After much research, CAD Drawing and woodwork, my latest DIY project is complete. ........A Heavy Duty Cradle Fork Mount for my 100mm Binos or any "Small" Scope with a Vixen/Celestron Dove Tail Bar Mount.

I have posted pictures in my "Gallery" (It may take a few days for Dave to make them avilable).

I had to do some modifications to my existing DIY Parallelogram Mount and replace the tripod with one a little beefier.

The Fork Mount can be modified to mount directly to a tripod, without the P mount. Mounted this way, no counter wieghts are required.

If anyone would like to have the CAD Drawings to try their hand at building one, let me know and I will send them to you.

If anyone would like to "Buy" just the Fork Mount or the whole set up (minus the tripod or counter wieghts) let me know and I will build you one, for the cost of materials.

Your mount looks pretty cool! Sure glad I don't have to tote it around, though. It looks like it would be pretty heavy.

Anyway - the photos are posted in your gallery:

Leonard Lynch Album

I finally got around to "Using" this new mount in the feild last Friday night, at the most recent HNC Star Party..............Needless to say, it is just too heavy and ungainly............The tripod is out of balance and tries to tip at a "Wrong" touch. It is like trying to balance a 70 pound, four foot long Teeter-Toter, four feet in the air................

All is not lost, however.................

When I built the fork mount, I made sure that the center of gravity of the fork and the load (Binoculars) was directly in line with the mount connection point.

I can mount the Fork Mount directly to a heavy-duty Survey tripod (No Couterwieghts).

I am hopeful that this solves the problem....................

(Anybody need a heavy-duty Paralellogram Mount?)