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Thread: DIY leg levelers, adjust with ratcheting wrench.

  1. 03-21-2018, 11:18 PM #1
    Chris Harder
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    DIY leg levelers, adjust with ratcheting wrench.

    I needed 8 leg levelers for my miter saw stand/fence system. The problem with most levelers, they require an open end wrench to adjust, and its usually a very thin nut your trying to get the wrench on while standing on your head. This design has a 1/4” hex “milled” onto the top end of the threads.
    I used 3/8-16 x 3.5” long carrage bolts. I formed the hex with my “abrasive milling machine” (read belt grinder). I also ground the domed head of the carrage bolt flat, then drilled and tapped a 10-32 thread on the end to mount the pads I purchased off of ebay. The process of grinding the hex was to install a locknut 1/2” from the end, you keep the flat of the nut pressed flat against the makeshift table of the grinder, and just keep advancing to the next flat after grinding a little, periodically checking fit with a 1/4” box end wrench. I screwed the first one up, butthe next 8 I made had really good tolerances. I actually measured the lands on one for kicks, the three measurements fell in at .245” +/- .005. Not bad for grinding by hand!
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  3. 03-22-2018, 6:38 AM #2
    Frederick Skelly
    Frederick Skelly is offline Contributor
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    Nice work.
    I also like the way you mounted them - that cut out is a clever idea. Question: why is the bolt so long? Seems like it didn't need to be, looking at your application.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
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  4. 03-22-2018, 9:20 PM #3
    Bruce Wrenn
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    Why mill a hex? Just add a couple of nuts to top of bolt after installation. Tighten against each other, so they can't move separately.
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  5. 04-04-2018, 9:32 PM #4
    Chris Harder
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Nice work.
    I also like the way you mounted them - that cut out is a clever idea. Question: why is the bolt so long? Seems like it didn't need to be, looking at your application.
    Fred
    I was considering a verying terrain and didnt want to cut myself short. The application is for leveling two 8’ extended fences for my miter saw.
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  6. 04-04-2018, 9:39 PM #5
    Chris Harder
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Why mill a hex? Just add a couple of nuts to top of bolt after installation. Tighten against each other, so they can't move separately.
    when you tighten two nuts together to “jamb” them, the hex’s will not line up. This makes it a PITA, if not impossible to get a box end wrench on.
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  7. 04-07-2018, 3:08 AM #6
    Roger Robitaillle
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    Couldn't you put a washer in between them, jam the two nuts against it, and use it as a stop when you slide your wrenches over the top nut?
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