Cheap (free!), fast, & easy Microscope Centering trick

mitch

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
2,635
ok, ok, i readily concede that using a laser is waaaay cooler, but as much as i would love to be able to tell my wife, with a straight face, "Hon, i need to buy a laser for an actual work-related tool.", and enjoy the ensuing eye-roll, i'm afraid she's seen me accomplish this task without one for too many years.

anyway, here's my method, with fancy schmancy illustrations...

#1 shows the top of the vise jaws with target area marked with a large X and the center of the field of view marked with a small +.

#2- using the eccentric centering adjustment mechanism on the vise, move the target area to the center of the field. if it won't go that far, move the whole vise to make up the rest of the distance (this means the vise was pretty far off center).

#3- rotate the vise jaws 180° (half of one revolution, for the geometrically impaired).

#4- move the entire vise on its platform so that the target area moves HALF THE DISTANCE to the center of the viewing field. (Note- do this very carefully, because evidently this maneuver can make the holes in your vise jaws disappear. :eek: )

#5- using the eccentric centering adjustment mechanism on the vise, move the target area the rest of the distance to the center of the field. (Evidently this process can restore the holes in your vise. whew!)

#6- (stop looking for another drawing, there isn't one.) Take it for a spin and see if this is close enough for your purposes. if you need it closer, just repeat steps 1-5 to fine-tune it if necessary.

#7- (nope, still no more drawings) while i illustrated this with a single target location (the big X), your vise will now be centered for any place within view, but you need to pick a definite spot to work with while centering (in case that wasn't clear...).
 

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