DIY P-Mount "fiddly bits"

[Jared]

Hi. I'm pretty new at this. I am seriously thinking about making a parallelogram mount for my AOE 20x80T binoculars which are currently on order. I have done an obsessive amount of research over the net and am leaning toward using 20mm aluminium square sections for the main arms etc.

What I would like some help with is sourcing some of the other compontents that I might need. For example:

- the bit that connects the main post with the tripod, and allows the main post to rotate;
- an L-bracket to hold the binoculars;
- etc.

As you can see, I don't really know what I'm talking about. In addition, I don't have any metal working skills and I have very limited tools at my disposal.

Does anyone know of a reputable supplier of DIY tripod/mount "fiddly bits" in Australia?

Any advice would be very welcome.

[mercedes_sl1970]

Jared

I made a parallelogram mount for the same set of binoculars. It's based mostly on one described at this website:
http://home.wanadoo.nl/jhm.vangastel...ocs/binocs.htm

I made some alterations to suit the materials I had at hand, eg. the swivel part uses a lazy susan bearing available at most hardware stores. The central attachment point I made out of several pieces of 19mm ash I glued together. I've attached a few photos below. What is missing is the cradle for the binoculars which sits on the right angled part at the end (nuts and bolts currently being used on something else). I made that out of some 25mm aluminium flats (again available from most hardware stores) and bent it to shape. It took a while and a bit of thinking and tinkering along the way, but was fun.

Something to think about though - although the mount makes the binoculars much more useable and I did use it for a while, I ended up getting a bit tired of continually craning my head back and shifting my chair around as I like to sit down when observing (I use a walking stick and can't stand around for too long). As well, you do need a very sturdy tripod - I ended up using a surveyor tripod which was another expense.

As an alternative I then tried a "binochair" approach which for me is far more comfortable and suitable . And I still use the tripod for other things. Here's a link where I described making the chair at Cloudynights:

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea...c=1&PHPSESSID=

The chair works well for me, but is not the steadiest, however I am very satisfied.

Anyway, good luck. It's not too difficult - just need a few basic tools: hack saw, electric hand drill, and a bit of patience when the dog bumps you whilst drilling...

All the best

Andrew

[Alderney (Dave)]

Hi Jared
We will soon have our bino's now
Here is a link to pretty much what I am going to build, except for the way the parallelogram meets the pier & the hinge & bracket for the bino's.
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=800

[Alderney (Dave)]

Here is a link approx how I will hinge & swivel the bino's. Look at the 4th pic down, a close-up front on of bino's.
http://users.indytel.com/~rnabholz/b...ularChair.html

[Jared]

Andrew, thanks for the images and advice. Very helpful. The lazy susan is a good idea. I do admit that I havn't had a good look around a hardware store to see what generic items might be useful, so that might be my next move. I'd like to emulate the simplicity of detailing that you have achieved on your mount; looking at other examples on the net, the clarity of your design is admirable. I am planning to get a surveyor's tripod at some point in the future, but not immediately - I will just have to put up with what I've got for the time being, but don't we all?

Dave, do you have your binos yet? I have been away and so arranged to have them arrive next week. I agree that that head looks great (four degrees of motion) - I would like to make something similar to use on a mount like Andrew's, but perhaps out of aluminium to keep the size and weight down. That website has a lot of detailed instructions - just what I need!

Cheers ...