I made this quadrant from a piece of scrap 1/4 inch thick masonite. First, I made an enlarged photo-copy of a protactor and brought it to Kinko's to create a transparency (make two transparencies and use one as a template to trace a cutting line on the masonite). I cut the "template transparency" in half, actually a little past the 90 degree mark, traced it on the masonite, cut the masonite to size, and used self-sticking paper from a crafts store to cover the masonite for the desired background color. Glow-in-the dark self sticking paper makes it easier to read the numbers outside at night. Yes, any exposure to ambient light can ruin night vision, but I liked the idea and I'm usually observing in the vicinity of neighborhood lights anyway.
I then cut the second transparency to fit and glued it on by the edges. I screwed a 3/8inch wide flat metal strip to the quadrant at the interstection of 0 degrees and 90 degrees and attached a small rod to the tip of the flat strip to get a more accurate reading. Although it is not shown in any of my pictures, I also cut a piece of an old leather belt to make a loop strap which is glued to the back of the quadrant for ease in holding. The sight tube on top is a 1/4 inch diameter plastic tube I had in my scrap box. |
