New Bino Parallelogram Mount

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #1 05-01-2014, 09:08 PM

Well I have nearly finished my holiday workworking project. As the pics show it is a mount for my 70x15 binos. Plans came from the Sept and Oct editions of Sky at night. Thanks to Keni from Brisbane for sending me the PDF plans, as a digital subscriber, you don't get them as they are on the cover disc!

Anyway the entire thing is built from 42x19 hardwood except for the discs that are from 12mm marine ply. I think the entire build consist of 44 wooden parts so it was a minor miracle that it all fitted together. A good aspect is that the binos can move in both alt and az without the main mount moving at all, photos include a close up of the swivel joint. The only thing to be completed is attaching a simple clamp to the disc on the end to hold the binos and the counterweight on the other end. The idea with the counterweight is to use a 2L bottle held in place with cable ties, that way the weight is easy to adjust for different binos. The rotating parts have old CDs acting as a bearing which appear to work OK.
Entire build has been finished in a colourless furniture wax, which was a lot of fun applying, but looks really nice and feels good to handle.
Once I have tested it I will replace nuts on the rotating areas with lock nuts and it will be ready to go!!

Malcolm

Tinderboxsky (Steve) · #2 05-01-2014, 09:48 PM

Hi Malcolm,

Excellent indeed. A masterpiece. I think you will find the alt~az movement independent of the rest of the mount gives you great flexibility when observing.

Look forward to a first light report.

Steve.

michaellxv (Michael) · #3 05-01-2014, 09:49 PM

Looks good Malcolm,

Is there anything critical about the dimensions?

FlashDrive (Poppy) · #4 05-01-2014, 09:58 PM

Malcolm...nice work there....a lot of time and effort.

Col......

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #5 05-01-2014, 10:13 PM

Thanks Steve, not sure about masterpiece, I keep finding little things where my woodworking could have been better. I have had a quick test view to check heights and angles, not really first light yet though.

Malcolm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinderboxsky

Hi Malcolm,

Excellent indeed. A masterpiece. I think you will find the alt~az movement independent of the rest of the mount gives you great flexibility when observing.

Look forward to a first light report.

Steve.

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #6 05-01-2014, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Looks good Malcolm,

Is there anything critical about the dimensions?

Michael
The plans from Sky at Night were pretty much followed with one major exception. In the UK the standard timber size is 44x18 not 42x19, so a couple of minor changes had to be made to accommodate that. Also it used M8 bolts but the local hardware only had bulk supplies in Galvanised in that size which wasn't as nice looking so I changed it all to 3/8". Actually made it easier as I had a 3/8 spade drill which was much easier to use than a regular drill.

Overall the dimensions seem to have been designed so the mount can be used while sitting, doesn't quite reach high enough while standing, but that can be fixed by simply flipping the 2 uprights on the bino end so the binos are higher. I purposely left extra length there in case I needed to drill more holes there to adjust the height.

Malcolm

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #7 05-01-2014, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlashDrive

Malcolm...nice work there....a lot of time and effort.

Col......

Thanks Col
A fair bit of work, 2 weekends basically. Hardest thing was setting up little jigs so all the holes lined up and cutting the curved ends on the parts, that was done with a jigsaw and then finished with a sander.

Malcolm

anj026 · #8 05-01-2014, 11:05 PM

Looks good Malcolm. A very practical and useful mount for your binoculars. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #9 06-01-2014, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anj026

Looks good Malcolm. A very practical and useful mount for your binoculars. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Thanks Andy
Appreciate your comment

Malcolm

slowflow (Barry) · #10 07-01-2014, 07:34 AM

Nicely executed, inspirational build.

traveller (Bo) · #11 07-01-2014, 08:58 AM

Looks great Malcolm,
Some linseed oil and she will look a million dollars (or thereabouts

)
Bo

keni (Ken) · #12 07-01-2014, 08:58 PM

Malcolm that certainly looks great.
I'm glad I was able to help.
I eagerly await further reports as it may inspire me to have a go at building one.

Ken.

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #13 07-01-2014, 10:33 PM

Thanks again Keni, wasn't that hard, though my woodworking skills were pushed to the limit!
Bo, I used some finishing wax on it, much easier than varnish which always has runs and drips, this stuff is just rub on and rub off, the water beads on it and looks wonderful. Oh and if you want I will take a million for it, seeing as you ask!

Barry, thanks for the encouragement!

Malcolm

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #14 07-01-2014, 10:38 PM

Well it has been under the stars with the 15x70s and it works fine. Very easy to find stuff and far more relaxing than a tripod.
Did M42, 47Tuc and NGC 2070 in just a couple of minutes.
The bracket to hold the binos is finished and I have incorporated a wooden handle as part of the tightening mechanism so it is really easy to navigate.
Now just waiting for some nylon washers to replace the metal ones in the moving joints and then I can tighten it all up with lock nuts so I dont have to keep retightening the bolts.
Also have to figure out a more elegant way of holding the counterweight in place, occy straps don't really look that nice!

Malcolm