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Old 23-02-2010, 12:00 PM
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telescope chairs

Hey, was wondering if many of you use them??
Had a look at buying one of those Stellar chairs, but nearly $180
I know theres plans to make those Denver chairs here, but I dont make stuff
Are there any other cheapie ones of doing it
If anyone want to make one for me, let me know

Last edited by Liz; 23-02-2010 at 01:19 PM.
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Old 23-02-2010, 12:36 PM
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Paddy (Patrick)
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I bought one of the stellar seats and found it fantastic, especially with my 12" dob. It gets less use with my current scope due to its longer focal length. But these are a great accessory. I use it for lots of other jobs where I want to sit low down. And it still gets used at the scope.
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Old 23-02-2010, 01:05 PM
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JethroB76 (Jeff)
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I use a homemade Denver style chair, but I've heard of others using gaslift office chairs, dunno how that works out
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Old 23-02-2010, 01:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JethroB76 View Post
I use a homemade Denver style chair, but I've heard of others using gaslift office chairs, dunno how that works out
yes, those gaslift chairs would be OK, but take up a lot of room in the car, but certainly an option.

Paddy - mmm, the stellar chairs look great!!
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Old 23-02-2010, 01:47 PM
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erick (Eric)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Liz View Post
yes, those gaslift chairs would be OK, but take up a lot of room in the car......
yes that, and getting the wheels bogged in the mud of the observing field

But I use one (I have a few actually). Great on a hard surface. I have a concrete slab at the clubsite. I replaced the gas lift on one chair with a long gas lift from a drafting chair. I can sit to view through the eyepeice of the 12" GSO pointing to the zenith. Wheels are to allow me to shuffle the chair around as I swing the scope, without getting up.

Last edited by erick; 23-02-2010 at 02:51 PM.
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Old 23-02-2010, 01:48 PM
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Liz, Give hotspur (Chris Thomas ) a PM to see if he has any left or would make you one, He does a good job, I have one of his and it works a treat
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Old 23-02-2010, 02:40 PM
mdgodf (Mark)
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I have one of the stellar chairs and it's great as others have said - worth the money in my view. You could try a drum stool. I considered one, they are basically a stool, no wheels and fold up a bit but they don't go very high and not as portable as the stellar chair but not as bulky as a normal chair either. This one is only $50 http://www.billyhydemusic.com.au/shop/view/2169/dixon-drum-stool/. But they can get expensive too and the $50 one seemed a bit flimsy to me to be used other then for sitting at a set of drums!
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Old 23-02-2010, 05:00 PM
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The Denver chair is good but a little heavy. If you get one made ask for it to be made from 35x90 pine rather than 50x90 pine to keep the weight down.
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Old 23-02-2010, 05:04 PM
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that_guy (Tony)
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Hehehe... 'm getting one free!! Hehehehe!!!
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Old 23-02-2010, 05:57 PM
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Hehehe... 'm getting one free!! Hehehehe!!!
Yes, i did notice that .... very lucky indeed
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Old 25-02-2010, 10:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdgodf View Post
I have one of the stellar chairs and it's great as others have said - worth the money in my view. You could try a drum stool. I considered one, they are basically a stool, no wheels and fold up a bit but they don't go very high and not as portable as the stellar chair but not as bulky as a normal chair either. This one is only $50 http://www.billyhydemusic.com.au/shop/view/2169/dixon-drum-stool/. But they can get expensive too and the $50 one seemed a bit flimsy to me to be used other then for sitting at a set of drums!
Thanks for that Mark ... been browsing throught US Forums, and a few use the stool too.

Thanks Ron ... think the chair may be too heavy to post, costing many $$
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Old 25-02-2010, 10:45 AM
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How about a small 3-4 step folding ladder.
I picked one up for about $25 at the Reject Shop.
They're very light and fold up flat.
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Old 25-02-2010, 10:46 AM
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Thanks Ron ... think the chair may be too heavy to post, costing many $$
Liz you can send stuff by rail it can be quite cheap or even by bus lines pick up your end.
Give Chris a pm you never know, it may turn out cheaper than you think to frieght
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Old 02-03-2010, 08:06 AM
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Maybe you should get a stool sample.....................and try a few out!
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Old 02-03-2010, 08:42 AM
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Maybe you should get a stool sample.....................and try a few out!
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Old 02-03-2010, 12:34 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
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Hi Liz,

Do you have a mate handy with tools? If you pay for the materials and a six-pack, they should be able to knock up a denver chair or some other type of flat-fold chair for you. There are a few designs out there to look up on the net.
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Old 02-03-2010, 02:41 PM
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I think the stellar chairs are worth the money (easy for me to say since I got mine secondhand, but then I am a cheapskate). The nice thing about them is that you can move the seat squab up in very small increments of 2-3cm at a time, so you can always find exactly the right height for whatever object you're looking at. That really increases your comfort. Also they fold flat, so they're easy to transport.
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Old 10-03-2010, 10:42 AM
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Liz,
I don't have a workshop of any sort at my place, a friend of mine does.
He had some plywood laying around his garage.
He put together this chair over a few days.
Of course, having the right tools and workspace are a big plus.
Here is the finished product.
I use it with my 12"LB, it certainly saves your back and isn't heavy to carry around.
It's collapsible size allows storage and transport in the smallest spaces.
It's definately a necessity!!
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Old 10-03-2010, 11:23 AM
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Thank you all for comments and ideas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilW View Post
I think the stellar chairs are worth the money .
Mmm, I think they would be great, but not worth the $200, though 2nd hand would be hard to turn down

Quote:
Originally Posted by astronut View Post
Liz,
I don't have a workshop of any sort at my place, a friend of mine does.
He had some plywood laying around his garage.
He put together this chair over a few days.
Of course, having the right tools and workspace are a big plus.
Here is the finished product.
I use it with my 12"LB, it certainly saves your back and isn't heavy to carry around.
It's collapsible size allows storage and transport in the smallest spaces.
It's definately a necessity!!
Thanks John ... I think this might be the go. A retired guy in the club is handy with these projects (presently making a trolley for my Dob) so might put it to him.
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  #20  
Old 10-03-2010, 11:29 AM
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astronut (John)
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Liz,
It cost me approx $70 to have this made.
Some new parts had to be bought.
Even if you pay a little more than I have, it will certainly be better than $200.

John.
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