Telescope Building Projects

Telescope Building Projects
Building your own telescope is a lot of fun and you often wind up with something better than you can buy without spending a lot of money. Over the years I have developed several building projects that embody design features that I think are useful and significant. No one design is perfect or ultimately desirable but they are the result of ideas that have occurred to me that may be useful to others or even inspire better ideas. Anyhow, I give you actual construction photographs and tell you exactly how I did what I did.

These telescopes use things I have developed that contribute to the very best in astronomical observing such as conical mirrors, curved vane spiders and my own designs for simple mirror cells and fan mounts. These telescopes work extremely well and deliver amazing views - as good or better than anything else you can but - at any price.

Click on picture to go to project.

-------------------- Ten Inch f/6 Truss Tube Newtonian

This was my first published design from 2004. It is a light-weight truss tube design that embodies a rotating head. It also separates into two pieces. A convenient rotating eyepiece is essential to comfortable use of a Newtonian. This is still my personal 10" telescope.

-------------------- Eight Inch f/8 Truss Tube Newtonian

This is a modification of the above telescope utilizing a non-rotating head but, instead, building a set of rotating rings. This is also a light-weight truss tube design that separates into two pieces for convenient transportation.

-------------------- Eight Inch f/6 Solid Tube Newtonian

This was yet a further modification of the above telescope utilizing a Protostar solid tube and the previously built rotating rings. This is also a light-weight and convenient design that will fit into your car for convenient transportation.

-------------------- Curved Vane Spider and Holder

This is one of those things that is largely a matter of opinion but I happen detest spikes on stars. I think spikes are one of those things that prejudice people against reflectors. They are ugly and appear as a visible and nagging defect. So, I got rid of them, and so can you.

I am soon to put up a simpler version of the holder that does not use a soldered hinge.