Understanding how expensive a really good manufactured tripod can costs, and how well constructed they can be, I had to figure out a way to produce the tripod legs for this unit with similar strength capabilities, yet keep the project cost down. As mentioned before, I consider a variety of woods like oak, maple, and others to make the legs, but these woods carry a hefty price. I needed wood of high strength and hardness at a drastically reduced price. So it hit me to use hard Pine Stakes! The same stuff I used under the base platform of my 10" Newtonian's fork mount. Nine 48" length - 2x2 stakes were needed; three stakes per tripod leg. In selecting the stakes while at your home supply, or hardware store, it is a good ideal to make certain they are straight and true. This means you will have to look down each side of the stake lengthwise to verify this. Chances are great that you will find many of these pieces are warped, which is the primary reason why they are so inexpensive ($1.20 each). So spend some time selecting prime pieces, unless of course you choose to go with the more expensive species of woods, which are typical straight from the start. The choice is yours. Please click on the image above for an enlarge image.