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The last thing I want is more battery dependency in the field. I use a Grabber isothermic hand warmer satchel in one of the spaces below a side drawer to keep my case moisture free for ~7-10 hours. In bulk they go for about $0.25 each, so they're not expensive...

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Incidentally, I think skipping the heater was a good move. The last thing I want is more battery dependency in the field. I use a Grabber isothermic hand warmer satchel in one of the spaces below a side drawer to keep my case moisture free for ~7-10 hours.

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"Sounds like someone skimped on their battery! Last thing I want to do is be dependent on a trip to Costco and pay extra for my EP warmer's when I already have with me a suitable power source."

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Here's why I think the in-case electrical solution is poorly conceived.

1. It requires a wire from your mount/dew heater battery, which increases cable clutter around the scope and mount.

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I suppose that depends on where you keep your battery and EP case. Personally, I keep both under my mount tripod, often with the EP case on top of the battery case. The wire is a non-issue in this case.

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2. Your case heater takes juice from the battery that your mount and scope dew suppression solution also relies on, reducing your maximum in-field time without needing a recharge.

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Again, I think you skimped on your battery capacity if you're at all concerned. .25 Amp/Hr is more than sufficent to warm up my EP case. FWIW, on dewy nights, which are common around here, I have my OTA heater, EP heater, EP case heater, sometimes Telrad heater, active cooling fan, mount drives running for ~5 hours. At the end of a viewing session, I've used about 1/4 of the power capcity. Goal was to stay above 50% for longevity of the lead acid batteries.

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3. It costs $175 (enough for two lifetimes of hand warmer packets ordered online annually, without a single trip to Costco ever).

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At $0.10 per kWH for a typical residential power divided by 3 Watts (.25 AH), it would take 3,333 hours of heating before the electricity used cost $1. How many lifetimes do you figure that adds up to?

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4. When you pack up for the night to drive home, unless you keep the case plugged in, moisture in the air inside the case will condense and settle on the eye lenses in transit. That doesn't happen with the hand warmer packets which work all the way home and all the way until dawn when you can box up the eyepieces in a moisture free environment.

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If your case/EP's are heated above ambient temperature to begin with, moisture won't condense on them in the field. In which case, the issue doesn't apply. However, if you don't have an EP case heater, then yes, it might be handy for your drive home. Though of course, you'll still have to open up the case when you get home, as moisture won't pass through the varnish.

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Speaking of out-gassing... What about the finish inside the box? I assume it is laquer and that "should" be OK, but I wouldn't trust the plastics.

Roy

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.... Laquer being alcohol based, would probably out-gas very little if at all, but polyurethane seems to never lose its smell inside a box .....
Roy

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.... Laquer being alcohol based, would probably out-gas very little if at all, but polyurethane seems to never lose its smell inside a box .....
Roy

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Roy,
I'm not aware of any alcohol-based lacquers, were you thinking of shellac?
A closed box will hold solvent-based odors for a longer time than one that is open to the atmosphere. All of the polyurethanes that I have used give up their odors in a reasonable amount of time. The spar varnish formulation used on these boxes is an excellent choice of finish.

dan k.

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Of course, my boo boo. Shellac being alcohol based would evaporate in minutes and wouldn't out-gass - in my opinion. I still don't think a urethane would be a good choice inside the box, again, in my opinion. I have boxes I made years ago and I can still smell the poly-urethane finish inside when I open them. But, not so much in the water based urethane from Min-Wax I started using a few years ago.

Roy

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(Materials alone would be pushing $100 when I include the lumber, hardwarer, and bits for the illumination setup - and if I have to pick up another toy in a thickness planer too, I might as well just buy one!)

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Yes, but if you buy a thickness planer you'll have one use on any future projects.

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Cheers for that, Jim.

My concern about a case like this would be strength. Looking at it, I don't see any sort of joints (LOOKS like he's just dadoed the ends to the pieces sit flush), so I'm assuming it's held together by glue. Granted, a decent carpenter's glue would likely see the wood fail before the bond would. I'd be a bit worried about the handle, too. Carrying it from the lid like the WW cases would make me think there's a lot of stress on what could only be 1/4" screws holding on those clasps, as well as whatever's holding the handle on (looks like t-nuts in the lid)

I was thinking 1/2" as opposed to 3/8". Was actually pondering using the 3/4" as-is, but the extra weight would be a pain, and likely cause as many issues as it'd solve. (And be overkill in the process)

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Cheers for that, Jim.

My concern about a case like this would be strength. Looking at it, I don't see any sort of joints (LOOKS like he's just dadoed the ends to the pieces sit flush), so I'm assuming it's held together by glue. Granted, a decent carpenter's glue would likely see the wood fail before the bond would. I'd be a bit worried about the handle, too. Carrying it from the lid like the WW cases would make me think there's a lot of stress on what could only be 1/4" screws holding on those clasps, as well as whatever's holding the handle on (looks like t-nuts in the lid)

I was thinking 1/2" as opposed to 3/8". Was actually pondering using the 3/4" as-is, but the extra weight would be a pain, and likely cause as many issues as it'd solve. (And be overkill in the process)

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My concern isn't the about the strength of the box. I'm concerned that it looks so beautiful that I would want to put the entire thing in a pelican case to keep it looking that way.

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That red LED light is slick!

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Wow, yeah, it totally is.

I want it.

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The handle placement is one of my areas of concern in terms of strength. I understand the cases are solid oak and therefore fairly durable, but there's just a half inch (guessing) of wood that *could* tear, causing several hundred (thousand!) dollars worth of eyepieces and goodies to crash to the floor in a heap. Carrying it from the sides, while cumbersome, at least alleviates that somewhat.

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Haha, yep. Although considering the company most of us are in while observing, someone doing a legger with the case is probably lower than normal.

Anyways, being a complete idiot, I've now spent $500 on a thickness planer as well as a sliding miter saw to put one of these together. Y'know, instead of spending HALF that on a case made by someone with far more skill and talent than I have. I'll be sure and post the utterly disastrous results when I get some time to put one together!

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LOL, yeah, that is usually the route that I take.

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I would suggest an 8" jointer to compliment the planer if you don't already own one. You'll need more room, and a north facing window with plenty of quality lighting.....for safety!

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Y'know, screw it - I think I'll just spring for a CNC machine!

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Haha, yep, the thing is a tank - all that 1/2" oak sure adds up.

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