Anyone use leveling feet?

[William]

I'm in the middle of getting my new Cobra 408 ATC operational and focusing on leveling and stability. Right now it seems that there's enough out of level and unstable that using the leveling feet maybe the way to go. I'm wondering if others have used the leveling feet, what your experience has been, and if you'd recommend them?

Here's a bit more detail on my situation.

• I'm using a 4' bubble level.
• I haven't measured but the floor is smooth and appears level.
• Along the X, the level placed in the middle, needs to wedged up 1/8 on one end and 3/16 on the other.
• Along the Y one side is level and the other needs the 4' level needs to come up about a 1/8".
• Only 1 foot is fully flat on the floor. A second is mostly on the floor. The bulk of the feet are only touching on one corner or a small portion.
• One foot is completely off the ground by a full 1/4". Oddly it's a middle foot.

The manual says you can be a 1/16 if so I'm assuming 1/8 means I need to do some leveling.

I'm a little worried about the leveling feet because the feet on the Cobra come out to the side like and L and the hole for the foot is in the arm of the L and not directly under the post.

Thoughts,
William

[de5]

I just set it in place on the concrete floor, hammered shims under the high feet and went to work. I don't think I ever put a level on it, but I think I'll check it today just for kicks. Heavy duty leveling feet are a good idea if you are concerned.

[William]

I just set it in place on the concrete floor, hammered shims under the high feet and went to work. I don't think I ever put a level on it, but I think I'll check it today just for kicks. Heavy duty leveling feet are a good idea if you are concerned.

It came with leveling feet so I'm going to assume they are heavy duty enough.

Your approach is exactly what I was hoping for but, I guess, I'm also trying to judge whether my situation is outside of being able to do that or not.

[james mcgrew]

we leveled min with a 4 foot level made shims the same size as foot, that was 2012 no probs since

[Jim Becker]

Leveling shims that span the entire bottom surface of the machines's "feet" will be the best method for leveling a stationary tool of that stature, but you certainly can use leveling feet. In that case, it's best if there's an additional threaded nut on the stud so you can lock the height in place positively so any vibration over time will not cause the leveling foot to rotate. (This assumes leveling feet threaded into the tapped holes on the bottom of the machine feet or any other device that has threading involved)

[William]

I ended up using the leveling feet. It feels a bit unnatural levitating the machine but it was pretty easy to level and now all 6 feet are solidly grounded.

- William

[eugene]

i bought leveling feet for panther have on order. just seems crazy $50,000 tool not come with leveling feet. using shims....... but found set on ebay for $70. so all is ok.

[Jim Becker]

Leveling feet can certainly be convenient, but the advantage that shims have is the entire footprint of each machine foot is supported. Leveling feet pretty much puts the whole corner's worth of weight on the threaded stem of the leveler.

[james mcgrew]

50.000, 150.000 250.000 I have metal shims cut to fit the foot size. installed 11 years ago and never gave it another thought till i saw this post, I have some new industrial machinery (250k) that came with them and probably will not use them when we install next week.

[james mcgrew]

I ended up using the leveling feet. It feels a bit unnatural levitating the machine but it was pretty easy to level and now all 6 feet are solidly grounded.

- William

Why raise it up beyond base level ?

[William]

Why raise it up beyond base level ?

Expediency. The bed was out of level in both directions, twisted, and the feet were very uneven on the floor. One foot was over a 1/4 inch off the floor and other feet were sitting only on a single edge of the foot. These gaps were larger than the wedges I had and I didn't really have the where-with-all to make the appropriate ones. On the flip side, the machine came with a set of leveling feet ready to go. They were comparatively easy to install and being able to effectively make micro adjustments was great for setting level. I'm 6'5" so the extra inches of height aren't an issue.

Funny you asked though because I was wondering this weekend if the feet made the machine more susceptible to vibration. I was cutting some small pockets and the spindle was doing short, rapid movements and it surprised me how much vibration that translated into. During other operations I also notices almost a hum coming through the material which I'm guessing is from the vacuum.

- William

[Jim Becker]

William, if you think about it, leveling feet have all the weight on the threaded shaft that joins them to the machine feet. That certainly raises the risk for vibration/shaking with gantry movement over the feet being "flat on the floor". This is why I personally prefer shims. You can ... with more or less effort, depending on the case ...level while still retaining that 4-6" footprint per leg being in full contact with "the floor". (indirectly, of course, but the weight transfers through the shim)