In article ,
Larry Jaques says...
On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 20:58:14 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm,
Ignoramus15297 quickly quoth:

Thanks Larry. I am wondering if anyone simply sells arms with balls
and a way to connect them together, instead of all that complex stuff.

Now that's a troll if I ever heard one.

Got a lathe and/or mill? Got some rod and some bar stock? Got bolts,
washers, and wingnuts? Go for it! 'Taint rocket surgery.


Here's what I do...

http://www.suscom-maine.net/
~nsimmons/news/MicroscopeStand01.jpg

http://www.suscom-maine.net/
~nsimmons/news/MicroscopeStand02.jpg

Weld or braze two clamp collars at 90 degrees to one
another. Two of these assemblies and a few pieces of rod
will give you 6 degrees of freedom. The rods in the photo
are 1/2", but I've made up connectors as large as 1-1/4"
when rigidity was important. 1/2" collars are around $2
each from McMaster.

Most collars are 12L14, and though I've never broken a weld
on one, you should keep this in mind if bad things are
likely to happen if the weld were to fail. I TIG weld with
SS rod.

If you mill a shallow groove as wide the thickness of the
collars on each collar they'll nest together and are self-
fixturing while welding. Like this...

http://www.suscom-maine.net/
~nsimmons/news/MicroscopeStand03.jpg

Ned Simmons