Custom Wood Tripods?

With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!

wrote in message
oups.com...
With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?

Michal wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?



Better vibration dampening, which translates to a higher load capacity.
The Vixen/Celestron wood leg tripod for the GP-C's of the mid-late 90's
is super light, and far more stable than the aluminum CG-5 jobbies of
the same period and later. My GP-C can handle a C9.25 for visual, no
problem. Not so with the aluminum legs (and I've tried).

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
Michal wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?

Better vibration dampening, which translates to a higher load capacity.
The Vixen/Celestron wood leg tripod for the GP-C's of the mid-late 90's is
super light, and far more stable than the aluminum CG-5 jobbies of the
same period and later. My GP-C can handle a C9.25 for visual, no problem.
Not so with the aluminum legs (and I've tried).


Dang.. it's almost sexual! Is this about wood in general or certain types
of wood..ie. pine vs.
maple ?

Dang.. it's almost sexual! Is this about wood in general or certain types
of wood..ie. pine vs.
maple ?



What you're looking for is something with high stiffness to weight
ratio. The heavier the tripod, the greater the tendency toward low
frequency vibrations that take a long time to dampen out. So pine is OK
(fir and spruce are better), but the best are ash, maple and oak. The
setup I made for my C8 is made of pine and maple butcher block, based on
the Tuthill isostatic A-frame design. Works very well.

On Wed, 31 May 2006 15:23:12 -0500, starburst wrote:

Tuthill isostatic A-frame


Well google search for that doesn't turn up much...

Michal wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?

Nostalgia, nothing more.

Rich wrote:
Michal wrote:

wrote in message
groups.com...

With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?


Nostalgia, nothing more.


Bull.

starburst wrote:
Rich wrote:
Michal wrote:

wrote in message
groups.com...

With Al out of business, does anyone know if there is a source for nice
wood tripods?
Thanks!


Whats the big deal with wood?


Nostalgia, nothing more.


Bull.

Wood tripods look nice, they cost alot if they match a metal tripod in
terms
of rigidity. But there is no reason for wood other than looks, just
like there is
no reason for brass tubed refractors anymore.

Nostalgia, nothing more.


Bull.

Wood tripods look nice, they cost alot if they match a metal tripod in
terms
of rigidity. But there is no reason for wood other than looks, just
like there is
no reason for brass tubed refractors anymore.


I tens to agree. Where is the emperical evidence that says wood is
significantly better
at ...dampening?? Dampening what? Who's going to try to do astro photo
work in the wind
or breeze?