Phil Harrington binocular universe (November 2006 online extra)

Anyone who has ever tried to view the night sky using binoculars attached to a conventional tripod knows how difficult it can be to get to the eyepieces without knocking into the tripod’s legs. That’s why most dedicated binocular mounts offset the binoculars away from the tripod, to make viewing easier. But these mounts are often large and unwieldy.

In this month’s column, I mentioned a clever binocular mount created by Terry Alford of Gray, Tennessee. Terry’s Omega mount weighs 13 ounces and is made of red oak, although any hardwood will do. The lower arm measures 12″, while the upper measures 6″. Both are made from 1×2 stock. The bottom end of the lower arm is cut at a 45° angle to offset the binoculars away from the tripod. A pair of 3″ reinforcing 1x2s sandwich the lower arm. Drill a hole through the center of the base that’s large enough to accept a 1/4-20 T-nut. After tapping the T-nut into the hole so that its flange is on the side of the base that will be opposite the tripod, glue and screw together all three pieces of wood.

Up top, a recessed lock washer and jam nut secure the binoculars and keep the bolt head from wallowing out the wood over time. A dowel button, the little round bump near the top of the longer piece of wood, acts as a safety stop.

Terry uses his Omega mount with different binoculars up to some 15x70s weighing about 3 pounds. He believes this is probably the mount’s weight limit, although a lot depends on the tripod.

Given proper woodworking tools, you can make this design for about $10 in materials. It takes about 2.5 hours to complete. If you prefer, Terry offers the fully assembled Omega mount for $35, including shipping. He may be contacted via e-mail at terryalford@prodigy.net.