FINE TOOLS

Torpedo Level •

Walnut and brass give this torpedo level the look and feel of a traditional hand tool. And a built-in adjustment system makes it easy to calibrate.

After seeing that old level, I got to thinking about building a "torpedo" level of my own, see photo. Like the original, this level has a tapered wood body with brass accent strips. And two vials make it handy for leveling vertical or horizontal surfaces.

ADJUSTMENT system. But the thing that's unique about this level is a built-in adjustment system. The vial that's used to level a horizontal^^ surface is cradled in an adjustable holder, sec^pf drawing at left. This allows you to calibrate the level without a lot of fiddling around. And if it ever gets knocked out of adjustment, you can "fine tune" the vial in a matter of minutes.

body. To provide a stable base for the level, the body starts out as a l"-thick hardwood blank, see drawing at top of next page. (I used a piece of figured walnut I'd been saving for a special project.)

recesses. To accept the brass plates, the next step is to cut three shallow recesses in the blank. A long recess in the top accepts a cover plate, and there are two short recesses in the bottom for a pair of wear plates.

While the length of these recesses varies, they all have one thing in common. The ends are shaped in a gentle curve where the wood body meets the brass plates. To ensure that this shape is consis-

Hardware

• (2) 3-32 xP/4" Flathead Machine Screws (Brass)

• (6) V Flat Washers

• (2) 3-32 Threaded Inserts (brass)

• (2) ¹/2"-Long x %" LO. Compression Springs

• (2) %"x 1V₄" Bubble Vials

• (?) 1" x 10" Brass Strip f'/ig" thick)

• (10) #4 x V₄" Fh Screws (Brass)

To order a complete hardware kit, refer to page 31

6 ShopNotes No. 35

Recently, a friend dropped by to show me an old level he had picked up at a tool auction. The body of the level was dented and scratched. And one of the vials was broken.

But in spite of its rough condition, I still admired the workmanship that had gone into the level Brass plates fit flawlessly into the wood body. And the ends tapered smoothly like a torpedo, probably to make it easy to slip into the pocket of a

carpenter's apron.

MACHINE SCREW

EXPLODED VIEW

COVER PLATE

HOLDER

LEVEL VIAL

FLAT WASHER

COMPRESSION SPRING

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BODY

THREADED INSERT

VIAL HOLDER DETAIL

ME W WINDOW