DIY 3 inch fork mount

[furrysocks2]

I took my first image of the moon last night with this...

I'd picked out a steel joint hanger to start the build. I'd originally intended to build a horseshoe/split ring mount, but didn't like the fact there would be dead spots I couldn't observe, albeit at fairly well down to the horizon, so I changed to a fork mount. So that I can swing the scope through the fork and access the whole sky, I've drilled new holes in the tube a bit further back - it will need a little counterweighting to balance camera/barlow.

Here's the mockup...

There's not enough clearance inside the hanger to mount a disc to drive the declination axis, so I'll cut off one of the flanges and mount it and its stepper outboard - will need a counterweight on the other side. The polar axis is 16mm threaded rod - I tapped the bottom of the hanger and locked in place with a flange nut underneath. There's a loose washer and the threaded rod then goes through a section of steel washing line prop friction fit  through plywood, shimmed internally with a few cable ties for a reasonably smooth pivot. Underneath, I'll probably mount a plywood disk and belt drive from a stepper, although I could probably use a gearhead stepper directly.

Not quite sure yet - pretty much making it up as I go along like everything else.

[Gina]

That's novel