of stable nodular iron, a surface plate and a substantial amount of time on one's hands...

-Dick (with a substantial amount of time on my hands)

Bogstandard:
Actually Dick,there is nothing that is top secret in a level.

Basically, just a flat base with a couple of forks sticking up to stop the vial holder from swinging side to side, a tube to hold the vial safely and four adjusting/clamping screws to level it up.

With a nice piece of cast iron (only for longevity) of whatever length you want to make it and a bit of ali tube and of course a vial plus ancillaries, I reckon a very usefull level could fairly easily be made up. Both my M&W levels, 12" & 6" use the basic same centre piece with vial inside, it is only the bases that are a different length.


John

JimM:

--- Quote from: Bogstandard on May 05, 2011, 12:39:39 AM ---Jim,

I hope the guide was good enough for you to get your level up and running again.

If it did, that means at least two people (excluding myself) have been helped by the post, which is absolutely great, and is what passing little snippets of information on is all about.


Bogs

--- End quote ---

Hi Bogs

Your guide is perfect, when I started my repair I was doing it from memory of reading this some time ago but was having problems trying to get the retaining screws out, a quick refresher on the procedure here and I realised that they were hex head screws not Phillips  :doh:

Dick, I think you could make a very useful level with just the vial and a few bits of scrap. Even if the base of the level isn't pefectly flat it should still work -  I imagine 99% of the time mine won't be used to get things perfectly level but just for comparative measurements  eg my lathe bench has a slope from left to right and front to back but by shimming the level with a couple of gauge blocks I've still been able to get the bed perfectly aligned.

Cheers
Jim

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