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Thread: Ball-joint workshop microscope stand

  1. #1
    Supporting Member threesixesinarow's Avatar
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    threesixesinarow's Tools

    Ball-joint workshop microscope stand

    This is a quick and crude stand I made to see whether smaller ball joints would be adequate to hold a beat-up old yard-sale stereo microscope. I planned to use it for a work light, but the test worked well enough that I never replaced it with something nicer. It’s compact and can work in cramped spaces.

    The arms are about 9” and 8”. The lower arm is made from a couple 3/32 x 3/4” steel straps, doubled around the ends and with a nylon spacer in the middle to help with clamping. The upper arm is a piece of 5/8 steel rod with balls at the the ends and turned down and bent to help positioning. All of the balls are 5/8” diameter, the lowest one with a 1/2”-13 threaded end and a couple flats on the shank to screw into a base. The ball sockets are just countersunk holes.

    From the combination of small balls and coarse threaded carriage bolt clamps it does need a wrench to set it up but then it will stay in place indefinitely, and can be repositioned without loosening anything.

    Ball-joint workshop microscope stand-ms01_onbench.jpg Ball-joint workshop microscope stand-ms02_onfloor.jpg

    Ball-joint workshop microscope stand-ms03_interface.jpg Ball-joint workshop microscope stand-ms04_turningtool.jpg

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  2. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to threesixesinarow For This Useful Post:

    Altair (Jun 6, 2019), Andyt (Jun 7, 2019), baja (Jun 7, 2019), Jon (Jun 13, 2019), Seedtick (Jun 6, 2019), Toolmaker51 (Jun 6, 2019)

  3. #2
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    Thanks threesixesinarow! We've added your Microscope Stand to our Miscellaneous category,
    as well as to your builder page: threesixesinarow's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:




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