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Lightweight Rigid Portable Inexpensive Pier

Started by Rod Kaufman, 01/03/2004 05:55AM
Posted 01/03/2004 05:55AM Opening Post
Although I do most of my observing with a 16 inch dob, I decided to refurbish an 8 inch newt that I had made as a kid. To make the pier for my old edmund mount and drive, I purchased an aluminum tube from a metal company for $15.00. I notched-out the top of the tube with a hacksaw and dropped the mount into it and sealed it with two tubes of JB weld. The legs of the pier are available from Home Depot exactly as you see them for $9.00 apiece and are large "L" brackets used to attach book shelves to walls. I attached castors with levelers to each leg which are sold by Apogee( three for $16.00)The aluminum-pier tube is about 30 inches tall with a quarter inch wall thickness and weighs only eleven lbs. It's very rigid but my nine year-old daughter can push it with her fingertips. All of these materials are easily obtainable and may be considered by ATMers for future projects.

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Rod Kaufman's attachment for post 11957