Cole-Parmer® Essentials hand microtome is designed to slice sections precisely and repeatedly from a sample specimen. Easy to use, this microtome is capable of slicing micro thin sections as thin as 10 µm (0.01 mm). This microtome features a clamping mechanism for securing specimens of various shapes and sizes and a piston screwed into a tube whose free end is fixed into a flat plate stage. The knurled base at the bottom of the instrument moves the piston up or down the central tube when rotated. One full rotation of the base raises the sample up 100 microns (0.1 mm). The specimen is fixed on the flat top of the piston and sections are cut by drawing a razor over the upper flat surface of the instrument.