Wooden Eyepiece case or box?

[AdeKing]

13 hours ago, Alan White said:

I have a uncanny ability to do stupid things, so perhaps it’s me that needs a nice padded case to keep me safe instead.

I'm glad it's not just me @Alan White, my wife lives in perpetual fear of hearing the sound of tinkling glass whenever I enter the kitchen.

I've managed to drop the ED100 onto wet grass and had a couple of near misses with the ED120 so far, mainly down to me forgetting to properly tighten the dovetail clamp after balancing the OTA.

I have a foam filled flight case for my eyepiece collection but use soft cases for whatever I'm observing with for an evening.

I'd love a nice wooden box but alas, much to my master carpenter grandfather's disappointment, I'm not even capable of hammering a nail in straight.

Edited February 16, 2020 by AdeKing

[Alan White]

@AdeKing sounds familiar, my woodwork teacher referred to me as The Wood Butcher and has been proven frighteningly accurate ever since.

[fozzybear]

8 minutes ago, Alan White said:

@AdeKing sounds familiar, my woodwork teacher referred to me as The Wood Butcher and has been proven frighteningly accurate ever since.

that's why I did metalwork at school tried woodwork, but wood gives in to easy to mistakes.... And to this day my job involves steel/metals so friendly

 

[fozzybear]

What all these case's lack is the Steel tube with a Hamlet cigar for when you find something new in the sky. "I found that"  (Sorry non smokers) as I am one but had to giggle. If you get what I mean. But those wooden cases are great and a real craft of work.

[mikeDnight]

Here are the latest occupants of my wooden eyepiece case. Gone are the Televue Plossl's, replaced by pairs of pseudo masuyama's, a single 17.5mm Morpheus and my set of Vixen HR's.  There's still room for two more Morpheus - Morpheus's - Morphii, and then I think I'll have my perfect set - possibly!?? Still the same wooden case though, which I still like as much today as I did when I bought it from Hobbycraft in 2017.

 

[Saganite]

10 hours ago, Alan White said:

@AdeKing sounds familiar, my woodwork teacher referred to me as The Wood Butcher and has been proven frighteningly accurate ever since.

You are not alone Alan. My first attempt at a mortice and tenon joint was greeted with......" That's not a fit, it's a convulsion'

Edited February 17, 2020 by Saganite

[mikeDnight]

"A tub of putty and a pot of paint, makes a joiner what he ain't!"  

[quaoar]

I bought a couple of wood eyepiece cases from "Wood Wonders" in the US a few years ago I love them but now I need another one. If someone is looking for gift suggestions for you....🤪

[AdeKing]

6 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Here are the latest occupants of my wooden eyepiece case. Gone are the Televue Plossl's, replaced by pairs of pseudo masuyama's, a single 17.5mm Morpheus and my set of Vixen HR's.  There's still room for two more Morpheus - Morpheus's - Morphii, and then I think I'll have my perfect set - possibly!?? Still the same wooden case though, which I still like as much today as I did when I bought it from Hobbycraft in 2017.

 

Nice box (and contents) and having just looked at the Hobbycraft website, reasonably priced.

I know where I'm headed at the weekend.

 

[Alan White]

On 17/02/2020 at 13:09, AdeKing said:

Nice box (and contents) and having just looked at the Hobbycraft website, reasonably priced.

I know where I'm headed at the weekend.

 

So did you get a box @AdeKing ?

[AdeKing]

8 hours ago, Alan White said:

So did you get a box @AdeKing ?

It's on the to do list @Alan White, my original flight case has had so many changes there is little foam left that is still attached to the case.

I did get one of these for my bino-pairs though.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/organiser-bin-storage-system/1821p

Not as nice to look at as a wooden box, but ideal for the job.

Once lockdown is over one of those boxes is definitely on the cards.

[mikeDnight]

24 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

It's on the to do list @Alan White, my original flight case has had so many changes there is little foam left that is still attached to the case.

I did get one of these for my bino-pairs though.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/organiser-bin-storage-system/1821p

Not as nice to look at as a wooden box, but ideal for the job.

Once lockdown is over one of those boxes is definitely on the cards.

What kind of wood's that Ade?  ☺

For anyone looking for a nice wooden eyepiece box, check out Farrar & Tanner.  These boxes look pretty nice and start at around £15. The pic attached is pretty big and has good depth too.

 

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

For anyone looking for a nice wooden eyepiece box, check out Farrar & Tanner.  These boxes look pretty nice and start at around £15. The pic attached is pretty big and has good depth too.

 

Those boxes do look nice, Mike. Especially the darker stained ones. The ability to have them engraved is attractive too.

 No handle though. I'm sure not too difficult to add one with advice from @johninderby

Edited April 20, 2020 by JeremyS

[AdeKing]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

What kind of wood's that Ade?  ☺

For anyone looking for a nice wooden eyepiece box, check out Farrar & Tanner.  These boxes look pretty nice and start at around £15. The pic attached is pretty big and has good depth too.

 

Oops, sorry @mikeDnight I thought I was in the general eyepiece case thread .  That'll teach me to read the title.

I did say it wasn't as nice as a wooden box though.

A couple of the Hobbycraft boxes in different sizes are on the list for when lockdown is over though 

[jetstream]

On 17/02/2020 at 05:26, quaoar said:

I bought a couple of wood eyepiece cases from "Wood Wonders

Excellent, I'm getting one, thanks for posting this.

[Alan White]

@mikeDnight, now that is a wooden box, room for growth over above my present case.
Tempting, but......

[quaoar]

14 hours ago, Alan White said:

@mikeDnight, now that is a wooden box, room for growth over above my present case.
Tempting, but......

FWIW If it helps admittedly the currency conversion and shipping to Oz was horrendous but not for one second over the years have I regretted buying them. They're lifetime keepers so amortization 🤣

[JeremyS]

3 hours ago, quaoar said:

FWIW If it helps admittedly the currency conversion and shipping to Oz was horrendous but not for one second over the years have I regretted buying them. They're lifetime keepers so amortization 

Now you are tempting us with that amortisation teaser.... 🙂. I dread to think how often has this featured in my on astro purchase decisions 🙂

I spent a good half hour on the Wood Wonders website last night. For a ~$250 case, the shipping is ~$125.

Maybe I'll get a friend over there to order one and I bring it back. But heaven knows when that will be.

Pity Berlebach doesn't make them.

Perhaps @FLO might consider importing them....

[FLO]

23 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Perhaps @FLO might consider importing them....

I wonder if they are a little too 'American' for the UK market.

If someone in the UK is reading this, who works in wood, and is interested in manufacturing eyepiece cases and/or observing chairs. Please contact us 🙂 

Steve 

[Fozzie]

2 hours ago, FLO said:

I wonder if they are a little too 'American' for the UK market.

If someone in the UK is reading this, who works in wood, and is interested in manufacturing eyepiece cases and/or observing chairs. Please contact us 🙂 

Steve 

Wouldn't that be a thing, get out of this construction lark (which is totally bobbins currently) and be my own boss (apart from the wife, the two kids and the goldfish...)

 i reckon i could knock out a cats perch style chair a day, even with my humble "workshop" and DIY skills..  and i'd love to tell the boss i was leaving to make wooden things for astronomers. they'd have kittens, alas though that day might have to wait until i retire or i can set up a proper workshop..

Nice thought though!

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, FLO said:

I wonder if they are a little too 'American' for the UK market.

???? 🤔

I'm not sure as an American if I should take offense at this or be flattered.  It's not like it's the size of a house and flying an American flag held up by Barbie.

[JeremyS]

6 hours ago, FLO said:

UK is reading this, who works in wood, and is interested in manufacturing eyepiece cases and/or observing chairs

Maybe something for the wood whittlers on here:

🙂

 

[jetstream]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

I'm not sure as an American if I should take offense at this or be flattered.

Yeah, they're just wood boxes... and very nice ones at that. This Canuck is gonna get one

[FLO]

3 hours ago, Louis D said:

I'm not sure as an American if I should take offense at this or be flattered.  It's not like it's the size of a house and flying an American flag held up by Barbie.

No offence or flattery intended. It is only that American woodworking is generally, I think, different to European. For the european market we probably wouldn't add so much carved detail. 

Interestingly, when it comes to machined astronomy hardware, the reverse is true. I.e. American-made ADM accessories are plain and functional when viewed alongside similar European products. European-made equivalents tend to have bright anodising and rounded edges. Not better. Only different 😇 

Steve

[Fozzie]

25 minutes ago, FLO said:

No offence or flattery intended. It is only that American woodworking is generally, I think, different to European. For the european market we probably wouldn't add so much carved detail.

I'd say that is true, when researching cats perch chairs, it was defo the American offerings that are more ornate than the European functional ones.. the wood wonders cats perch are lovely looking things, not just the engraving but the wood used..

I wonder do berlebach offer different stains for their  chairs as they do the planet tripods.. that nut brown colour is of the chart nice..