A stand for small Dobsonians
In autumn 2020 we acquired a new grab-and-go scope, a Skywatcher Heritage 130P. The Dobsonian is a great all-purpose instrument, easy to set up and operate
but still providing a nice resolution and light-gathering power. If you are looking for a good beginner‘s scope, the Heritage 130P is a really nice option.
But be aware that there is one inconvenience that comes with this scope: the eyepiece is always at the wrong height. If you put the scope directly on the floor, the
focuser is way too low for comfortable viewing. If you put the scope on a table, you can use the telescope while standing but not sit down. There are several
solutions for this suggested on the internet, like putting the dob mount on a tripod or using a completely different mount at all. Since we considered none of these
options as being elegant or user friendly, we were looking for a new way to make observing with the Heritage 130P more convenient. In the end, we found a quite
easy way to raise the base plate of the dob about 20 centimeters (or 8 inch) above the ground. This allows a very comfortable viewing position when sitting on a
small stool. Our solution is a low-profile stand made from a beech wood pizza plate (diameter 14“) with three metal furniture legs attached. The pictures below
show how the plate is cut-out and the stand is assembled.
