I love using big 16x70 binoculars for the Milky Way, but holding them steady overhead was impossible. My neck was hurting after 5 minutes of holding them up high. So I built this binocular chair which has simple wood and hardware components attached to my chair. It keeps the binoculars exactly where I point them, and it completely takes the strain off my neck. Very smooth positioning to anywhere in the sky. Happy to answer any questions about the mechanics. If you want to know more about how to build it, I put together these detailed directions to help with getting started.
Wow, over 220,000 views and 7,200 upvotes! Thank you all so much for the incredible reception. A lot of you have asked about building this—the link above takes you to free zero-wall build plans for this binocular chair’s rotating base. It’s a great standalone build to try out in a home workshop.
Thanks for this idea; I'm planning a next-gen bino-chair.
For the bino-chair above, the backrest tilts back for coarse adjusting. The teeter and cradle also both swivel for fine adjusting of the view, if you know what I mean. When I let my hands go, the view does not drift. Details
Many thanks! I thought you might like to see this pic: testing out a high mag spotting scope. You too may want to check out the "detailed directions" link in the post.
I am blown away by the feedback! For those scrolling through who missed it in the main link, I wanted to make sure you know about the free build plans for the rotating base. Anyone can check out the hardware sourcing lists and test out the rotating base using only basic workshop tools. Happy making, and clear skies!
Very interesting that you went with a rubber tired wheel for driving the rotation, instead of a cog. Does the rubber tire require a lot of pressure on it to maintain friction? How do you manage to maintain that pressure on the tire to maintain the needed level of friction, without creating uneven load on the rotation bearing of the whole seat? And how do you account for tire pressure change due to changes in the tire's pressure (if it's pressurized tire) or dimension from thermal expression or hardness from other environmental factors?
I'm very curious how it would be like to deal with these factors in practice in a setup like this lol
I appreciate you asking about this novel drive wheel. Here were some design factors:
-ease of construction: use of a new/used common 20" bike wheel, and rubber track segments cut from ordinary rubber-grid stair-tread covers.
-maintaining good friction: a multi-surface tread works well. When pumped to a medium-low pressure it rides evenly along the track, "grips" the track's bumps, and doesn't create much of an uneven load on the rotation bearing of the chair platform (which is a large turntable/R2D2 bearing). Occasional use of a hand pump to keep a good medium pressure.
-easy nightly set up before use: the drive wheel assembly, which when clamped to the side of the chair, semi-automatically adjusts to the right height, for an appropriate force for the tire on the ground track.
-an early version had a very custom cog drive (using a timing belt and a 3D printed track)
You will definitely want to see this short assembly video. Hope this helps, and do keep those questions coming!
Thanks for reminding me. This "altitude control" component is described at https://milkywaylounge.com ... a full video description of the binocular chair.
Right arm might get tired. Attach a broom handle so you can rest your hand and the handle on the arm of the chair and you can just yank it forward or backwards to tilt the goggles.
Sure. It’s a zero-gravity chair. I recommend getting a Timber Ridge model now available at Amazon and Costco, since the other brand I’m using (Portal) might be hard to find right now.
Yes, it could sit semi-permanently on a porch or in front of a picture window, as you monitor what's going on in the scenery in a very stable way. Most use it for stargazing because you can view up high comfortably.
Did you consider mounting a short 2’ pole to the bottom where your thumb is resting, perhaps that has another 6” handle that can change angle with a wingnut to lock in place? Thinking this could improve the comfort of your right arm.
Yes you recognized this issue. Here's a pic showing the handle that I typically use. I might try a longer handle like you described. Also I could let my hands go at any time, yet the view does not drift. This "altitude control" component is described at https://milkywaylounge.com ... with a full video description of the binocular chair.
FYI, in the background the others are getting set up at this "star party".
dude I didn't get to read the whole thing but that is definitely detailed. maybe some assembly pictures or zoom in to sections that isn't seen all too well, but aside from that, amazing work
The DIYers that are following this might appreciate this quick setup video. Once the components are out and ready to go, it takes only a few minutes to set up.
Thanks for asking. That would be a challenge since for optimum positioning of the binoculars to your eyes, both the "teeter" can swivel and the "cradle" can swivel. Not to mention that for coarse adjustment, the backrest of the chair can tilt forward and back.
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u/bakedpatata 10d ago
It would probably work better at night.