Spent 3 weeks chasing a wobbly tripod before I found the real culprit

My telescope kept shaking every time I touched the focuser, even after I tightened all the knobs and swapped legs. I blamed the mount, the eyepiece, even the ground in my backyard near the oak tree. Turns out one of the rubber feet had split and it was rocking on a tiny pebble I never noticed. It took me three full Monday nights of frustration to look down instead of up. Finally shimmed it with a folded beer coaster and now it's rock solid. Anyone else had a stupid simple fix that took way too long to spot?

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hugo_nelson18d ago

That's a pretty common setup, honestly. Happens all the time. But I gotta ask, are you sure the beer coaster is gonna hold up long term? Cardboard absorbs moisture, and if you live anywhere with humidity, it's gonna sag and you'll be right back to square one. Maybe grab a proper rubber shim or a piece of tire tread, something that won't compress. Then again, if it works and doesn't move, maybe don't fix what ain't broke.