RobinH

Great report. See you next weekend.

I made a 3 legged base for my 150mm Dob. The legs were about 250mm long. I drilled a hole through each leg and then glued a 8mm nut at the top and bottom of each leg. I used 300mm long 8mm threaded rod to provide adjustable length for each leg. Above the top of the leg the threaded rod has a handwheel to screw the rod up/down. Drilling a straight hole through the legs was difficult. The base works well and the materials were cheap.

The chopping board has a bobbely surface and works well with teflon pads. Its only useful for the azimuth as its just a flat plate. Perhaps it could be bent with heat to suit the edge of semicircular alt runners. I find gluing formica strip difficult and had it come unglued after a few months..

I used an Ikea chopping board. It was one of their thick white ones, the size is only abot A4 size but thats enough for smaller dobs. Very cheap.

thanks for the links for the hand bolts etc I may change mine to match. I have been using my mount for about a year now and it keeps changing as new refinements occur to me. It works well but it doesn't cost much to make it better, just a bit of time. I have just used large steel washers on the outside of the arm joints and wood to wood on the inside of the joints. I usually tighten the nut and bolt until the washer will just not turn using fingers. This makes the joints slightly stiffer so the bins stayput even if the balance is not perfect. I made a similar mount a few years ago but was never happy with the tripod. The surveyors tripod that I use now is super.

that's a nice looking P mount. I have made one my self and love how easy they are to use. I like the double hinge idea, I have recently added a single hinge to mine and am now experimenting to decide how much it needs to be able to turn. Previously I used it standing and found no hinge was needed. I need the hinge to suit using it sitting. I have a felt washer rubbing on a metal plate to give friction to the hinge. I think you need a larger contact area and perhaps felt or plastic washers on the double hinge with adjustable tension on the joints to get smooth operation. where did you get the bolts on the arms? I have used m6 bolts with nylock nuts but need tools to set the tension. I like the idea of hand adjustments.