Current
Customer Photo:
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2024 - Custom
Collapsible Mount with Large Bearings and Clamshell Rings
kit. "I spoke with you several times in late 2022/early
2023 and ordered a Dob mount kit. I completed it in early 2023
and have been using it ever since! It is great!"
M.
Hunt
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2023 - Standard
Solid Mount Kit nicely finished by happy buyer. Nice view
of ground board with Teflon riding lightly on laminate ring
of rocker box bottom board. Well done Gwinn!
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2022 - Standard
Solid Mount Kit with Manual Setting Circles.
Orion XT8 in just assembled kit mount. Sanding and finishing
next.
"It works great. Thanks Mark!"
Jerel
M."
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2022 - Standard
Solid Mount Kit
Val said he had a Skywatcher 8 Collapsible Dob but no mount
for it. Easy fit into an AstroGoods Standard Mount Kit. His
photo shows it in the assembled mount, testing it out before
sanding and finishing the kit.
"Got the base, its awesome. Its awesome to have a
functioning dob now! Thanks Mark."
Val
P.
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2024
- Custom solid mount with
small altitude bearings and integrated height stand. 8"
Orion Dobsonian: "Great work. Very stable and smooth. Thanks.
John". |
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2024
- Custom
solid mount with Clamshell Ring and Large Altitude Bearings,
12.5" split tube with binos. Thanks Jeffrey J! |
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2024
- Custom
Solid Mount with Large Altitude Bearings, special cherry finish.
"Hi Mark, the mount safely arrived at my home yesterday afternoon.
Assembly was very easy - it took about half an hour of work and
a screwdriver. I took it out to view M42, and the mount is solid
with buttery motion. It took off a solid 7.5" of height and
20-30 lbs! My only regret is not ordering rotating rings, but
I can live with it. Here is a quick photo of the scope (10"
f/7) from my phone. Thanks again! -Robert K." |
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2023
- Custom
Solid Mount with Clamshell Ring and Large Bearings Kit.
"I just completed the solid mount with large altitude
bearing for my 8 inch f6 reflector. The tube is aluminum.
The mount was finished with birch edging on the exposed
cut surfaces and I further countersunk the wood screws
and added wood caps to hide the screw heads. I upgraded
the feet using hockey pucks for better resistance to ground
moisture.
Anthony
S."
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2022 - Custom
Solid Mount Kits With Clamshell Rings And Altitude Bearings
Three mounts,
identical height and width but for three different diameter
telescope tubes. This allows interchangeability of telescopes
on the mounts. Ordered by school science instructor for loaning
to students.
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2022
- Solid Mount with
Large Altitude Bearings, kit.
Al in Florida wanted to get his 8" Arraign off the tripod
it came on. Here's the before and after solution, following
his fine finishing and assembly work.
Thanks Al!
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2021
- Solid Mount with Clamshell
Rings and Small Altitude Bearings, kit.
JJ's f/long planet killer split tube beauty. Thanks J! |
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2021
- Solid Mount with large altitude bearings, kit.
Marc's kit was shipped over a year ago. He took his time to paint,
assemble and even add some modifications resulting in this stylish
12 inch "Great White Shark". He requested these specific
large altitude bearings after seeing Lisa W's
tripod dob, and the crossbar atop the bearings. Thank you Marc
for the photo, its a favorite! |
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2021
- Solid Mount, clamshell rings, small altitude bearings, kit.
"Thanks for the excellent, high-quality base. Here it is
finished and ready to dazzle viewers."
John
C.
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2021
- Solid Mount, Clamshell Rings, Small Altitude Bearings, Kit
"Excellent
base. Just fantastic!"
Frank
C.
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2020
- Solid Mount, clamshell rings with small altitude bearings.
Sky Commander installed.
"I've had this scope since 1980 and I'm not sure when it
was built since I acquired it used. The optics are beyond excellent
after all these years and I can tell you that I had a ball using
it on the new mount with the DSC. That poor old OTA has been
in a car wreck and long term storage and many many observing
sessions ... but it is still kicking. Your Dobsonian mount is
light years ahead of what I put together when I ditched the
clunky old German Equatorial. The motion of the mount is great."
Don
M.
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2020 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings Finished
Ordered
with Sky Commander hardware for customer installed DSC. This
mount was designed to meet the buyer's seated height preferences.
"Thanks a great mount. I did some daytime testing and the
view is steady with my hand on focus or taping on tube. The
height of the base is a pleasure for using the scope while seated.
Looking forward to a lot of great years of use."
Jeff
W.
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2020 - Solid
Mount with Altitude Bearings Kit for SkyWatcher 10. Here is
another.
Shipped to Germany finished but unassembled to save on transportation
costs. Ground board was requested to be under the rocker box
completely to keep assembly from rolling during transport. Altitude
bearings are offset to correct for poor factory balance causing
a nose-heavy tendency.
"The
mount runs very smooth and is both very light and portable.
Excellent. :) I can easily carry the complete telescope because
of the smaller size and holes in both sides. This is a huge
step ahead compared to the stock mount. Thank you very much
for your effort."
Hermann
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2020
- Solid Mount with Altitude Bearings Kit
"I finished building the mount and refinishing the telescope.
Attached are a few photos. They were taken at the club's observing
site yesterday. I used the scope/mount to observe about a dozen
globular clusters last night. It is working very well. Your
dimensions were all perfect, it all fit really well. Thanks
for your effort."
Steven
P.
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2019 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings Kit
"I
thought you might be interested to know that I've now got your
mount paired up with a matching equatorial platform and working
well. Life is good!"
Greg L.
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2019
- Solid Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings Kit
"I
have finished the mount . It looks terrific. I particularly
like the dowels and holes."
Paul
B.
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2019 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings.
"It
looks great! Can't wait to take it for a test run."
Scott
C. - Takahashi MT-160.
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2019 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings Altitude Bearings Finished:
This
mount was built for a heavy MN66 Mak-Newt, so we worked with
the buyer to sufficiently stiffen with both internal and external
bracing. Our collaboration continued even after the mount was
delivered in order to test and adjust the stiffness.
"I did the upgrades last weekend and tested several times
during the week. I'm
glad to report that the mount works fine now. Looks great too."
Romaine
G.
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2019 - Solid
Mount with Altitude Bearings kit.
Here is Will's finished 10" SkyWatcher. He asked for the
ground board to be completely under the rocker box, which makes
it more compact for travel. Notice the offset mounting of the
bearings and nice eyepiece holders inside the front board.
"The tube now balances nicely. There is no problem collapsing
the tube with the larger, offset bearings and show how much
bulkier the stock mount is."
Will
S.
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2018 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings, Altitude Bearings and Tube End Rings
finished.
"Mark
worked tirelessly with me on my mount project. I had many ideas
for customization and changes that I wanted to make and he worked
with me on every single aspect of it. He would not rest until
I was satisfied and his attention to detail and commitment to
his customers is truly amazing. Thank you again for everything
you did, Mark. I am truly grateful and very happy with my mount."
Patrick
S.
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2018
- Solid Mount finished.
"Thanks Mark, you know I have never left the scope in the
living room. The black wood mount just did not look living room
worthy. Beyond functionality and weight, your mount looks great
and I am happy to have in the room now. Will be sure to let folks
know where it came from.
I know this
is about the most simple mount you make, but it is still a great
change for this scope and I am glad I finally did it. It is
so much lighter, and a heck of a lot nicer than the standard
mounts that come with these or any similar scope.'
Douglas
M.
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2017 - Solid
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings kit.
"Hi Mark,
The telescope is working very well. I added encoders to use
with my Argo Navis. You did a very nice job on the mount as
the pointing accuracy is very good. The scope is an Orion (
English) VX10L, 10" f/6.3. Thank you for all your help
with this project. I am happy to recommend your products and
services."
Ellis
E.
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Solid Mount
with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings finished.
Ron asked for a replacement for his 10" Orion mount, and
a clamshell with bearings 6" to fit the 10" mount.
Two telescopes one mount!
"Stand arrived this evening. Great job! Looks super, works
great. The most amazing part is that it weighs 1/1,000th the
weight of the original Orion stand!! Geez!! The real reason
that I wanted the mount, so I could put my 6" to good use
also. I had no mount for it before, now it looks good enough
to sell. BUT - I won't!!"
Ron
D
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Love
the base and mount! Great product! The mount from Orion was
like 25+ pounds. Heavy. The lightweight mount weight 14.5 pounds.
Bethel
T.
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2024 - Custom
Collapsible Finished Mount with clamshell rings,large bearings
and EZ adjust setting circles.
The movement
is greatly improved much easier to stop on an object and keep
it in the field of view with small incremental movements.
Super happy
with your creation worth waiting for!
Thanks
again,
Marc
L
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2022 - Collapsible
Mount with Small Altitude Bearings Kit.
This is the first light photo for Joe's collapsible mount with
small bearings kit. It has not been finish sanded or painted
yet. Note the bearings fitted precisely to the outside diameter
of the tube.
"Mark:
Had
first light last night. I think the mount will work well for
me (see picture). The collapsing design was a major selling
point.
Joe
C."
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2022 - Collapsible
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Large Altitude Bearings Finished.
12"
Orion SkyQuest XX12i Intelliscope owner wrote "The mount
arrived, its amazing! Thank you Mark! You are a true artist
and master craftsman. Everything fits like a glove and looks
great. I had high expectations and this mount exceeded them.
Clear skies
to you sir!"
Ian
C.
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2021 - Collapsible
mount with Large Altitude Bearings, kit for 12" SkyWatcher
Collapsible.
"I finally finished up my mount. Im very happy with
it. Im pleasantly surprised how solid the mount is
even
with the collapsible nature."
J
Jackson.
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2021 - Collapsible
Mount with small altitude bearings, kit.
"I
have finally finished my scope and I love the mount that you
have made! I've attached a couple photos and feel free to use
them on your website. Thank you again!"
Justin
Q.
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2021 -
Collapsible Mount, Clamshell Rings, Small Altitude Bearings
Kit
Collapsible
folded flat. Front and side boards are hinged so everything
is one unit. Locking knobs are stored onboard when mount is
collapsed.
Upon receipt: "What a beautiful job you did on this mount.
Many thanks for the care and precision that went into rendering
this functional art object.
Upon completion: "My mount is Varathaned and ready to go.
I am still impressed by the precision and intricate carpentry
of this device. Again, equal qualities of art and craft. You
are the master."
Mick
B.
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2021 - Collapsible
Mount, kit..
"It
worked out perfectly. The scopes pivot and rock so nicely. I
made those mirrors in the 70s and made many refinements along
the way, but I never expected that I would ever have mounts
as fantastic as these! Thank you so much!"
Lou
B.
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2020
- Collapsible Mount, clamshell rings, small altitude bearings.
Built with removable tripod legs for added height (see original
mount height on table).
"Went together very nicely. Really
can't say enough about how much thought you put into the design.
Wow.
Very elegant
and stylish, love the legs!!"
Kevin
L.
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2020
- Collapsible Mount Finished, shown at its 5" collapsed height.
"I
think the mount is fantastic Solid when assembled compared to
my original mount. Saves me almost 2 cubic feet of storage and
transport space compared to the old mount. I really like the brass
inserts for the thumb screws. The bearings are silky smooth. I
like the thick teflon pads."
Ken
L.
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2019 - Collapsible
Mount with Clamshell Rings and Altitude Bearings kit.
"Finished the scope this. Thanks for your help. My 3 granddaughters
and I painted out Zodiac signs on the scope and mounted the
optics this weekend. Having your mount available made the job
a lot easier for me."
Mark
N.
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2018 - Collapsible
mount with clamshell rings and altitude bearings kit.
"EXCELLENT!
Thanks, you guys do great work."
Pete
M.
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2016 - Collapsible
Mount and Altitude Bearings kit:
"Mount works perfectly, going from zero to slightly over
90 degrees. Altitude movement is silk smooth; azimuth movement
is firm and precise. Mount height and tube clearance were spot-on!
There´s about one inch of clearance."
Marcelo
I. - Rio, Brazil
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2024
- Height Adjustment
Stand for 6" Orion Starblast. "I received the stand
for the Orion Starblast 6 this morning. It fits the telescope
perfectly. This will enable me to sit down and operate this table
top telescope. Thanks! Brad M." |
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2020
- Height adjustment stand for custom collapsible mount, clamshell
rings, small bearings.
Built with removable tripod legs for added height (see original
mount height on table).
"Went together very nicely. Really
can't say enough about how much thought you put into the design.
Wow.
Very elegant
and stylish, love the legs!!"
Kevin
L.
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2019 - Tripod
Adapted Solid Mount and Altitude Bearings
"Just
beautiful! That is one good looking mount. It fits the CG4 like
a glove, is buttery smooth, rock solid and is the perfect height
for me for viewing while standing (Im 510).
I couldn't be happier. Thanks a bunch Mark, I look forward to
working with you again sometime!"
Lisa
W.
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2023
- 5"
bearings upgrade kit - "Im finally sending a
photo of the Big Bearings on my DIY 10 Dob. They have
made a noticeable improvement in sticktion which
keeps the tube steady at zenith, and on target at public outreach
events. (The original bearing setup was too low in friction)".
Russel
H.
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2023 - 5"
bearings upgrade kit attached to 10" Discovery, making
elevation more stable with improved motion.
I just finished installing the new bearing. It works great.
Almost hated to paint it to match since the craftsmanship looked
so nice. But this way it matches the scope and stand.
Mark
L.
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2021
5"
bearings upgrade kit
"I got the bearing kit stained the wood parts, and mounted
it (very carefully!) to the scope. Works great, and looks even
better! Good product, and you're a great person to deal with.
I posted this picture to CN, and mentioned that I was very pleased
with the quality of the parts. Thanks for the excellent product."
Bill
S.
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2019 - 12"
Bearings replacing 5" factory bearings kit.
"Was able to use the SkyWatcher Dob with the Big Bearings
upgrade. Super smooth motions in alt. Very happy with the results
so far."
Greg
W.
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2024
- Clamshell rings with large altitude
bearings.
"I got the 10" scope finished. Had it out last night
for the first time and I'm very pleased with it.
As planned, the clamshell assembly also fits my original 13"
rocker box allowing me to use the Dob Driver 2 tracking system.
sweet.
Thanx for your patience and support in getting it done."
Stephen
S.
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2024
- Clamshell rings for 6" f/10 on
G11 mount. Another creation by Jeffrey J. |
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