Farpoint Dovetail Plate - Takahashi Clamshell

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDTCS bolts to the base of a Takahashi clamshell and gives it a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail interface, so the clamshell and the tube it holds drop into any D-size saddle as one assembly. It carries a single mounting position and is machined from aluminum with an anodized finish in dark grey carbon rather than black. CNC-machined in the USA, it ships at 1.0604 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you hold a Takahashi tube in the factory clamshell and run a mount with a D-size saddle. It suits a fixed setup — one where the balance point is known and stays put — since the single mounting position keeps the plate short, light and inexpensive compared with a two-position bar.

Key Features & Design

• Takahashi clamshell interface: drilled to bolt directly to the clamshell base.
• D-size dovetail: the outward face is the wide Losmandy-standard profile.
• Single mounting position: one fixed location for the clamshell on the plate.
• Dark grey carbon anodizing: the finish is a dark grey carbon color, not black.
• CNC-machined in the USA: dovetail angles and hole pattern cut to a fixed program.

Recommended Uses

• Putting a Takahashi refractor, held in its clamshell, onto a Losmandy-standard saddle.
• Standardizing a rig on the D-size profile so tubes swap between mounts.
• Fixed observatory or permanent-pier setups where the balance point is established once.
• Replacing a V-size plate under a clamshell that has outgrown the narrow standard.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The plate is drilled for the Takahashi clamshell and presents a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail — the wider of the two common standards — so it drops into any saddle cut for D-size. A mount fitted only with a narrow V-size (Vixen-style) saddle takes a D-size saddle or a V-to-D adapter saddle first. Farpoint publishes a customer drawing for this plate showing the mounting hole options and measurements, which is the reference for matching it to a specific clamshell. A 12″ two-position bar covers setups that need the clamshell shifted fore or aft for balance. If you'd like the hole pattern checked against your clamshell, we're glad to look at it before you order.

Good to Know Before You Order

• One mounting position. The clamshell sits in a single fixed place on this plate; the 12″ two-position bar is the option that allows fore-and-aft adjustment.
• The clamshell is separate. This is the plate that goes under a Takahashi clamshell, not the clamshell or the telescope.
• Finish is dark grey carbon. The anodizing reads as dark grey carbon rather than black, which is visible next to black-anodized Farpoint parts.
• D-size profile. The dovetail is the wide Losmandy standard; V-size saddles use a narrower profile and take an adapter.
• Shipping weight. 1.0604 lb of aluminum, added to the payload before the clamshell and tube.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this plate do?

It bolts to the base of a Takahashi clamshell and gives the clamshell a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail interface, so the whole assembly drops into any D-size saddle. Farpoint's product drawing shows the mounting hole options and measurements.

One mounting position or two?

One. That keeps the plate short and economical. Shifting the clamshell fore or aft to balance a rig is what the 12″ two-position bar is for.

Is it difficult to install?

The plate bolts to the clamshell's existing base holes with hand tools, and the assembly then drops into the saddle as one piece. It is a short bench job, and it reverses the same way.

What mounts will this work with?

Any mount with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle. A mount carrying only a small Vixen saddle can take a D-size saddle or an adapter saddle to accept it.

Bottom Line

In short: a 1.0604 lb single-position plate in dark grey carbon anodizing, machined in the USA, that turns a Takahashi clamshell into a D-size dovetail assembly.