Does anybody have any experience with a toolmakers microscope? I spotted a Gaertner toolmakers microsocpe mis-advertised on craigslist as an optical comparator and bought it pretty reasonably for a long term project I have in mind. My lathe came with two chipped teeth (the tumbler was popping out of its notch) and I eventually want to repair those. I need to make a single point cutter and I anticipate using the microscope to compare the cutter to the existing good gear teeth.
Now having said that, the microscope is interesting. It tilts from side to side so that if you're examining screw threads, you tilt it to match the (pitch? correct term?) of the threads and can measure the angle of the sides accurately. The ocular sits on a large disk with a small ocular above it. When you look through the small ocular you can see a scale. On the back of the big disk is a knob. When you turn the knob the main ocular turns and the scale moves. If I had a lined reticle in the main ocular, I could line it up with one side of an angular component and measure the angle.
The X scale for the table is spring loaded. If your part is longer than the micrometer scale and move, you can place a block of known dimension (gage block?) to get greater movement of the stage.
The stage has a knob that will allow the stage to rotate a small amount. It isn't calibrated, so I presume it's just an aid to getting a part lined up with the lines that should be in the reticle (but sadly there aren't any lines or shapes in my ocular). Anybody got any spare oculars around with what looks like a scale, screw shapes, or varying sized arcs etched in them?
Lets see, what else. There is a glass disk in the stage so that a part can be back lighted, but there are also two small lights on either side of the objective so that the part can be lit on its surface.
I have a cleanup / reorganization project going in the shop at the moment, so I haven't had time to figure out what power ocular and objective I have, but the magnification is higher than would probably be useful for the intended use. For that matter, it's probably overkill for the intended use, but hey, it's a new toy and the price was too good to pass up. You almost never see these for sale.
Anybody else have one or used one? Any spare reticles or lenses around? Any advice to the new owner?
Now having said that, the microscope is interesting. It tilts from side to side so that if you're examining screw threads, you tilt it to match the (pitch? correct term?) of the threads and can measure the angle of the sides accurately. The ocular sits on a large disk with a small ocular above it. When you look through the small ocular you can see a scale. On the back of the big disk is a knob. When you turn the knob the main ocular turns and the scale moves. If I had a lined reticle in the main ocular, I could line it up with one side of an angular component and measure the angle.
The X scale for the table is spring loaded. If your part is longer than the micrometer scale and move, you can place a block of known dimension (gage block?) to get greater movement of the stage.
The stage has a knob that will allow the stage to rotate a small amount. It isn't calibrated, so I presume it's just an aid to getting a part lined up with the lines that should be in the reticle (but sadly there aren't any lines or shapes in my ocular). Anybody got any spare oculars around with what looks like a scale, screw shapes, or varying sized arcs etched in them?
Lets see, what else. There is a glass disk in the stage so that a part can be back lighted, but there are also two small lights on either side of the objective so that the part can be lit on its surface.
I have a cleanup / reorganization project going in the shop at the moment, so I haven't had time to figure out what power ocular and objective I have, but the magnification is higher than would probably be useful for the intended use. For that matter, it's probably overkill for the intended use, but hey, it's a new toy and the price was too good to pass up. You almost never see these for sale.
Anybody else have one or used one? Any spare reticles or lenses around? Any advice to the new owner?
