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Water butt stand for dob.


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Is there a specific make of water butt stand that is most suited to a skyliner 8" dob or does it not matter as long as its the right size. I think I read somewhere that the stand has to have a diameter of 52cm but I would imagine some stands are somewhat less reliable than others. Can anyone point me in the right direction please. Cheers

Ally.

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Don't water butt stands need to be filled with water so they don't collapse when there is a full water butt on top of them, if there's no water inside then they may be a bit wobbly, and once full of water there not going to easy to move....???

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Hi Ally. There won't be a specific make of water butt that may be useful.   Just find one that's the right size.

As said, it will need to have water inside to cure the wobbles, and choose your place to observe carefully so you don't have to reposition.

Are you just trying to raise the height of the Dob ?   Some have used breeze blocks for this.

Regards, Ed.

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Mine is a Sankey, I think, but any will do. They are designed to support a full water but so they are quite able to hold a Dob. I tend to use mine upside down as the base of my dob sits perfectly within the rim. It also fits the normal way up but you have to make sure that one of the feet on the dob base does not sit near the indent for the tap on the water but. I can't see any reason for adding water and, if you use it the normal way up, you can't as it has no bottom.

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Hi Ally. For heaven's sake don't buy the first WBS you come across! The best one for the 150p, 200p and 250px Skyliners is the one shown in my post: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/205732-my-sw-skyliner-200p-additions-and-modifications/ This has a neat edge that holds the Dob base securely if you take the feet off, or cut two or three clearance holes in the top. Better still if you fit kitchen cabinet levelling feet as shown. The WBS is the same type as shown in brucen's post above, but is better used the normal way up. It's especially great if you move the scope around the garden so that it's sometimes on hard standing and sometimes on grass, neither of which may be particularly level.

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You are going to take the dobsonian base along and ask for a water butt stand to fit it aren't you?

Actually take the whole scope along and make sure that the stand can take the weight easily would be the sensible way.

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You are going to take the dobsonian base along and ask for a water butt stand to fit it aren't you?

Actually take the whole scope along and make sure that the stand can take the weight easily would be the sensible way.

The capacity of the water butt which fits the stand in the link is around 235 litres which of course weighs 235 kgs when it's full of water - just a trifle more than a typical SW Dob! 

Personally I took the bottom circle of the Dob base with me when I went looking for the water butt stand.

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I think its a great non technical piece of equipment - ideal for a 200p I take mine everywhere now and seldom use the observing stool I have

I made a plywood base to sit inside it and then set a leveling base on top of that for the Dob to sit on - works great especially in my back garden as it raises the height of the Tube which enables me to see above the fences - cost about £16 if I remember correctly - Dob modding is a lot of fun for sure and quite useful as well. Pics below - better than a thousand words lol 

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