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Equipment Discussions
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Topic starter
November 21, 2023 5:30 pm
I know everyone says you need a good observing chair, but I have ignored that advice by using a lawn chair and alternating between sitting in it and sitting on the armrest if I need to elevate myself a bit. Well, after sketching the Pleiades for an hour a few weeks back, I'm ready to admit that everyone was right and I should have a comfortable adjustable chair. The Starbound chairs look nice but $200 seems steep. There are lots of plans out there for building one, with the most common being the "Denver chair", and there's the similar style Catsperch chairs that can be bought assembled or as kits, and they have plans they'll sell you to do it yourself. Then there's the dead simple LYBAR chair that has economics and simplicity going for it but may not be the most comfortable.
My question is: has anyone built one themselves? I am not a woodworker by any stretch of the definition but I do have a lot of tools and DIY experience and feel like it wouldn't be that difficult and would save me some money. At the bare minimum, I know with full confidence I could build a LYBAR stool.
November 23, 2023 11:29 am
I haven't built one yet. I have a Starbound chair and love it. However, I now have an 18" f/4.5 scope so the Starbound is not tall enough. I'm looking at the Catsperch chair. Haven't decided if I'm going to build or buy.
Topic starter
November 23, 2023 1:37 pm
I reached out to them and they quoted me $75 shipping for the standard kit, and I’d imagine that may be even more for an assembled chair. They definitely look nice but sight shipping you’re looking at $300+.
I took my Z10 out last night to look at the moon and measured ideal chair heights at different scope angles using an office chair, and I think the original LYBAR chair heights of 12”, 16”, and 20” will work well for me. Probably going to start with that since it can be done really cheap and then will possibly look at a “real” chair sometime in the future.
December 1, 2023 8:27 pm
This is the one I have and it was worth every penny.
Topic starter
December 2, 2023 8:11 pm
Bought a 10ft piece of 1x8 for $17 and built a LYBAR chair today. Took about an hour or so to build. I’ll post pictures tomorrow when it’s not dark and raining.
Topic starter
December 3, 2023 5:42 pm
Spent $17 on a 1x8 10ft common board and $8 on a gardening kneeling cushion. Took about a half hour to draw out my measurements and then an hour to cut and build. Can hit 12”, 16”, and 20”, which should help cover most of my bases for my 10” dob based on some rough testing I did a few nights ago before building. This will do for now before I spend on a nicer chair.
Mike Napper reacted
