Tripod Foot Pads
I got a Kendrick Observing Tent a few years back and was worried about the tripod legs damaging or poking through the plastic floor of the tent. I also do a lot of portable observing at all times of the year and got sick of the tripod legs sinking into the mud in Spring. I also had to make a number of searches during the winter for the rubber feet from the tripod as they tend to stick to the frozen ground and remain there when the tripod is lifted up to pack up at the end of the night!
I made the pads out of two 7.5" diameter layers of 3/4" outdoor plywood. One layer is solid (the base layer) and the other has a hole in it to accept the tripod foot.. The bottoms of the pads are covered with 'anti-slip' tape like that used for safety on stair treads. This doesn't help outdoors, but keeps the pads firmly in place on a smooth plastic surface such as the floor of my Kendrick Observing Tent. The hole for the foot is 'customized' to accept the Orion Vibration Suppression pads. They can also be used without them as the holes are just a friction fit.
A close-up of the foot hole. The three odd notches on the sides are for the protrusions on the Orion Vibration Suppression Pads.
Overall the pads are very sturdy - I could easily have made them out of smaller circles of 1/2" regular plywood and saved some weight. They work very well. I painted them a light color for some visibility at night to prevent unwanted foot-tripod contact. This is the second pair I made, designed for my 12" LX200 and Giant Field Tripod. An earlier version was a bit smaller (5" diameter, 1/2" plywood) and only had a round hole for the tripod feet as I didn't use the Vibration pads then.
Tools needed: Jigsaw or Router- cut out 6 plywood circles of appropriate size and thickness for your tripod (1/2" or 3/4" thick, anything in the 4" to 6" dia. range will work well)
Hole Saw or Router - cut out hole for tripod foot through the center of 3 of the circles
Wood Glue, Clamps - glue and clamp the 3 sets of parts together (Nails or screws optional)
Belt Sander - Sand the outer edges of the assembled pieces to a circular shape (I was never good at cutting exactly on the line with a jigsaw)
Paint - paint them a light color for contrast
Non-Slip (Stair Tread) Tape - apply if needed to keep pads from slipping on a smooth surface. In most cases this will not be needed as the rough wood and weight of tripod and scope will easily hold them in position.