I used this bar as counterweight shaft:
Grade 303 Stainless Steel Cut Bar. Tolerance 0.052 / +0.00 Grade 303 Stainless Steel.
A 30cm bar cost about £10.
It fitted perfectly without any modification. It even had a nice clean cut at each end. If you buy from another supplier be careful what grade of finish the rod has. I chose this supplier because the rod diameter is specified to be -0.052 / +0.00mm which is why it fits well. I have seen other suppliers who are cheaper but have a much lower tolerance diameter.
This premium Alt-Az mount is the answer to visual observers who want the ultimate in a smooth, stable accessible mounting solution built to the very highest standards. The Altair Sabre Alt-Azimuth telescope mount allows you to mount one or two telescopes side by side, the V2.0 Sabre mount now includes a 30mm precision Japanese bearing for even smoother panning, and higher capacity than the original version. The Sabre has a smooth action which can be controlled via the Alt and Az clutches, and a special friction dampener to make it easy to slew to objects by hand with the mount decelerating smoothly to a stop, just like some well made Dobsonian telescopes. This mount let's you enjoy a "Dobsonian" user-experience with your compact high quality refractor or favourite well Newtonian optical tube.
It doesn't require any electricity and should civilisation collapse you'll be safe in the knowledge that you can still enjoy astronomy - possibly under even darker skies! For those who don't want to use electronic gadgets but who just want to enjoy "manual" observing with a refractor for example, this is the mount to have.
