At last, my new Dob base!

[M54 (Molly)]

Hi all,

First of all a big to Alex (mental4astro) for the inspiration and help with the details of the project.

I actually finished this a few weeks ago, but was minus a camera so couldn't post any photo's, until now.

I am a slow learner and my equatorial 2 was giving me much grief, so when I saw the dob bases that Alex built I was so excited and decided to give it a go.
The material is 12mm ply and it's just the right height for me to sit comfortably at the eyepiece.
One boo boo I made was to put the teflon on the upper surface of the azimuth mount and the laminex on the bottom which means it collects a bit of dust at the local astro clubs deep sky sight, and I have to take it apart and clean it out when I get home. I'll be changing that as soon as I have the time.
It's sooooo EASY to use compared to the eq. I LOVE IT!

By the way, for anyone wanting teflon in Melbourne, there's a place called 'Plastics for Industry' at 189 Cheltenham Rd, Keysborough. They have a cut-to-size service while-U-wait.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Beautiful work, Molly.

I am so pleased that I served as some inspiration for your creation. And the best bit is that it is not difficult to make, and sooooo easy to use, as you say.

I'm cuffed, mate!

[M54 (Molly)]

Thanks Alex.

I'm happy...

[Suzy]

My gosh Molly! That is an amazing piece of work - you are so smart! I admire your skills. You have a beautiful looking deck there as well with some gorgeous scenery to boot .

[Robh (Rob)]

Impressive work!
How is the scope tube held inside the pivoting upper ply section?

Regards, Rob

[M54 (Molly)]

Thanks Suzy and Rob.
I have to say, it took me three weeks (to Alex's weekend) to get it done because I'm a slow worker, and my hubby helped with getting the screws in because I got blisters with the first few.

Rob...I followed Alex's instructions and lined the OTA box with foam strips (self adhesive, from clark rubber).
The first strips I used were too thick to get the box closed so I had to rip one out and replace it with a thinner one. It hugs the tube very well and doesn't budge even when pointed at the zenith.

I'd like to make a shorter one now so the grandkids can use it easily.

[Liz]

That looks great Molly, well done!!

[clem]

Great job! Makes me want to get one, too.

[pgc hunter]

Beautiful work! I agree with you on the EQ, nothing beats an Alt-az for pure ease of use. What scope do you have on it? Looks like a mint grab n go setup.

[M54 (Molly)]

Thanks Liz, Clem and Pgc.

The scope is an Orion 130mm newtonian.
And you're dead right...it is an AWESOME grab and go.

I know I'd be able to see a lot more with a 10inch or 12inch dob, and that is my goal for some time in the future, but this is sooo easy to move and use that even when (or if) I get a bigger one, I'll definately keep this setup too.
Not just for me but for the grandkids as well.