Farpoint Dovetail Radius Block - Meade 8 Inch SCT

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDM8R is a pair of radius blocks machined to the curve of the Meade 8″ SCT optical tube. The blocks sit between the tube and a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bar you already own, so an existing bar can be carried over to a Meade 8″ without buying a second complete kit. Both blocks are CNC-machined in the USA from aluminum with a black anodized finish, and the set carries a published weight of 0.75 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you already have a D-size Losmandy-style dovetail bar in the accessory box and want it on a Meade 8″ SCT, if you rotate one bar between several tubes, or if you are rebuilding a mounting setup where only the tube-side interface is missing.

Key Features & Design

• Tube-specific radius: machined to match the Meade 8″ SCT tube, and that tube alone.
• Pairs with your existing bar: works with a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bar rather than replacing it.
• Black anodized aluminum: the anodized layer keeps the mating surfaces from galling against the tube.
• CNC-machined in the USA: both blocks come off the same program, so the pair shares one radius.
• Published weight 0.75 lb: the set adds very little to the moving mass on the mount.

Mechanical Design

A dovetail bar is flat and an SCT tube is round, so bolting one straight to the other concentrates the clamping load at the bolt holes. The radius block fills that gap — its upper face is flat against the bar and its lower face carries the Meade 8″ radius, spreading the load across the full width of contact. With a block at each end of the bar, the tube is supported at two separated points, which is what keeps the optical axis from shifting relative to the bar as the mount tracks.

Recommended Uses

• Fitting a spare D-size bar to a Meade 8″ SCT for visual sessions.
• Moving one dovetail bar between a Meade 8″ and another tube that has its own blocks.
• Replacing worn or missing blocks on a Meade 8″ that already carries a Losmandy-style bar.
• Building a D-size mounting chain on an equatorial mount fitted with a Losmandy-style saddle.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The blocks are machined for the Meade 8″ SCT optical tube assembly. They are used with a D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bar — the wider of the two common dovetail standards — which in turn drops into any mount with a D-size saddle. A Vixen-style (V-size) saddle takes a V-size bar instead, so the mount end of the chain sets which bar the blocks pair with. Farpoint also offers a complete Meade 8″ SCT kit that includes the bar, blocks and mounting screws together. If you are unsure which tube or bar you have, send us the model and we'll check the fit for you.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Blocks only. The dovetail bar and its mounting screws are separate items; this listing covers the radius block pair.
• Single-tube radius. The curve is cut for the Meade 8″ SCT, so a 10″ tube or another manufacturer's tube takes its own block set.
• Published weight is 0.75 lb. Shipping weight is rounded up to 1 lb, which overstates the total slightly on a multi-item cart.
• Finish. Black anodized aluminum, matching the rest of the Farpoint dovetail range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

The blocks bolt between the bar and the tube's existing dovetail holes using ordinary hex keys. It is a few minutes of bench work with the tube resting on a soft surface.

What do radius blocks actually do?

They bridge a flat bar to a round tube so the clamping load spreads over the contact area rather than sitting on the bolt holes.

Do these fit a Meade 10″ SCT?

The 10″ tube has a different radius and takes the FDM10R block set instead.

What mounts does the finished assembly fit?

Any mount with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle, once the blocks and your bar are fitted to the tube.

Bottom Line

In short: the FDM8R is the tube-side half of a D-size mounting setup for the Meade 8″ SCT — a 0.75 lb pair of USA-machined anodized blocks that puts a Losmandy-style bar you already own onto that tube.