Construction of a simple tripod-to-binocular mount

The rough draft was assembled using thin pine boards. Two 6-inch pieces and two 9-inch pieces were each drilled on center with holes about 3 inches apart; the oak piece was drilled on center about 14 inches apart, as was a 2-foot-plus piece of pine. Long bolts passed through the appropriate holes and were tightened for snugness. For altitude adjustments, another piece of oak was built to pivot around another hole near the top of the 9-inch side pieces. A spare weight from another project was almost a perfect match for the binoculars, so it would fit the other end. This prototype worked fine, so it was time for the real thing!

For $15 I purchased a six-foot length of 1x3 oak, and for about $5 more I had four 5/16 bolts each 3½ inches long, lock washers, wing nuts and fender washers. I also picked up a ¼-20 threaded insert to fit the tripod, and I already had a long ¼-inch bolt that I used for the altitude adjustment. For the mount to work properly, one must simple ensure that all the holes are drilled to the same distance on the four vertical pieces and two horizontal pieces. In an ideal world a drill press would be used; in my world, however, only a hand-saw and power drill were available so that's what I used. The space between the two horizontal boards will determine how much vertical travel the mount has, so if you have tall and short relatives drill the holes on the vertical boards farther apart; in my case the spacing of the holes is 3 inches, and the mount adjusts about a foot vertically (of course the tripod has adjustments too, but it's best to lock down as many adjustments there as possible for stability). I kept the old 1x2 oak for the upper horizontal board, and used a 1x3 board twice as long on the bottom. The holes on these are drilled 12 inches apart; this distance can also affect the vertical adjistment. To hold the weight, I notched the end of the lower board and put a screw in vertically near the end; the weight slips over the screw and rests snugly enough that it cannot jump out. Your binoculars depend on this weight staying put, so be sure you're comfortable about your attachment! The altitude pivot is drilled 5½ inches up from the upper hole on the back, and another 1x2 board is used here. A long ¼-inch bolt passes through the board lengthwise and attaches to the binoculars's socket. The tripod attachment is a square piece of oak with the threaded insert centered; this piece is screwed to the bottom of the forward vertical posts, and for extra rigidity I added two right-angle mending plates on either side.

So how does it work? Pretty well, considering! My holes are slightly off, so the two horizontal boards do not stay parallel throughout. This results in a shift of the field when the binoculars are raised and lowered, but nearly all the field remains so it's tolerably good. The friction may inevitably wear on the pieces of wood, but hey: the entire thing cost me $25 and two hours' work so I can afford to replace this every few years! The main source of wobble in the system is the 20-year-old tripod. It worked well enough at the Messier Marathon for me to capture 97 objects with relative ease and a great deal of comfort - I can't imagine hand-holding 16x70's for more than five minutes at a time. I do need a longer altitude pivot, however: objects near the zenith are not in reach with this model, so I need longer rear vertical boards and a longer pivot-arm. Another issue: the heavy oak requires a pretty strong tripod - my photo tripod sags a bit under the weight.

I highly recommend this project!