Telescope Reviews: So frustrated i could just cry....

Thanks for the links, Doug and Mr. J.

Wow, the Dobstuff box is gorgeous, and it's a good price, too. The close-ups in the CN thread really show off the details. I also like the fact that the Lightbridge page mentions the Sky Commander, and also says to use, my rollerbearings ("pin bearing lazy susan") from the scope.
If i purchased the kit though, my only concern would be that the rockerbox is 21 3/8" x 21 3/4" and the circle on my 16LB JMI wheelybars is 27" but i'm sure we can figure it out pretty easily.

'cchapkido', my husband built our house, so what you suggested would be a walk in the park for him. But winter in northcentral Wisconsin isn't the time of year to set up the woodworking equipment in the unheated garage, so we'll probably use Bob's idea of using a tabletop from Home Depot, or i'll just get a kit from Scopestuff.
You mentioned 'swelling' of the board. I think that better describes the word 'bowing' that i used. Hindsight being 20/20, the invasive house condensation/moisture probably entered the board(s) on the outer edge, and the pivot hole. If both areas 'swelled' even just a bit, that would account for the rubbing of the pads on the outer edge, and the tightness of the pivot bolt no matter how loosely it was adjusted. There's no visible damage to the boards, but at this point i think we're resigned to the fact that they need to be replaced. One thing for sure, i'm glad this kick in the teeth didn't happen just before a major week of drop dead gorgeous skies.

Scott, your story sounds so familiar to others i've read regarding the LB's base. There's no damage to my plates or roller bearings, so i'm good there. TBH, if you saw my baseboard and groundboard, you'd swear the scope was only a few months old, that's how near-pristeen they are. They've never sat on the ground because they're always high and dry on the wheelybar. I'm quite sure by now that my problem occurred because i didn't enclose the rockerbox in plastic before bringing it inside, and the particle board 'swelled' just enough not to be seen visually, but to disallow smooth azimuth motion. That being said, i'm sure glad my 'Homer moment' merely affected the rockerbox and not the mirror.
As you said, we bought these big scopes knowing that they'd probably need attention at some time, and aside from this one boo-boo of mine, Seymour has brought me plenty of 'wow' moments i'll never forget. And i'm glad to know that i'm not the only one who 'giggles at the eyepiece'... well said. And oh, how true!

Clay, there's 1/8" between the baseboard and groundboard but it was enough to see that the rollerbearings were indeed moving. But the pads on the top of the groundboard appeared to be in constant contact with the bottom of the baseboard, which indicates swelling around the outer edges of one or both boards.

Bart, i'm glad you mentioned totally removing the pads, my husband suggested that very thing this morning. But coward that i am, i figured they were there for a reason and i'm hesitant to remove them. BTW, why are they there if there's a rollerbearing?
Regarding your suggestion of a spacer between the top plate and baseboard, wouldn't it cause excess pressure on that particular area of the rollerbearing? I know the plates are metal but I read the The Princess and the Pea.. sometimes a small thing can create big problems.

starbob1, i'm personally leaning towards getting the Dobstuff kit. Not only is it gorgeous, but i'd just like to "get 'er done" and hit the sky.

Mike, the wheelybar for the 16LB is circular, so the weight would have been evenly distributed around the outer edge of the boards. I had the scope off of the wheelybar in late spring when i took everything apart to spritz some silicon spray on the roller bearing, and when it was put together again my present problem didn't exist. I'm betting the particle board swelled a bit when i brought things inside.