Farpoint 14 Inch Metric Universal Dovetail Plate

Product Overview

The Farpoint FMDUP14 is a 14″ metric universal dovetail bar in the D-size (Losmandy-compatible) profile. Its mounting holes are drilled on 60mm wide spacing — the pattern used by William Optics and most Asian-made clamshell rings — so those rings bolt straight down without adapter plates or re-drilling. The bar is machined from aluminum with a blue anodized finish and weighs 2.0 lb. It is the longest of Farpoint's three metric bars, which run 7″, 10″, and 14″, and that extra length leaves room for wide ring separation and a long fore-aft balance travel. CNC-machined in the USA.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you run clamshell rings on 60mm hole spacing — William Optics and most Asian-made rings use it — and your mount carries a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle. It also fits the case where you are assembling a general-purpose D-size platform and want the longest metric bar in the family, either for a long refractor that needs its rings spread apart or for a load whose balance point sits well off centre.

Key Features & Design

• 14″ D-size bar: The longest of the metric universal family, giving the widest choice of ring positions and the most balance travel of the three.
• 60mm hole spacing: Matched to William Optics and most Asian-made clamshell rings, so the rings mount directly rather than through an adapter.
• Losmandy-compatible profile: The D-size dovetail drops into any mount saddle cut for the wider of the two common dovetail standards.
• Blue anodized aluminum: Machined from sturdy aluminum, with the anodized layer giving the bar its distinctive blue finish.
• 2.0 lb bar: The published weight, which counts toward the payload your mount carries along with the tube and rings.
• CNC-machined in the USA: Cut on CNC equipment at Farpoint in the United States.

Recommended Uses

• Mounting a long refractor in William Optics clamshell rings onto a D-size saddle, with the rings set far enough apart to control flexure.
• Carrying an imaging train whose camera, filter wheel, and focuser push the balance point well behind the tube's midpoint.
• Serving as a general-purpose D-size platform for a guide scope, a second tube, or accessories mounted alongside the main optic.
• Replacing a shorter bar when a new, longer optical tube has outgrown the ring spacing the old bar allowed.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The FMDUP14 is a D-size bar, the Losmandy-style standard, and seats in any mount saddle cut for D-size. Mounts that ship with a narrower V-size (Vixen-style) saddle take a D-size saddle or a saddle conversion to accept it. On the ring side, the 60mm wide hole spacing is what defines this bar as metric: William Optics rings and most Asian-made clamshell rings use that spacing directly. Farpoint's imperial universal bars carry a different variety of hole options instead, so the two families are not interchangeable on hole pattern. The same 60mm spacing appears on the 7″ and 10″ metric bars, which are the shorter members of this family. Farpoint publishes a dimensioned product drawing for the FMDUP14 showing every mounting hole and its position. If you are unsure whether your rings line up, tell us your telescope and ring model and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The hole pattern is metric, not imperial. Rings drilled for a different spacing will not line up with the 60mm pattern, and the imperial Farpoint universal bars carry their own separate hole variety.
• It is a D-size bar only. A V-size (Vixen-style) saddle is narrower and will not clamp this profile without a D-size saddle or conversion in between.
• Rings and mounting hardware are separate. This is the bar on its own; clamshell rings and the screws that hold them come from your ring set.
• The bar adds 2.0 lb to the load. On a mount near its rated capacity, that figure is worth adding into the total alongside the tube, rings, and imaging train.
• Length is the trade-off. At 14″ the bar reaches past shorter tubes, which is useful for balance range and less so where clearance around the saddle is tight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

No. The rings bolt to the bar through the 60mm-spaced holes, and the bar then slides into your mount's D-size saddle and clamps. It is a hand-tool job with the hex keys that come with most ring sets.

What makes this bar metric?

The hole spacing. It is drilled 60mm wide, matching William Optics and most Asian-made clamshell rings, so no adapter plate or re-drilling sits between the rings and the bar.

How does the 14″ compare with the 10″ and 7″ metric bars?

All three share the same 60mm hole spacing and D-size profile. Length is the only difference: 7″, 10″, and 14″. The longer bar allows wider ring separation and more fore-aft balance travel.

What mounts does it work with?

Any mount with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle. Mounts supplied with a small Vixen saddle can be upgraded with a D-size saddle or a saddle conversion.

Bottom Line

In short: a 14″ blue anodized D-size dovetail bar drilled on 60mm spacing for William Optics and most Asian-made clamshell rings, weighing 2.0 lb and CNC-machined in the USA — the longest reach and widest ring spacing in Farpoint's metric universal family.