Sky at night observing chair

[skmc1955]

Did anyone build the wooden observing chair which featured in the Sky at night magazine? I think I'm going to give it a go.

[Charic]

No but that scope is upside down to me, needing a 180° rotation along its axis, you'd be better kneeling to see into that eyepiece?

[skmc1955]

You dont miss much do you! By the way, I got my skywatcher 200p yesterday, if you had to pick 1 eyepiece for DSO, which would it be?

[Stu]

29 minutes ago, Charic said:

No but that scope is upside down to me, needing a 180° rotation along its axis, you'd be better kneeling to see into that eyepiece?

Actually it looks like it might be quite convenient to view into when sitting on the nice chair  

[Charic]

With the range adjustment in that chair, it really wouldn't matter which way round the scope was!

[Dave In Vermont]

I wouldn't mind the position of the Dob, if it's more comfortable to the observer, then it would work just fine - while allowing more time viewing through it to tease-out more detail while seated in comfort. And that home-brew Observing-Chair looks to be great! So many positions are possible.

Great work!

Dave

[alan potts]

If I had to pick just one eyepiece with my Dob it would be the 21mm Ethos but with the Paracorr in place. I lived in Hull for 30 years BTW, both sides.

[Stargazer McCabe]

@skmc1955

I'm no woodworker. Consequently I took the easy way out and purchased my Observing Chair from Rother Valley Optics. It's the Geoptik Nadira Chair.

To my eye, it might be a simpler design for a craftsman to replicate ? But as i say, I'm not in a position to comment... If you want any measurements or further photos, PM me...

[tuckstar]

I just use an ironing chair. Perfect for my dob.

https://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk/leifheit-multiseat-niveau-ironing-chair/product/?gpsr=Chrome&gpsc=Niveau&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgs7RBRDoARIsANOo-HjFi-VopIedvYlMjTvNKYYx8dwXiuL27HhMUlQyCL0PS29DypvMJkUaAhDwEALw_wcB

[skmc1955]

13 hours ago, alan potts said:

If I had to pick just one eyepiece with my Dob it would be the 21mm Ethos but with the Paracorr in place. I lived in Hull for 30 years BTW, both sides.

Hi Alan. Did you ever get up to Sancton to observe?

[L8-Nite]

On ‎14‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 22:56, skmc1955 said:

Did anyone build the wooden observing chair which featured in the Sky at night magazine? I think I'm going to give it a go.

Nice looking chair.

On ‎15‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 11:32, tuckstar said:

I just use an ironing chair. Perfect for my dob.

https://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk/leifheit-multiseat-niveau-ironing-chair/product/?gpsr=Chrome&gpsc=Niveau&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgs7RBRDoARIsANOo-HjFi-VopIedvYlMjTvNKYYx8dwXiuL27HhMUlQyCL0PS29DypvMJkUaAhDwEALw_wcB

I also use an ironing board chair, or a drummer's throne depending on which scope used.  Found our ironing board chair in a charity shop for £5.00  

[Jkulin]

I bought one of these for £28.72 :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000VJE5SI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit, just noticed that they are now £39.99.

[skmc1955]

Here it is.... my version of the Sky at night chair. Cost about 13 quid for some timber and glue along with a few scraps from my garage.

[JeremyS]

Nice job, skmc1955. Well done!

Jeremy

[lenscap]

Hello SGL. My first post. I only took up the hobby when I retired last year. Better late than never.

This is my version of the Sky at Night chair.

It works well & is fun to make. Usable seat height range is about 10 to 36 inches.

I thought this was a lot when I made the chair but I have since started wrestling with my first EQ mount & it doesn't seem excessive now!

The chair is quite heavy though - about 18 lbs.

S@N don't specify how the brace engages with the front leg. I fixed a piece of broom handle to the end of the brace and added two guide rails and a  stop block to the leg to "capture" the broom handle.

 

When you open the chair the brace is drawn into place automatically, no fumbling in the dark required.

You can adapt the design to use offcuts and scrap so it can cost next to nothing and it doesn't take much storage space.

As a newbie I have found this forum to be invaluable. It's a real mine of useful information and advice.

 

[Uplooker]

On 06/01/2018 at 16:57, skmc1955 said:

Here it is.... my version of the Sky at night chair. Cost about 13 quid for some timber and glue along with a few scraps from my garage.

Brilliant! Well done you.

[wookie1965]

I am rubbish with wood, electrics, plumbing and car mechanics I'm pretty good at but wood evades me. I got one from Ebay for a tenner something very similar to this one. I would love one of those wood ones though much better built and sturdier.