Manny Myles
Postmaster
Reged: 11/29/05
Loc: Far South of the flyover city ...
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2930967 - 02/16/09 12:26 PM
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Yes, mine were very loose as well,,, were a tad more thna finger tight
m2
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dvb
different Syndrome.
Reged: 06/18/05
Loc: Vancouver, Canada
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Manny Myles]
#2933956 - 02/17/09 08:57 PM
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I have ordered and received mine. I was very impressed with by the service I received from Oberwerk.
I've now mounted my AT Voyager on it, using the "Paul Schroeder" fix (i.e., a big washer).
I'll also be interested to see what Manny has come up with.
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shams42
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/05/09
Loc: Kingsport, TN
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: dvb]
#2934291 - 02/18/09 12:07 AM
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I am thinking about getting one of these but I have a few questions:
1) Would I be able to mount my CG-4 head on this tripod? So far I've only seen pictures of people mounting alt/az heads on them.
2) Would it be an improvement over the stock steel legs that came with my CG-4?
3) Could it handle the weight of my 120mm refractor?
4) Would it make a good tripod for a higher quality EQ head? At some point I'd like to upgrade from the CG-4.
5) Is it better than the stock tripod that comes with the Astro-Tech Voyager mount?
Edited by shams42 (02/18/09 12:07 AM)
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DennisF
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/03/06
Loc: Northern IL
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: shams42]
#2934493 - 02/18/09 06:06 AM
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Can't answer all your questions, but:
3. What is the weight and focal length of your refractor? Length can play as important part as weight.
5. Yes.
Edited by DennisF (02/18/09 03:43 PM)
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Jim7728
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/05
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: shams42]
#2934566 - 02/18/09 07:30 AM Attachment (75 downloads)
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Quote:
1) Would I be able to mount my CG-4 head on this tripod? So far I've only seen pictures of people mounting alt/az heads on them.
The top of the Oberwerk tripod, where the alt/az heads are mounted, is flat and not suited to accept a EQ-4 which protrudes on the bottom and needs a socket or hole to mate with. Universal Astronomics makes such an adapter for thier surveyor's type tripod but don't think it will work with the Oberwerk without some kind of modification.
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7331Peg
Sirius Observer
Reged: 09/01/08
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2938601 - 02/20/09 02:38 AM
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Jim --
I joined the list of people today who have ordered one of these tripods. Also have a Giro with a 10mm head to put on it. When I ordered it, I thought I might be able to remove the 3/8" bolt and replace it with the 10mm bolt. After reading your post, I'm wondering why you needed to order the extra 3/8" adapter? Since I don't have the tripod yet, I may be missing something that will be clearer after it arrives.
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Jim7728
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/05
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: 7331Peg]
#2940003 - 02/20/09 07:09 PM Attachment (91 downloads)
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Hi,
I actually had a extra 3/8 adapter plate and liked the idea of being able to use different heads on that tripod.
FWIW. The way I replaced the 3/8"-16 stud with a 10mm bolt was by reaming the threaded hole with a round file which of course will ruined the threads but did allow the 10mm bolt to slip through. You may be able to rethread the disk with a spare 10mm bolt but the goal is to for the disk to be bolted to bottom of the Giro head.
Here's what mine looks like, note the need for a washer to lower the height of the 10mm bolt protrusion in order for the Giro head to be screwed down flush with the disk that in turn wil be secured down with the threaded tripod hub ring. 
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Jim7728
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/05
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2940013 - 02/20/09 07:18 PM Attachment (86 downloads)
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Top of Oberwerk tripod with regular 3/8"adapter and 10mm adapter held in my hand. Because 10mm bolt is not threaded, care must be take to hold in place till Giro female threads grab hold and tighten together. 
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7331Peg
Sirius Observer
Reged: 09/01/08
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2940100 - 02/20/09 08:14 PM
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Jim --
Thanks for the photos and the information. This will be a big help. Pretty much what I thought it would be, but nice to know for sure now. Exchanging this kind of info is what makes CN very worthwhile.
John on the North Coast of Or-e-gone.
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johnfdean
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/04/06
Loc: southern tip of Illinois
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2940329 - 02/20/09 10:13 PM
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I picked one up a while back. It had some dents and dings but was well worth the price.
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GaryML
sage
Reged: 02/16/09
Loc: San Diego, California
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Phil Frederick]
#2943607 - 02/22/09 07:37 PM
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This is getting a little off-topic but may be helpful to Oberwerk owners. I have two Oberwerks (a Jarrah and a blem) and encountered a similar problem on both.
If you look at the pic that Jim posted looking up at the underside of the tripod hub, you see six bolt heads, three on the hub and three that secure the hub to the tripod legs. On both my tripods, these bolts were just snug, but not tight. This allowed twisting and flex in the legs and in the hub. I used a socket to tighten these bolts up--very snug--and it made quite an improvement in the stability of the tripod.
Check your bolts!
Phil
BE CAREFUL WITH THE BOLTS!
I have this tripod (it came with the William Optics EZ Mount). After reading the post quoted above, I checked the bolts and thought they should be snugged up a bit. When tightening one of the bolts between the legs (it holds the end of the hinge in place) a couple of small pieces (about 5mm square) on the outside bottom edges cracked and came off. 
Fortunately, these corners don't have any functional value holding the hinges in place and simply cover the hinge a bit on the bottom. I simply super-glued the chips back and all is well. Upon closer examination, there is a manufacturing defect in this particular casting that the edge isn't even, and this resulted in pressure at certain points when the bolt was tightened. It is still under warranty from WO, but since the operation is not impaired and it looks ok with the pieces glued back in place, I'm not going to bother getting a warranty repair.
My point is that these bolts are not very tight for a reason, and really should be left alone unless there is wobble in the tripod. I learnd this the hard way. 
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buckeye_hunter
super member
Reged: 12/07/08
Loc: Ohio
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: GaryML]
#2943777 - 02/22/09 09:23 PM
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They have apparently sold out. If anyone is looking for one, I have 2 for sale in the swap and shop (no profit).
Clear Skies and Peace Out!
Bob Hart
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GaryML
sage
Reged: 02/16/09
Loc: San Diego, California
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: buckeye_hunter]
#2943978 - 02/22/09 11:39 PM
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They have apparently sold out. If anyone is looking for one, I have 2 for sale in the swap and shop (no profit).
Clear Skies and Peace Out!
Bob Hart
PM sent. Looks like I might need some spare parts for mine!
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Hawksbill
member
Reged: 09/08/08
Loc: S.E. Michigan, US
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: buckeye_hunter]
#2948650 - 02/25/09 10:23 AM
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They have apparently sold out. If anyone is looking for one, I have 2 for sale in the swap and shop (no profit).
Clear Skies and Peace Out!
Bob Hart
I don't think these are sold out just yet. At least, I ordered one 2 nights ago and they still seem to be offered now. (I got tired quickly of kneeling down on the ground in the cold before my Voyager mount.)
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Hawksbill
member
Reged: 09/08/08
Loc: S.E. Michigan, US
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Hawksbill]
#2949273 - 02/25/09 03:59 PM
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Wow, not only are they still in stock, but they ship really fast. I ordered it at about 11pm on Monday 2/23/09 and it arrived shortly after noon on Wednesday 2/25/09.
Now I just have to figure out how to attach my Voyager mount to it. I just saw over in this thread that Paul Schroeder got it to work by using a 2 1/2 inch washer on the under side of the tripod in the place of the included adapter plate.
I also have to get a larger allen wrench to remove and re attach the Voyager mount from the tripod. The bolt on the underside appears to require something in the area of a 10mm wrench which is larger than I have or than those included with the Voyager.
I guess a trip to Home Depot is in order.
So far the Oberwerk tripod seems very nice. I do see a few blemishes but nothing I mind at all. Just the sorts of dings or scratches that it will get through normal use anyway.
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7331Peg
Sirius Observer
Reged: 09/01/08
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Hawksbill]
#2950181 - 02/26/09 01:46 AM
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Mine showed up today - shipped from Ohio last Friday, arrived in Oregon on Wednesday, shipping cost of fifteen bucks. I've found one very small nick in a tripod leg, but absolutely nothing else. Amazing. Very sturdy and nice appearance. This has to be the best buy this side of the moon!
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7331Peg
Sirius Observer
Reged: 09/01/08
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2964112 - 03/04/09 08:33 PM
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First thing you need to do is remove the cone shaped bearing assembly from the tube by removing the 3 small screws along the circumference. The top part will then come out.(makes a nice paper weight
Jim,
I ordered the 100mm extension for the Oberwerk and it arrived today, but I'm not having any luck getting the top of that thing to come off. I looked at your instructions and noticed you had three screws to remove at the top of the extension column. Mine has four. Took all four of the little devils out and cannot get the top of the thing to separate from the column. I've tried prying it loose and trying to jar it loose from underneath with a piece of pipe, but it doesn't budge. Also tried to get either the post or one of the discs to unscrew or loosen, but no luck there either. Did you have that problem with yours? It almost looks like the holes that the screws came out of are actually some kind of insert that connects the pier and the metal fixture inside it. Anyway, any ideas?
John in Oregon
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Jim7728
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/05
Loc: Stoop Landing Observatory, NYC
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: 7331Peg]
#2964170 - 03/04/09 08:59 PM Attachment (59 downloads)
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Hi John.
Yes, there are 4 screws(gotta stop writing posts when I'am not awake  ) and I also forgot to mention that after the 4 screws are removed, the bearing assemble then needs to be unscrewed from the extension tube. I was able to do mine by hand, by gripping the knurled part with one hand and the tube with the other hand. You should then have the tube seperated from the cone shaped azimuth bearing.
From there, you can go back to what I did to connect it all together.
Here's what the top azimuth bearing assembly looks like once it's off the tube.
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7331Peg
Sirius Observer
Reged: 09/01/08
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: Jim7728]
#2964681 - 03/05/09 02:16 AM
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Jim,
Thanks again. I figured it out about half an hour after I sent you the message. I noticed the shaft had threads at the bottom, so I thought maybe I could loosen it first and start to make some progress. I put a pair of vise grips on it and it didn't budge, but the fitting at the bottom begin to unscrew, which of course is what I wanted. It never occurred to me that it was threaded - from underneath, it looked like the thing was press-fitted, and the four screws were there to hold it. Anyway, I finally got it off, but even then it kept binding about every half turn. That thing was really on tight. In fact, that whole extension assembly is really built like a tank - nice piece of work, almost a shame to take it apart. Headed out tomorrow to get a 10mm threaded rod for it.
Thanks for all the pictures you posted on this thing. You're a great source of information.
John in Oregon
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John Miele
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/29/05
Loc: North Alabama
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Re: Oberwerk wooden tripod blem special
[Re: 7331Peg]
#2970712 - 03/07/09 10:43 PM
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Hi,
Does anyone know what the thread form is for the hole in the center of the three piece tripod brace. I tried to thread in a 5/16 bolt but it won't go in more than 1 turn. Is this hole metric? or maybe a 5/16 with a different thread pitch?
Thanks.
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