Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Been Busy..........


heavensabove

Recommended Posts

Hi Everyone ,

This last winter seemed to spark a renewed interest in using my meade 8" SCT but knew I had to make some improvement to get the best out of it .

the LXD55 has not got a great reputation but I must admit it has never let me down , optically the tube is good , the mount ( goto) places a requested object within a 15mm ep and keeps it there for a very long time .

The weakest link though has always been the tripod .

Soooo I looked around for ready made wooden ones and nearly fainted at the prices , you see I am married to a Lassie whose true scot heritage makes her lament the increase in prices in charity shops :) .

So it quickly became a bit of a challenge , I'll make the legs myself !!!!

But ... on top of having to be functional obviously and reduce vibrations , it also had to be cheap as well as astheatically pleasing .

It is made out of european larch from a local miller , not the hardest of wood but a good deal harder than plain pine .Got brackets made by the local welder and finished the legs in heat shrink tubing to protect from dampness and capped with rubber pads to further decrease vibrations .

While I was at it I also installed a red LED strip under the mount, complete with a handy toggle switch , to illuminate the tray as I got seriously tired of dropping eyepieces while reaching for them .

After that I was on a roll and made another improvement ; a chair ,made with the same wood , using a couple of slot shelving rails and brackets I had spare .

Both items have seen 5 coats of danish oil , rubbed in between coats with 1800 grit paper until it acquired a lovely sheen and was as smooth as a baby 's bottom .

The whole thing came to under 50 pounds , vibrations are down to 2 seconds and the chair is as comfy as anything .

So I am a pretty happy chap except I am now suffering from refractor envy :(, more on that later though as I feel I have taken enough of your time .

Cheers

Christophe

post-22473-133877566531_thumb.jpg

post-22473-133877566543_thumb.jpg

post-22473-133877566552_thumb.jpg

post-22473-133877566562_thumb.jpg

post-22473-133877566568_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.