Observing Chairs in Aus

[glend]

Folks I am looking for an observing chair to use with my 16" dob. My old back suffers from crouching or squatting down for low angle observation, and I need a solution. I have searched high and low on the internet and looked at all the ladder types, denver chairs, Catsperches, gas stools, draftsmans stools, etc that people are using. As someone who has never had one of these things before, or used them, what's the go? Is there a simple solution available locally (in Aus), a kit, etc, but something not too heavy. Budget, well I looked at the Bintel ladder chair and I was hoping to get something for half that price. ANy suggestions? It doesn't have to look like a piece of fine furniture (as its going to be used in the dark anyway).

[AG Hybrid]

I use an adjustable height gas lift operating stool I picked up from Officeworks for about $50 if I remember. I can actually use it for all angles my 12" is pointing. High or low. Comes with wheels if you want to use them for rolling about on. Alternatively, don't install the wheels if you want that little extra range to get seated while lower to the ground.

[barx1963]

Glen
I can recommend the Bintel chair, does exactly what is says, comfortable and easy to use. Only prob is it's black so if you forget it is there you may trip over it!

Otherwise you are probably down to building one yourself, unless you go the gas lift option.

Malcolm

[AstralTraveller]

Unless, of course, you 'decorate' it with silver tape. Yes, relatively expensive but still half the price of a good ep and it gets a lot more use than any individual ep. Easier to transport than a gas lift, too. I couldn't observe without mine.

[anj026]

This Lybar chair is a simple DIY project. You may be able to find someone who can make it for you for a decent price if you don't want to try and make it yourself.

http://www.stark-labs.com/craig/lybar/lybar.html

[glend]

Thanks guys for those responses. I had to laugh at the Lybar chair because it's exactly like a stool that telescommunication central office staff used to use to work on equipment in exchanges (in Canada).

I just had a look at a cheap stool at Supercheap auto and it seems too heavy and hard to pack for trips, but woudl be ok at home. I may wind up making a chair.

[Doogs38]

I'm building one of these at the moment ... $70-$80 worth of wood and hardware, and a couple hours of time produces a sturdy, versatile observing chair:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-10-0-0-1-0.html

Alex

[Pete53]

Hi, I have just bought the Bintel chair, It's great for a Dob and i highly recommend it. Bit pricey at $179 but worth it. I have a 10 inch and it sets for about 10 different heights. Peter

[glend]

I have started on my own version of the Denver chair, and will post some photos in a couple of days. Reasons: its very low cost, well regarded by the users/builders, plans are free, and it's light weight.

[Doogs38]

How goes your Denver Chair Glen? I spent a few more hours on mine today ... will be varnishing tomorrow :) I think I've spent most of my time sanding down the unsightly ridges on the pine I bought! Now the wood looks terrific :)

[glend]

It's assembled and all stained and varished, I opted for a dark brown stain to match my custom dob base.
I just need to put the antislip tread on tomorrow and its good to go. I added a rear cross brace on the back leg to improve stability. Photos tomorrow.

[glend]

My version of the Denver chair is all finished. The only thing that might have to be worked on in the future is the thickness of the rubber tubing used on the trailing edge of the seat, which results in a seat incline a few mils more than thin tubing, but this may compact and wear over time, in any case it's comfortable as is for me.

I chose to leave that case handle off the top of the front support for two reasons: First I would hit my back on it when I leaned back, and secondly it would be too high to be easy to carry as the length of the chair folded means you have to lift it up (bad shoulder here). I will just carry it folded without a handle. The velcro tiedown I have but I chose to not attach it.

Here are the photos I promised. The Denver chair on my Dob pad, ready for Lake Chaffey next month.

[Doogs38]

That looks terrific Glen - great job!! Mine is now ready for varnishing, then I'll do the final bits (anti-slip tape on upright, rubber on the seat & Velcro strap). I've made a few extra mods to mine:
a. I've used 3/8" t-nuts & bolts instead of 'lag screws' to anchor the bottom support beams to the uprights - it allows me to remove the support beams for storage/transport of the chair. Not sure of t-nut's longevity since they're 'liquid nailed' into place ... will see how that pans out;
b. I've made a support beam for the rear upright in addition to the front support beam to help make the chair more stable;
c. I've made the uprights 42" long instead of 32" to give me more reach for my 14" dob;
d. Extra screws here & there to improve the rigidity of the seat.

I've also bought a small cushion to put on the seat to delay the onset of a numb bum :) If I had to do this again, I wouldn't use pine decking timber - it's cheap and looks good when sanded but was a pain to make it look ok. Further, I'd buy only just enough materials; I seem to have plenty left over! Alex

[michaellxv]

How are your chairs going?

I mostly used what I already had and converted the base from a lounge that was ready to be dumped. Not quite to the dimensions of the plan but i'm not too heavy yet and it was a cheap test run for the design.

It all works ok except that the non-slip tape does not stick well enough and I could feel it slowly slipping down the wood. I am thinking for this chair I might just put some small blocks of wood on the back for the bolt to sit on.

[glend]

Mine works great but I do have occasional probemswith the non-slip tape sliding slightly. I used the Permatec tape from Bunnings, but am on the lookout for something that holds better. The probem seems to be the type of adhesive used. I was thinking of drilling holes on the back of the front strut and gluing some dowel sections in place to create some pre-set positions. I may also try the Catsperch approach which has a serrated timber on the back that the bolt locks into.

[Doogs38]

Finished, and it works very well! In addition to my earlier comments about my mods, I had to use two strips of the non-stick tape on the front leg. Bunnings (and Masters) didn't have any wide tape :-/ The beige marks on the tape seen in the image are from the liquid-nails I used to glue the tape to the leg.

[michaellxv]

Looking at your second picture and the marks the bolt makes on the back of the front leg. Just cut a small groove for the bolt to sit in at those spots you use most often and it would stop the slip.

[Doogs38]

Thanks Michael. You've spotted the one thing I need to 'fix', although, the seat doesn't slip at all. The seat bolt does however leave the unsightly marks you've spotted. I've been thinking about putting either small blocks of wood at strategic points for the bolt to rest on, or, applying some strips of the same non-slip tape used on the front.

[Amaranthus]

I'm thinking of upgrading from a bar stool to a proper observing chair. My default choice would be the Bintel chair ($179) but I note that AstroPete's is selling a Sky-Watcher version for $99: http://www.astropetes.com.au/accessories.html

The cheaper one seems to be a friction rather than step increment.

Anyone have feedback on the Sky-watcher version? (there seems to be universal praise for the quality of he the Bintel one...)