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Minutes from the 2006 Annual Meeting

The 2006 CAAS Annual Meeting was held at the home of John and Carol Reed. As this was simply an excuse to have a season related potluck, we were not sticklers for parliamentary rules. Perhaps 25 members and family were in attendance.The major order of business was the election of officers and board members.

The election results are as follows:

  • President: Rocky Togni
  • Vice President: Don Ferren
  • Treasurer: Pat Morris
  • Secretary: Stacy Edwards
  • Favorite Food Network Host: Rachael Ray
  • Immediate Past President: Stacy Edwards
  • Board Member: Carl Freyaldenhoven
  • Board Member: John Reed
  • Board Member: Don Lewis
  • Board Member: Jim Dixon

After the elections, Pat gave the treasurer’s report.

Stacy has scheduled a work party for the afternoon of the next regular meeting weather permitting. The work to be done includes the perennial fighting back of the forest and also the installation of a security door in the front building to isolate the equipment storage area from the public access area. The work party is to start around noon on Saturday, January 13th. Be sure to confirm the work party before heading out.

Finally, I’d like to wish David Reynolds good luck in his move to Boston. David has been an active member of CAAS for a long time and we will miss him.

Submitted by your departing secretary, Jim Dixon.

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Heavy-Duty SCT Tripod

By Jim Dixon

I’ve been seeing these 12″ MDF rounds at my local hardware store and knowing that I was just going to have to make something out of them. Originally I planned to use two for the altitude bearings of a Dobsonian scope but when I purchased an SCT instead I decided that one would be perfect for the top of a heavy-duty tripod.
Modeled after those from Celestron, my tripod has turned out very well if I do say so myself. Besides the MDF round, I used pine 1x2s (Oak was twice as expensive and I used a lot, besides pine worked fine), several lengths of aluminum, some strips of galvanized steel, a bit of 1/4″ plywood, hinges, and assorted bolts, screws, and nuts.

  • I cut the 1×2 to 36″ lengths and glued two together three times to make the central piece of each leg. Then I used a router to cut a groove down on side of each and glued strips of steel to give me a pressure plate so that I could lock the adjustable legs. Thumbscrews are used to lock the legs in place.
  • I sandwiched the central pieces between the two outer 1x2s with index cards as spacers and then started building the aluminum brackets that hold the pieces together. I was able to use a hacksaw to score the aluminum so that it would bend at the corners properly. Besides adding a lot of strength, these aluminum brackets added a lot to the appearance.
  • The photo shows the rest of the key components: The ¼”x 2″ boards that make us the leg braces, hinges, screws, and bolts. The photo doesn’t show the rubber pads on each leg.
  • After using the tripod for a couple of months to make sure I was done, I stained and sealed the legs.
  • There is one more enhancement I’m going to make which is to add a triangular accessory shelf that will fit between the legs.

Not counting any tools I had to purchase, I was able to build this for about $75, which is less than a third of the cost of a name brand tripod. Although I tweaked it over several weekends, I had a functional tripod after the first weekend.

 

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Minutes from the November 2006 Regular Meeting

Meeting Minutes President Stacy Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. There were approximately 25 members and visitors in attendance.

Old Business:

Stacy thanked Andy Reed for his donation of a new projector. She then thanked Allen Lee for his proposed gift of a storage building as covered in the minutes from the previous board meeting.

Treasurer’s Report:

Pat Morris gave the treasurer’s report.

New Business:

Carver Magnet Middle School is coming to CAAS on November 14 and 21 for a private star party. They will arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 so CAAS members who wish to help need to be there before then.

On November 18, CAAS will have a “Meteors and Marshmallows” event at the CAAS property to watch the Leonid Meteor shower.

On December 1, the Arkansas/Oklahoma Astronomical Society will be hosting a Christmas dinner. For more information, visit their site at www.aoas.org.

John Reed has volunteered his home to host our Annual Meeting and Potluck on December 9 at 7:00 PM. Thank you, John.

It is time for nominations once again. Your Nominating Committee has worked tirelessly to find someone (some would say anyone) who would be able to serve in 2007. Thankfully, we were able to put together a first rate roster for officers and board members. They are as follows:

  • President – Rocky Togni.
  • Vice-President – Bullwinkle Ferren (aka Don).
  • Treasurer – Pat Morris (thank you once again for taking this job Pat).
  • Secretary – Stacy Edwards.
  • Board members – Don Lewis, John Reed, Carl Freyaldenhoven, and Jim Dixon.

There were no other nominations from the floor. If there are none before the Annual Meeting then the candidates above will be elected automatically.

Don Lewis handed out finder charts for Comet Swan.

There was no presentation this evening so that we could go out and play.

We adjourned at 7:20 PM.

Submitted by Jim Dixon