Pictures of low profie dovetail vise

[Dave London]

Cleaniing the shop today they say a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the vise that stays in focus when tilted. Dave

 

[Daniel Houwer]

I have to start saving for one of those beautys

 

[SharpGraver]

where can I get one of these and how much are they???

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Dave

Nice looking vise for sure.............but I still don't get it.

You clamp something into the jaws and occasionally have to tilt it over to get to some areas. So you are saying that you never have to alter the microscope when tilted?????? Clamp the work in, adjust the microscope accordingly and that's it, you can work on a piece without having to alter the scope no matter what the angles and how much you tilt the vise???

So this would also apply to all low profile vises?? or is there some sort of formula for all this???

I use an ordinary ball vise and when I tilt the vise sometimes I have to alter the microscope and sometimes I don't........because it all depends on how far I've tilted the vise and how much I'm zoomed in which affects the depth of field.

I would have thought that all of this would depend entirely on the job you are working on (shape,size, angles, etc), how much you are zoomed in and exactly how far you have tilted the vise.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[thughes]

Good luck trying to get one. I've been waiting for months and they are now controlled by Steve Lindsay. We keep hearing any time now, but so far no luck.

 

[Dave London]

Hi Andrew
Yes the work stays in focus when you tilt the vise, I don't have a camera that works through the scope or I would have made a video. Since I am just a dumb old plumber do know the science but it works.
Yes Steve Lindsay now sells this vise, I spoke to him the other day and he is expecting the next run any day now. So get on the list if you want one. The gentleman who makes them has a real job and this is fill in work at his shop. The finished vise weighs 42lbs so a lot of machining, and made in the USA.
I use a old Nikon SMZ 2 with a .5 Barlow lens FYI
David check Steves site for current price, and I am Sure that Jerry S would let you try out the one he has.
Further I as a disclaimer I do not work for anyone other than myself and all critique of tools
Or any thing else are my two cents

 

[monk]

andrew: i think this works because the curvature of the bottom was adjusted or machined in such a way that the top remains in focus, regardless of the amount of tilt. i would assume the work would have to be placed at the same height above the jaws, but not real sure.

 

[Dave London]

Monk
Bingo I think you have explained it. Thanks Dave

 

[CJ Allan]

I wouldn't trade mine for Anything................
Love it.............

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Monk

Still scrathing my head on this one. I guess it's just one of those things that you have to see in action

Dave.............you and I should have paid more attention at school

Cheers
Andrew

 

[take-down]

If you take a short bit of PVC pipe stand it on end & put a glass sphere on it then imagine the center of the sphere as the center of the vise that position wont change no matter what direction you rotate the sphere while keeping contact with the PVC pipe
Just my 2 cent interpretation of how it works
Cheers Graham

 

[Lee]

Maybe Andrew and I had the same teacher in school, because I haven't been able to wrap my mind around this one either. Could someone post a picture of the vice in a tilted position. The only way I've been able to visualize this is if the bottom of the ball swings up out of the center of the base allowing the workpiece to stay centered. If this is the case, does it work in 360 degrees or on an arc or curved rails. I think everyone who works under a microscope has longed for a vice of this description.

 

[Beathard]

Ok I know this sounds stupid, but I'm attempting to think out of the box. Last night I was working on a piece. I kept rotating it down out of the field of view. Instead of refocusing I caught myself lowering the scope arm with my forehead. Could an opticians style strap be connected to the head rest? This would allow you to go up and down with the vise rotation.

 

[Weldon47]

Ok, here goes:

The closer the work holding area is to the center of (in this case, the implied) the circle of a "ball" vise, , the less the working area will move when the vise is rotated in any direction (it still moves, just not as much). Notice how large the base of this vise is....complete that circle in your mind and then take note of where the working area is located.....much closer to what would be the center than in other vise designs, where the work sits on the outer portion of the circle....Our regular ball vise working area is on the outer part therefore, the work moves more than the center.
Thinking of another illustration: as it rotates, the center of the earth doesn't move much in it's distance from the sun in comparison to the outer surface where we live...get it?


That should be thoroughly confusing!

Weldon

 

[Lee]

Thanks Weldon, I understand your explanation. I was wondering whether there was something I wasn't getting that allowed it to pivot around the the top where the work is being held. I can see where this setup would reduce the problem to the scale that the workpiece sits lower.

 

[fegarex]

It took me a little bit to wrap my head around this as well but I have made a REAL crude drawing..
It's not magic, it's just all a matter of how tall it is.
If you see my drawing represents a vise in the upright position (in green) and tilted in black. The taller the vise jaws the more it moves.
The distance from point A to B is less than A to C.
This depends on not only how tall the jaws are, but how large diameter the "ball" is as well.
Also, it depends on how much of the object protrudes from the top of the jaws.
You can't have it all however. A tall vise with large jaws holds more but requires moving more. A low vise with shallow jaws requires moving less but can't handle larger things. A lower "ball" will not tilt as far either.
Clear as mud?

 

[highveldt]

staying in focus

Hi Monk

Still scrathing my head on this one. I guess it's just one of those things that you have to see in action

Dave.............you and I should have paid more attention at school

Cheers
Andrew

No worries Andrew;
As near as I can reckon a spot (I do not how large in diameter--likely 1 inch or more) of the exact centre point will stay in focus with this base ---which is a section of a very large diameter sphere as a base. However, the outer portions away from the center point will be somewhat out of focus(may not of any consequence if one has excellent optics in microscope) but not to the degree of a ordinary engravers block such as mine. The base appears to be a section of a very large sphere (photo observation leads me to believe the virtual sphere could be as large as 24-30 inches in diameter or more), whereas my GRS magnablock base sphere is only maybe maybe 7 inches in diameter--to my mind this is the reason it stays in focus better.

I believe that with in my engineering shop (here called machine shop) I can make such a section of a large sphere with lathes and milling machines to fit on my GRS magnablock. I am going to give it a go.

It has been a number of years since I visited the paradise of NZ. You are blessed by God to live in such a beautiful land. New Zealand, Cape Town and British Columbia are some of the most beautiful places in the world--you may be in the #1 spot.

Best Regards;
Steve Howell

 

[KCSteve]

As the others have said, the key on the low-profile vise is that the ball (if it were complete) is so large that the top of the jaws are right where the center of the ball would be. Because of that tilting the vise makes very little difference in the height of the work below the scope.

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

Here is the original idea and explanation.

http://www.engraverscafe.com/showth...ngraving-ball-under-microscope&highlight=vise

 

[noud peters]

Nice te see that others are working on a low profile vise and making one for them self.
Great to share ideas.


greating Noud Peters