Vice and turntable under a scope.

[RT Bit and Spur]

I am a bit and spur maker and make my own engraving vices. I was going to make a vice to use under my microscope. I had a couple of questions for people that cut with a scope.
1) Does the vice need to have a ball sense it should be straight up under a scope?
2) Why can't the turn table just be a plate on a shaft with bearings attached to a stand because the turn table doesn't move The vice does.
Rod

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Rod

1. No, it doesn't have to have a ball if you are only engraving flat surfaces. But if you want to engrave contoured surfaces then it does have to tilt over somehow. Either that or you need the jaws to be able to hold objects on different angles and be prepared to move the work in the jaws often.

2. It is the turntable that turns. Not the vise. Your vise needs to be pushed around the turn table to find the center......and tilt as above.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Red Green]

Rod,

With a scope you use a low profile vise or a turntable and vise. The low profile vise will keep the object in focus as you tilt the vise as it stays in the center of the view and at the same height. The turntable and vise is used by turning the object with the turntable and centering the object with the vise by moving the vise until the object where you want to engrave is centered on the turntable and under the scope. Any help?

Andrew beat me to the punch. If you want to engrave only flat objects you may not need a vise. If your turntable is steel you can mount your project to a wooden block and use magnets to hold the block to the turntable. I do that with practice plates, works like a charm and is real convenient.

Bob