Homemade Telescopes

Artman

Let's get the new format with a somewhat general question.

How many of you have built your own telescope?

Give us some details. Did you do anything different or inovative with your design, or pretty much by the book?

morp

I did.

Morp

Artman

Thanks for getting us started, now how about some details. Is it a reflector or refractor or Mak type? What's the aperture, F Ratio, materials, did you make your mirrors, or lenses or buy them, etc?

zoobyshoe

Artman

When last we spoke about this
subject you will recall I mention-
ed being attracted to the larger
home built telescopes I'd seen
on a site about Dobsonian Mounts.
You were amused because it seemed
I had developed "aperture fever"
without ever having owned a scope
at all.

I found this site:

Advice for New Astronomers
Address:http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html

when I was poking around, and I
think you would find it well done.
It's aimed at helping people make
an informed decision on what to
buy, rather than build, but much
of what he says would apply in
either case.

Anyway, I was amused, after your
observation on my apparent leap
from casual interest directly
into wanting my own private Mt.
Palomar, with no scopes in between
to find he had included an essay
on his site called Avoiding
"Aperture Fever".

-Zooby

Artman

Thanks zoobyshoe,

There is lots of good advice on that site.

As for avoiding aperture fever, it depends on your interest. Mine is more in the process of designing and building the scope, even more than using them, so I am working my way up to a big one by buiding all of the intermediates. (Don't tell my wife about my plan [:)] .)

theEVIL1

I am in the process of asembling my very first home-made scope. Have some materials (frame, etc.) but will need to finish the expansion to my observatory before completing due to size (3.2 m) etc. My first one..always depended on meade and others before. will be..interesting..

Artman

Are you making your own mirror, or buying one already figured, or is it a refractor?

I've never made a mirror for a scope, but I make most of the other components, such as the spider, the focuser, the Mirror Cell, the tube (wood or PVC) the cradle and the base.

You spoke of enlarging the observatory, the 3.2m isn't the aperture is it?!! [8)] That's a pretty long tube length also. Good luck with the project. Let us know how it goes.

theEVIL1

We currently have a few optical scopes, but this will be my first foray into the radio realm. www.hjfso.org

laters:

Bill
AKA: The Evil One