Farpoint 6 Inch Dovetail Saddle - Takahashi

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDTSA is a 6″ D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle that adapts a Takahashi EM-style mount to Losmandy-style dovetail bars. It arrives with the mounting puck needed to attach it to the Takahashi head, and it clamps with a full non-marring bar rather than a bare screw tip. The saddle is CNC-machined in the USA from aluminum with a black anodized finish and weighs 2 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you run a Takahashi EM-style mount and your optical tubes already sit on D-size (Losmandy-style) bars, so the mount head is the one piece still speaking a different language. It also suits you if your current saddle leaves marks in the anodizing on your dovetails every time you tighten it down, and you want a clamp that spreads its grip over the bar face instead.

Key Features & Design

• 6″ clamping length: Six inches of saddle gives the dovetail a long seat, which resists the tube rocking under an off-centre load.
• Non-marring clamping bar: A full bar presses flat against the dovetail face, so the grip is spread rather than driven through a single point.
• Takahashi mounting puck included: The puck that mates the saddle to the Takahashi EM-style head ships with the saddle.
• D-size (Losmandy-style) interface: The saddle accepts the wider Losmandy-style dovetail standard.
• Black anodized aluminum: The finish stays non-reflective beside the optical path and takes handling without showing wear quickly.
• CNC-machined in the USA: The saddle body and clamping bar are machined parts.

Mechanical Design

Most saddles clamp with a screw that bears directly on the side of the dovetail. All of the holding force runs through the tip of that screw, which is why dovetails end up with a row of divots along one face after a few seasons. The FDTSA puts a full clamping bar between the screw and the dovetail: the screw loads the bar, and the bar presses flat along the dovetail face. The contact patch grows from a point to a surface, so the saddle grips at least as hard while leaving no divots or scratches in the anodizing. Because the bar retracts as one piece, a D-size dovetail clicks into a Takahashi head and releases just as fast as it would on a native Losmandy saddle.

Recommended Uses

• Running a Losmandy-style dovetail tube on a Takahashi EM-style equatorial without re-barring the telescope.
• Standardising a mixed setup so every tube in the collection carries one bar type and swaps between mounts.
• Protecting the finish on dovetails that get clamped and unclamped at every session.
• Replacing a short original saddle that only grips a few inches of a long imaging bar.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The saddle side of the FDTSA takes D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bars — the wider standard used by Losmandy plates, Farpoint D bars and the D-size bars supplied with larger Celestron, Sky-Watcher and iOptron tubes. The mount side is cut for Takahashi EM-style mounts and the mounting puck for that interface is in the box. A V-size (Vixen) bar is narrower than this saddle's jaws and is a different fit; tubes on Vixen bars would need a D-size bar or a V-to-D adapter plate to use this saddle. The saddle carries the tube, so the payload it will support is set by the Takahashi mount underneath it rather than by the saddle. If you are unsure which Takahashi head you have or which dovetail standard is on your tube, let us know the models and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The mount and telescope are not included. This is the saddle and its Takahashi mounting puck.
• The saddle accepts D-size bars only. A Vixen-size dovetail is narrower than the clamping jaws.
• The mount interface is Takahashi EM-style. Other mount heads use their own saddle patterns.
• The saddle weighs 2 lb. That mass sits above the mount head and counts against the mount's payload figure alongside the tube.
• Clamping length is 6″. A dovetail bar shorter than that seats on part of the saddle rather than its full run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

No — the included puck mates the saddle to the Takahashi head, and the saddle bolts to the puck. It is a hex-key job that takes a few minutes on the bench.

Does the mounting puck come with it?

Yes. The puck for the Takahashi EM-style interface ships with the saddle.

Will it take a Vixen-size dovetail?

The clamping jaws are cut for the D-size (Losmandy-style) standard, which is the wider of the two. A Vixen bar would sit loose in them.

What does "non-marring" mean here?

The clamping screw loads a full bar rather than touching the dovetail itself, so the pressure lands on a flat surface and the anodizing comes away without divots or scratches.

How much weight can it hold?

The saddle passes the tube's load straight to the Takahashi mount, so the limit is the mount's own payload rating rather than a figure for the saddle.

Bottom Line

In short: a 6″ D-size saddle with a non-marring full clamping bar and the Takahashi mounting puck included, CNC-machined in the USA and weighing 2 lb — the piece that lets a Takahashi EM-style mount carry Losmandy-style dovetails.