# Print Bed is Fianlly Level **URL:** \ **Category:** LulzBot TAZ\ **Created:** [November 18, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005 "2014-11-18T22:28:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![prstein](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/prstein/32/36_2.png) [@prstein](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/prstein)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/1 "2014-11-18T22:28:17Z")
My eye and “feel” for leveling the print bed using the paper method is lousy. Misspent youth I suppose… Anyway it seemed to me that since the extruder goes in and out so easily that would be a good way to mount a dial indicator. I modified the STL file for the extruder holder to attach an indicator. See [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:551366](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:551366) if interested. Tuns out it wasn’t _too_ awful, about 0.1 mm high in one corner. Now it is within about ±0.02 mm over the whole bed. I’m printing a part that has been kicking my butt for far too long, and it is looking to be the best piece I’ve printed so far. About another three hours to go but well past the point where a corner would start to lift. BTW, as a relatively new TAZ 4.1 owner, thank you to everyone who posts here–most questions I come up with have already been covered in detail. Best Regards, Paul ---
**Author:** ![piercet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/piercet/32/12_2.png) [@piercet](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/piercet)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/2 "2014-11-19T01:01:53Z")
Neat, thanks for making that! ---
**Author:** ![chriswh86](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/chriswh86/32/22_2.png) [@chriswh86](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/chriswh86)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/3 "2014-11-30T02:34:34Z")
Wow, great idea! I have been having a problem trying to level my bed and this may be a great, more precise way to do so! Cheers ---
**Author:** ![brouhaha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@brouhaha](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/brouhaha)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:38am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/4 "2014-12-01T09:38:41Z")
Looks great, I’m eager to try it. Thanks for sharing! It appears that this is the dial indicator you used? [http://www.amazon.com/AccuRemote-ELECTRONIC-INDICATOR-Functions-conversion/dp/B006YD7G36](http://www.amazon.com/AccuRemote-ELECTRONIC-INDICATOR-Functions-conversion/dp/B006YD7G36) ---
**Author:** ![nopick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nopick](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/nopick)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/5 "2014-12-01T13:48:55Z")
I built it this weekend. It works well. Just a couple bed level gcode runs and tweaks after leveling with the indicator and I was good to go. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![prstein](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/prstein/32/36_2.png) [@prstein](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/prstein)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/6 "2014-12-01T13:59:57Z")
brouhaha and nopick, You’re welcome, and thanks for letting me know. The piece from Amazon looks the same. I got mine from MicroMark: [http://www.micromark.com/precision-digital-indicator,10564.html](http://www.micromark.com/precision-digital-indicator,10564.html). Have no illusions–it is a cheap indicator–but plenty good enough for 3D printing, I think. I use a mechanical one for my little mill. I confess I’ve gotten weary of taking the extruder off and on. Now I’m looking at the holes where the second fan can be placed and thinking about how convenient that could be…8v) Best Regards, Paul ---
**Author:** ![nopick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nopick](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/nopick)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/7 "2014-12-01T15:23:38Z")
I use a cheap harbor freight indicator. I did have to modify the part a little to fit the thicker attachment on my indicator. I should post it up as a modification of your thingiverse part… ---
**Author:** ![prstein](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/prstein/32/36_2.png) [@prstein](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/prstein)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/8 "2014-12-01T19:36:04Z")
Huh. I would have thought that would be a standard size. Bad assumption on my part, based on that I have two completely different ones that have identical mounting hardware. Live and learn…! Best Regards, Paul ---
**Author:** ![nopick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nopick](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/nopick)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/9 "2014-12-01T20:33:37Z")
I had to open it up by 0.8mm iirc. This is the second mount on thingiverse that was too narrow. I guess I have an oddball indicator! No big deal since you posted the cad file… thanks for that! ---
**Author:** ![inventabuild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@inventabuild](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/inventabuild)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/10 "2014-12-30T03:53:26Z")
> [@prstein](#): > > brouhaha and nopick, > > You’re welcome, and thanks for letting me know. > > The piece from Amazon looks the same. I got mine from MicroMark: [http://www.micromark.com/precision-digital-indicator,10564.html](http://www.micromark.com/precision-digital-indicator,10564.html). Have no illusions–it is a cheap indicator–but plenty good enough for 3D printing, I think. I use a mechanical one for my little mill. > > I confess I’ve gotten weary of taking the extruder off and on. Now I’m looking at the holes where the second fan can be placed and thinking about how convenient that could be…8v) > > Best Regards, > Paul Did you ever create a mount for the fan holes? ---
**Author:** ![john\_c\_kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@john\_c\_kennedy](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/john_c_kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/11 "2015-01-05T23:39:12Z")
I did this, it works great. I don’t disconnect the extruder cables, I just hang it from the top of the TAX frame with a piece of wire bent into an S hook. This makes it really quick to swap in the dial indicator then switch back to the extruder when done leveling. I just cut the cable tie holding the extruder cables to the X axis mount, the fit is tight enough without the cable tie and also speeds up the whole process. Great idea thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![edlink](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/edlink/32/29_2.png) [@edlink](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/edlink)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/12 "2015-01-09T13:08:14Z")
> [@prstein](#): > > My eye and “feel” for leveling the print bed using the paper method is lousy. Misspent youth I suppose… Anyway it seemed to me that since the extruder goes in and out so easily that would be a good way to mount a dial indicator. I modified the STL file for the extruder holder to attach an indicator. See [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:551366](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:551366) if interested. > > Best Regards, > Paul I adapted your design for my dial indicator and I’m very happy with it. Thanks a lot. Question though - to check height of all corners and middle did you simply move the table and printer carriage by hand? When I unplug the Taz printhead and install the dial indicator, Pronterface will no longer let me move the x/y axis through its interface. ---
**Author:** ![inventabuild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@inventabuild](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/inventabuild)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 5:19am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/print-bed-is-fianlly-level/1005/13 "2015-01-10T05:19:38Z")
With the extruder disconnected / removed from the TAZ, I was still able to move x, y, z through the lcd and by selecting disable motors I could move the x and y axis by hand.