Altazimuth Mounts and Oak Tripods
This is one of our polished brass altazimuth mounts. The telescope is clamped in the rings which are lined with red leather. This method of holding the telescope within rings permits the telescope to be moved forward or backward to re-balance when accessories are being fitted to the telescope.
This shows the worm drive on the mount that slews the telescope from side to side. The worm is driven via a universal joint, half of which can be seen at the centre of the photograph.
The elevation gearing on our polished brass mount has a clamping arm with its brass thumbscrew which allows the astronomer to disengage the quadrant from the cradle, to swing the telescope upward by hand, independently of the elevation gear.
The pressure of the worm on the quadrant can be altered by means of the adjustment screw at the front end of the worm. This allows the astronomer to get the best compromise between absence of backlash and excessive wear on the gearing.
This shows the oak double struts and the central hinge of the tripod legs, with the tripod partially folded. All the brass fittings are highly polished.
This shows the highly-polished top of the oak tripod. Once the tripod has been unfolded and positioned ready for astronomy the hinges, both at the top of the legs and at the struts, can be tightened by means of their screws to prevent wobble.
This shows the highly-polished top of the oak tripod. Once the tripod has been unfolded and positioned ready for astronomy the hinges, both at the top of the legs and at the struts, can be tightened by means of their screws to prevent wobble.
An Indication of Prices
All of our telescopes, mounts and tripods are hand-made and are to a specification that is agreed by the client, so no two customers ever have exactly the same items, but we can give an indication of prices as follows:
An oak tripod with brass fittings and a brass top: from £1500.
A brass altazimuth mount with slow motions in both axes: from £2500.