Farpoint Bread Board Style Dovetail Plate

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDBB is a 6″ D-size dovetail plate drilled as a general-purpose mounting field. Its face carries both 1/4-20 tapped holes and 1/4-20 through holes, so cameras, finders, brackets and shop-made hardware can be threaded into it or bolted through it. The plate is Losmandy-compatible, machined from aluminum with a black anodized finish, and made in the USA. Published weight is 1.1905 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you…

• have a camera, finder, guide bracket or custom part that needs a home on a D-size saddle
• want a short 6″ plate rather than a full-length scope bar
• work in 1/4-20 hardware and want a plate already tapped and drilled for it
• build or modify rigs and want a machined platform to bolt onto

Key Features & Design

• 6″ plate length: short enough to sit in a saddle without overhanging a compact rig.
• 1/4-20 tapped holes: accessories thread directly into the plate with no nut behind it.
• 1/4-20 through holes: bolts pass all the way through for hardware that needs a nut or a longer screw.
• D-size profile: Losmandy-compatible, seating in any mount or saddle cut for the D standard.
• Black anodized aluminum: a non-reflective, handling-resistant surface.
• CNC-machined in the USA: hole spacing and dovetail angles repeat unit to unit.

Recommended Uses

• Carrying a DSLR or mirrorless body on a mount alongside or instead of a telescope
• Mounting a guide scope bracket, finder shoe or red-dot base on a D-size saddle
• Building a small accessory platform for a dew controller, focus motor box or power block
• Prototyping a mounting arrangement before committing to a dedicated bar

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The plate is D-size, the Losmandy standard, and drops into any saddle cut for that profile. Accessory attachment uses the 1/4-20 thread, the same thread found on the base of nearly every camera and on most photographic brackets. Mounts fitted with a smaller V-size (Vixen) saddle take a V-to-D adapter or a D-size saddle conversion before this plate will seat. Farpoint's universal bars cover longer spans — 7″ and 14″ with hole patterns aimed at scope rings, 7″, 10″ and 14″ metric versions with 60mm spacing for William Optics and similar clamshell rings, and 57.3 series bars at 14″ and 21.5″. The product drawing shows the hole layout and measurements; if your part has a fixed bolt pattern, tell us the spacing and the scope or mount involved and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Hole pattern is fixed. The plate's 1/4-20 layout is as machined; hardware with a different bolt spacing may land between holes. The product drawing gives the measurements.
• D-size saddle needed. A V-size (Vixen) saddle calls for an adapter or a saddle conversion first.
• Length. At 6″ this is a short plate. Longer spans are covered by the universal, metric and 57.3 series bars.
• Thread standard. All holes are 1/4-20 imperial; metric M6 hardware does not thread into them.
• Weight. Published at 1.1905 lb, it adds little to a mount's payload.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

The plate drops into a D-size saddle the same way a scope bar does, and accessories bolt on with 1/4-20 hardware. No drilling or machining is involved.

Why is it called a bread board plate?

Like an electronics breadboard, it is a grid of attachment points — tapped holes to thread into and through holes to bolt through — so hardware can be placed at several positions along the plate.

How does it differ from the universal bars?

The universal bars carry hole patterns aimed at scope rings and mounts. The bread board plate is the general-purpose option, built around the 1/4-20 thread used by cameras and photographic accessories.

Which mounts will it work with?

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

Can a camera bolt straight to it?

Yes. The 1/4-20 tapped holes match the standard tripod thread on the base of a camera body or an L-bracket.

Bottom Line

In short: a 6″ Losmandy-compatible dovetail plate with 1/4-20 tapped and through holes, black anodized aluminum, machined in the USA and weighing 1.1905 lb.