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Pages: 1 bmwscopeguy member Reged: 06/17/10 Loc: Westport, Ontario, Canada A poor man's Tristand       #4032106 - 09/07/10 04:45 PM Attachment (130 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Now don't get me wrong - I think the Questar Tri-Stand is gorgeous, it's just that I can't bear to part with almost the equivalent of another Questar to get my hands on one. So as they say - necessity is the mother of invention, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - so I took some inspiration from the Questar design, rummaged around in my scrap and parts bins and tada! - I call it a 'MyStand'....lol I had some aluminum rings left over from an abortive Dob project, so I sliced one in half, squared the ends and let it ride on 3 roller bearings, 2 below and 1 above to capture the 'ring'. A 3/8" aluminum plate is screwed to the ring end flats with a mount hole for the Questar center bolt and an access hole for the AC plug-in. There are stops at 90* and an adjustable altitude knob that lets me adjust about +-5* of my nominal 44*. There is a lock that essentially squeezes the ring sides between the angle uprights, sort of like a disc brake. I made an adapter for a CG4 tripod I had lying around and there we have it. It is light and sturdy and makes equatorial alignment a lot easier. And I almost don't want a real Tri-stand... Cheers Malcolm Edited by bmwscopeguy (09/07/10 06:29 PM) Post Extras:       ColoHank Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/07/07 Loc: western Colorado Re: A poor man's Tristand [Re: bmwscopeguy]       #4032333 - 09/07/10 06:46 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Fantastic! Where'd you find the castings that support the three bearings and capture the half-rings? Post Extras:       Rat8bug Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/07/05 Loc: Michigan Re: A poor man's Tristand [Re: ColoHank]       #4032347 - 09/07/10 06:56 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Very creative. You don't need no stinking tri-stand. Ciao....Barry Post Extras:       bmwscopeguy member Reged: 06/17/10 Loc: Westport, Ontario, Canada Re: A poor man's Tristand [Re: ColoHank]       #4032452 - 09/07/10 07:48 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi, We have a hardware chain up here called Princess Auto. They specialize in esoteric hardware, tools, etc.... The castings are actually castings for hydraulic motors and might be found at hydraulic supply stores. The nice thing about the castings are that they are machined accurately in terms of being 90* and having a nice flat face. You have to work around the pre-drilled holes. Actually, 1/4" angle plate would probably work too. A metal surplus store could probably chop off a couple of lengths. Either that or I could go on a buying spree and corner the Canadian market for these...lol. Malcolm Post Extras:       bmwscopeguy member Reged: 06/17/10 Loc: Westport, Ontario, Canada Re: A poor man's Tristand [Re: bmwscopeguy]       #4032463 - 09/07/10 07:53 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   BTW, The rings were 1/2" slices off a 7" OD x 1" wall aluminum pipe. It helps if you have a metal lathe to finish the face and OD/ID diameters... Malcolm Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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