Beginner's Corner
September, 1939

TRIPODS instead of fixed pedestals are desirable in many instances for first telescopes, because first telescopes usually are small enough to be portable. Light flimsy tripods, however, are too shaky for telescope, because the telescope magnifies the shakes in the same measure as it magnifies the object looked at. Hence a really solid, he-man tripod should be built, instead of the too common "pansy frail." Give it good husky legs. Usually however you will want it portable, but its length will defeat this unless you make it jointed-and then comes the question of a joint that won't, in turn, defeat the effort to make it rigid.

One kind of folding legs is shown in the accompanying photographs of a tripod made by F. M. Garland, 1006 Davis Ave, Pittsburgh, Pa. These fold outward and upward rather than inward, and thus nest closer when folded. The tripod has three hinged central braces in addition, made of strap metal slotted for adjustment and provided with a wing-nut for tightening. These braces are far enough above the knee-joints of the legs so that they will not extend be low the latter when the tripod is folded.

Main feature of Garland's tripod is the knee joint which, once locked, is as solid as a human knee in a plaster cast. On the outer-not the inner-side of each leg has a heavy back-flap hinge, as shown in the left hand close-up, and on the inner sides are metal straps pivoted at their tops on a screw and side slotted near their bottoms. Each slot has a bolt and wing-nut for tightening

Other stiffening and strengthening detail show in the photographs. The tripod shown weighs about 15 pounds and is very rigid. The refractor seen on it is an old 3-1/2 Brashear.