Mount shelf/pier

[SStanford]

Hi all, 

As a beginner I'm in the process of acquiring all the equipment necessary to start imaging on an EQ3pro. 

As we're all experiencing, it's tricky to get your hands on any equipment at the moment due to stock shortage so I've been thinking of ways to keep myself busy in the meantime! 

I thought I'd share a project I worked on today that will give me a greater view of the night sky from my covered balcony. 

There are some good views from the balcony from East to West but using the tripod severely limits any overhead views. 

To bring the setup closer to the edge of the balcony I've built a shelf attached to the sturdy (wall set) balcony itself with a wooden pier for support. The pier itself sits on the balcony floorboards support beam and so there is no noticeable wobble. 

I've included an image of the spirit level to show my effort in keeping the mount level. 

The mount neatly slides off the feet of the shelf which I'm hoping will reduce setup time (once I have the opportunity to polar align!) The north foot points to magnetic north. 

Whilst building I realised I could have saved myself some trouble by using a metal telescopic "chin-up bar", not least from the missis who wasn't too happy I drilled into the decking! 

I'm quite happy with the outcome and glad I could get into a hardware store before "tier 4" sets in.