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Dob ladders


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I bought a cheap-n-cheerful light 4' step ladder for the 24" f4.1 dob recently- not so good lol! Well my balance is still pretty good standing on the top wrung in the pitch black panning with the scope, bending knees to try to line up the eye to eyepiece...:shocked:

So... (sorry for starting with "so" :grin:) i'm wondering what ladders the dob members use?

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I don't need one for my F/5.3 12 inch dob but when we use the 18 inch at our society observatory we use something like this:

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That might not be enough for your 24 inch. Maybe something like this ? (what could possibly go wrong ????):

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If it were me observing at 2.5m from the ground I would go for a platform ladder design like this one: 

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Basically I would want a ladder with wide steps with handrails to make sure that it is safe and comfortable for extended periods.  

 

For my 12" F6 dobson (which is arriving tomorrow, so prepare your umbrella :) ), I am seriously considering this ladder: 

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The first step will be sufficient for observing at the zenith (~6 ft), while the second and third steps will be used for sitting when the telescope is pointing at low altitudes.

Edited by Piero
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I get by with standing on a brick that is 12cm thick, not very hi-tech but it works. I haven't had the dob out for a while since I have been playing with AP, need to rethink my astro direction somewhat, still I can always come back to it.

Alan.

 

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41 minutes ago, Piero said:

 

For my 12" F6 dobson (which is arriving tomorrow, so prepare your umbrella :) ), I am seriously considering this ladder: 

 

 

Quite clearly Piero between Gerry and yourself there's going to be some visual treats for the forum to look forward to. Would be interesting to learn of your thoughts in practice when each of you decide on a suitable step ladder. 

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7 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

Quite clearly Piero between Gerry and yourself there's going to be some visual treats for the forum to look forward to. Would be interesting to learn of your thoughts in practice when each of you decide on a suitable step ladder. 

Thank Iain. 

From my point of view, the problem is a bit different. In my case, there's just the need of one step when approaching the zenith. The reason why I am considering a 3 step ladder is because this would allow me to sit when the telescope is below 1.5m. This is an easy problem.

Gerry's case is different as he will observe standing on steps most of the time (unless the telescope is pointing quite low). Given the height of his observing position, the ladder requirements are different in my opinion. In terms of comfort, the steps should be large and quite spread so that they don't interfere with one's legs. In terms of safety, a solid attachment (arm, handrails) is what I would want in the night. In Gerry's location, frost and ice is another concern... Personally, I would not climb 1 mt from the ground on icy steps in a completely dark place without having a solid support!

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Yes a hand rail to lean on for stability could definitely be a consideration, particularly in winter conditions whether standing on the first (in your case) or the third step. Combing for use as a seat, will be interesting to learn how functional you find this to be Piero. Quite understand the reasoning, since if having both a seat and step, may lead to just more things to trip over in a confined dark space, lost count on the number of times I have collided with my black (what do you expect) observers chair at a dark site.  

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My 14" dob eyepiece when pointing at zenith coincidently lines up perfectly with my eyes without needing to stand on toes or bend down at all... so I guess I'm lucky in that respect, but unlucky not to see the universe through a bigger beast, like a 24". 

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41 minutes ago, quaoar said:

Get out your hole saw and start drillin’. Hardcore Extreme Dobsonianing! 🤪91BED152-9965-428E-80DC-744019B6D40C.thumb.jpeg.2caabc627ad2b4b7ea35f8c7335916f5.jpeg

How's the structural integrity of it now? You wouldn't want to put on any weight through out your observing life.... I think they're rated at 150kg when solid.. with holes I'm sure it's compromised.

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Lol 😂 well I’m tall enough that I rarely have to go above the third or fourth rung. I weigh 83kg so I figure I’m within agricultural tolerances according to my amateur engineering by YouTube degree. If you look closely at the top rung there are holes in it too for holding eyepieces 😁

 

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3 hours ago, MarsG76 said:

How's the structural integrity of it now? You wouldn't want to put on any weight through out your observing life.... I think they're rated at 150kg when solid.. with holes I'm sure it's compromised.

To use that scope...I'd take the risk.!!!;)

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Oh and you may notice too I took off one of the two stiffening braces across the two halves in the middle to make it easier to walk underneath without ducking and then lift quickly for re positioning. 😃

 

It was a cheap old ladder I bought off Gumtree 

I'll probably be found dead at the base of the scope one day but that's ok it's what I would have wanted 😜

Edited by quaoar
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1 hour ago, quaoar said:

Oh and you may notice too I took off one of the two stiffening braces across the two halves in the middle to make it easier to walk underneath without ducking and then lift quickly for re positioning. 😃

 

It was a cheap old ladder I bought off Gumtree 

I'll probably be found dead at the base of the scope one day but that's ok it's what I would have wanted 😜

Now thats astronomical uncertainty....

 

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The eyepiece height of our 30" is about 10ft so we have a very tall step ladder. Two lengths of 4" x 4" wood are screwed to the bottom feet to increase the base area. The one unnerving aspect I have found is that when pushing the Dobsonian in azimuth in the dark it is difficult at times to differentiate between the feeling of the OTA moving away from you or you falling backwards!    😀

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I remember going to a star party once and a hobby astronomer brought along a 22 inch telescope. To make it safe for public outreach he had made a portable wooden set of steps and a small platform at the top, with substantial amount hand rails. It did feel very safe! 

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