DIY Scope

ursaMinor · Post by **ursaMinor** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:03 am

Hi everybody,

I have just bought the book "Build your own telescope" by Richard Berry. I was at first full of ethusiam to build my very first scope but after looking at the calculations and the complexness of the layout in the book, my head went spinning and the ethusiasm evaporated almost immediately. Has anybody here ever made a scope of their own or at least tried to and nothing went wrong and yet could produce decent images of the celestial treasures? I was worrying about starting to make 1 and then giving it up halfway due to unseen difficulties.

harlequin2902 · Post by **harlequin2902** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:16 am

Hi,

There's a 16"

truss dobsonian project going on at the moment, undertaken by a small group of Singastro members.

Fellow member Dr. Chan Kay Heem also has quite some experience in making his own scopes : truss dobs, short tube refractor etc.... I'm sure he will reply to you soon, because given his keen interest in this area, he's definately lurking around this section most of the time

(right ?

)

I think a DIY Refractor is an easier project to start with. Less measurement is needed than if you were to make a Newtonian.

Post by **weixing** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:25 am

Hi,
If you are new to astronomy, I would not recommend you to start a DIY telescope project... unless you have "extra" money to spend...

To build a DIY telescope, you must first be good in Mechanical, you must have the material (mirror, tube, wood, etc), some tools.. such as drilling machine and space to store your telescope parts.

By the way, it may be cheaper to buy a telescope than making one, unless you are building a 10++ inch scope.

Have a nice day.

ursaMinor · Post by **ursaMinor** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:31 am

Dr Chan? Does that mean he have got a PhD in areas of astro or engineering? I intend to start from the most basic and simplest scope and i have all the tools at my disposal as my father runs a garage. And..umm..I am most probably making 1 just for the experience and i believe it to be very satisfying should I complete 1.

Post by **weixing** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:50 am

Hi,
Since you got all the tools, then it will not be a problem... envy you...

Build a refractor since it is the easiest and should not be a problem as long as you align the lens and the focuser accurately.

Also, building a telescope actually can be done without require much maths... just trial and error will do...

Have fun and wish you good luck.

blurblock · Post by **blurblock** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 10:25 am

Can I join in the fun? No experience either

kayheem · Post by **kayheem** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 10:34 am

weixing wrote:Hi,
If you are new to astronomy, I would not recommend you to start a DIY telescope project... unless you have "extra" money to spend...

To build a DIY telescope, you must first be good in Mechanical, you must have the material (mirror, tube, wood, etc), some tools.. such as drilling machine and space to store your telescope parts.

By the way, it may be cheaper to buy a telescope than making one, unless you are building a 10++ inch scope.

Have a nice day.

Hi, I second what weixing has said. Do not try to build your own unless you have seen and used the different types of commercial scopes and know how the parts fit. You will need to have a feel of the tolerances and fit e.g. what constitutes a stable spider (reflector), how commercial baffles look like in a refractor etc. Once you have seen a commercial scope, then you can think of what materials you can use to improvise e.g. PVC piping for the tube etc

If you are thinking of saving money, it would be cheaper to buy a 6" F5 reflector OTA than to think of assembling one yourself. Buying the parts piece-meal can be more expensive. However, you have the time, patience, money and resources, building one can be fun and rewarding.

(Dr Chan) Kay Heem

P.S. UrsaMinor, I am a medical doctor. I like to take things apart to see how things work then I *try* to put it together again, but sometimes they don't seem to work after I have done that. Fortunately for my patients, I am not a surgeon!

I have the plans and parts for a 6" F5 but do not have the time to go to my machinist to cut the stuff. Email me if you would like to buy over the project.

ChaosKnight · Post by **ChaosKnight** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 12:10 pm

I was thinking of building a scope too. But i was thinking of making it out of aluminium instead of wood, because aluminium can be machined to precision easily. Plus i got some ideas to make collimating easier

. And i got some ideas for the focuser to give greater precision in focusing, which may be ideal for photography.

It'll be the most powderful tube ever....

Except i don't have any money to build it

.

kochu · Post by **kochu** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 1:05 pm

Hi,

If you are not planning to grind your own mirrors, it is quite easy to make Dobsonnian scopes upto say, 8 inches.

I have made one 8 in Dob last year and it is still with me. You can see it if you are interested to know the details.

Only tricky part is to fix and align the secondary mirror and focusser , but not too difficult

Over 8 inches getting PVC tubes may not be easy, and you may have to go for truss type design.

Kochu

ursaMinor · Post by **ursaMinor** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:51 pm

I see I see....then I guess I need to read up alot more and experience with various scope before making 1 then. Thx for all ya help!

SingAstro

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