Page 82 - BBC Sky at Night - September 2017 UK

SKILLS
82

How to… Download templates for this project
YOUR BONUS CONTENT

in this month’s Bonus Content

Build a rolling dolly
With
Mark
Parrish Wheel your setup in and out of storage without delay

Our setup atop the allowing you to take the dolly apart for
completed dolly; the easy storage or transport. Furthermore,
tripod plates should the design allows for re-sizing should you
be as close to the ever decide to upgrade your tripod.
wheels as possible
Downloadable plans are available
in the Bonus Content. They show
dimensions for our example dolly, and
these measurements should suit most
small to medium tripods. We have
indicated the positions we drilled holes
in the bracing plates, but we’d recommend
lining up your beams and tripod support
plates with your own tripod to determine
the best position for these holes before

TOOLS AND

MATERIALS

TOOLS
Handsaw or jigsaw, hacksaw, drill
and bits (for 12mm and 8mm bolts),
spanners, screwdriver.
ost medium-sized mounts position. If the weather turns against
and telescopes are too heavy you, you can be back in the warm in MATERIALS
Approximately 3m of 45x45mm
and unwieldy to move once next to no time, secure in the knowledge
construction timber, 1,200x600mm
M they’ve been assembled, that nothing is left behind.
sheet of 9mm plywood, length of
which means setting up and packing away The timber for the dolly’s axles can be
suitable timber or rope for the handle.
each night can become a slog. There’s the readily obtained from a builder’s merchant.
numerous journeys back and forth to the We chose ‘prepared’ (planed) 45x45mm
SUNDRIES
garden, for one. Refitting mount heads and timber because it is nice to handle and can
Four 150mm-diameter wheels with
weights takes up time when you could be be painted to match your other equipment.
rubber tyres, 1m of M12 studding
out observing, and rebalancing a telescope The plywood parts provide bracing: we (diameter to suit wheels) with nuts
can be fiddly work in the dark. It is also all made ours from 9mm thick sheet, but you and washers, six M8x75 bolts,
ALL PICTURES: MARK PARRISH rolling dolly, provides a workaround. you already have some available. The dolly glue, 25mm woodscrews.
could use a slightly different thickness if
too easy to misplace leads and small parts.
75mm butt hinge, epoxy resin
This month’s project, an inexpensive
frame needs to be rigid, but as most of the
scope’s weight is supported close to the
Leave your fully assembled setup on top
FINISH
Preservative wood stain or paint.
wheels it doesn’t need to be too heavy.
of it and whenever the skies are clear
you can simply roll the whole unit into
skyatnightmagazine.com 2017 Individual parts are bolted together,