907 2895 01, First Light Optics Ltd All rights reserved © 2020, We use cookies on this website. Try again. About this book: The Dobsonian Telescope, A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes tells how you can build a state-of-the-art Dobsonian telescope using readily available materials and supplies. As a result of this three-year collaboration between authors David Kriege and Richard Berry, experienced and well-known telescope makers, you now have the opportunity to build a high-performance telescope from 14 inches to 40 inches aperture based on the thoroughly tested designs described in this book. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Tracy Cobb. In just a few years, the Dobsonian revolution swept the world. 5892293VAT No. For example, it is possible to build a telescope of 20 inches aperture that is compact enough to transport in a hatchback automobile, yet takes only ten minutes to set up at a remote, dark-sky observing site. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. An entire generation of amateur telescope makers contributed their best insights and refinements to Dobson's original design. See my Homepage at www.davetrott.com for pictures of a few of them. When I set out to build a portable telescope, known as a Dobsonian telescope, the first step had me stymied—where do you find 6 ft of 8-in.-dia cardboard tubing?. A lot of the text is based around Anerican products, but that doesn't really matter as there are English equivalents. As home-built Dobsonians started showing up at star parties across the nation and people saw what Dobsonians could do, the word spread. How to Make a Telescope ( Second English Edition) 2 Sub edition by Jean Texereau (1984) Hardcover. The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes. With this book I now have a working design ready to go the build my new telescope. The Dobsonian Telescope, A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes tells how you can build a state-of-the-art Dobsonian telescope using readily available materials and supplies. Here are some of the topics covered in this book: Whether you have never observed before or whether you have been an amateur astronomer all your life, you will benefit from the hands-on familiarity and experience in amateur astronomy and telescope making that the authors bring to this book. Overall The Dobsonian Telescope is a terrific volume and wonderful accomplishment with little to criticise. This book seems, by all accounts, to be a solid volume about 'scope building. Buy The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes by Kriege, David, Berry, Richard (ISBN: 9780943396552) from Amazon's Book Store. For more about how we use cookies, please see our, The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes, DayStar Solar Scout SS60-DS 60mm H-alpha Solar Telescope, Feather Touch Adapter 2.0" for ASTRO-TECH 6", 8" and GSO 6", 8" Ritchie-Chretien telescope, WO newer Megrez 80/90mm and WO GT81 Telescopes, Lunt LS50C Compact Double-Stack Filter for LS50THa Telescope, Lunt LS50THa B600PT H-alpha Solar Telescope, Lunt LS80THa/B1800FTPT 80mm H-alpha Telescope, Sky-Watcher Heritage-150P Flextube Dobsonian Telescope, Sky-Watcher StarQuest-130P f/5 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector Telescope, Deciding what size telescope will suit your needs, Understanding plywood and how to use it properly, Making a flotation cell to support the primary mirror, Figuring how long to cut the poles for the truss tube, Constructing precision truss tube sockets, Performing torque analysis for first-time balance, Installing precision digital setting circles. You say, “Sure, I’ll check that out,” still uncertain of what to look for. YOU CAN BUILD THIS TELESCOPE This is a six inch Dobsonian reflector. For the casual stargazer, familiar objects like the Hercules Cluster, the Great Nebula in Orion, the Lagoon Nebula, and the galaxies of the Virgo Cluster are an entirely new experience. I am working on a web-book that will help and there are many other web pages to check out. There are telescope design and construction features that I had never thought of before in this book. Helpful . Before you decide to take on such a task you should read everything you can about the project. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Subtitled, “A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes,” this is the book to reach for if you want to make a truss-tube Dobsonian. 4.2.2 Choice 2: What Focal Ratio? Hardcover. This is the best book I have read about building your own Dobsonian telescope all the information you need is in this book. 9.1.2 Friction in the Altitude Bearings 9.1.3 Friction in the Azimuth Bearings Chapter 10 The Rocker and Ground Board 10.1 Sizing the Rocker 10.2 Rocker Construction 10.2.1 Ground Board 10.2.2 Ground Boards for "The Big Ones" 10.3 Constructing the Ground Board 10.3.1 The Azimuth Pivot 10.3.2 How to Make the Pivot Bolt 10.3.3 Installing the Pivot Bolt 10.3.4 Installing Teflon Bearing Pads 10.3.4.1 Calculating the Size of the Altitude Bearing Pads 10.3.4.2 Calculating the Size of the Azimuth Bearing Pads 10.4 A Handy Option: Bearing Locks 10.5 Handles for Portability 10.5.1 "It Rolls On Air" 10.5.2 Attaching Handles to the Rocker 10.6 Handling the Big Ones Chapter 11 Assembly and Troubleshooting 11.1 Last-Minute Preparations 11.2 Installing the Optics 11.2.1 Center-Dot the Primary 11.2.2 Center Dot the Secondary Mirror 11.2.3 Install the Primary Mirror 11.2.4 Install the Secondary Mirror 11.2.5 Adjust the Sling 11.2.6 Collimate the Optics 11.3 Set-Up, Use, and Take-Down 11.3.1 Set Up 11.3.2 Using the Telescope 11.3.2.1 Balance 11.3.2.2 Bearing Surfaces 11.3.2.3 Dew 11.3.2.4 Ventilation 11.3.2.5 Safety Precautions 11.3.3 Take-Down 11.4 Cleaning the Optics 11.5 Troubleshooting 11.5.1 Too Little Focus In-Travel 11.5.2 Sticking Poles and Blocks 11.5.3 Telescopes and Moisture Chapter 12 Using Big Dobsonians 12.1 Eyepieces 12.2 Filters 12.3 Finders 12.3.1 The Telrad® Finder 12.3.2 Finder Telescopes 12.3.3 Get Two Finders 12.3.4 Jumbo Finders 12.3.5 Digital Setting Circles 12.4 Electrical Accessories 12.4.1 Dew Zappers 12.4.2 Heat Ropes 12.4.3 Portable 12-Volt Power 12.4.4 Marine Batteries 12.4.5 Power on the Secondary Cage 12.5 Keeping Warm and Dry 12.5.1 Warm Clothing 12.5.2 Keep Warm with Heat Packs 12.6 Eliminating Stray Light 12.6.1 The Light Shroud 12.6.1.1 Sewing a Shroud 12.6.1.2 Installing the Shroud 12.6.2 Focuser Baffling 12.6.3 The External Light Baffle 12.6.4 The Tailgate Cover 12.7 Telescope Covers 12.7.1 Mirror Box Dust Cover 12.7.2 Hat Box for the Secondary Cage 12.7.3 Secondary Mirror Cover 12.7.4 The Telescope Cover 12.8 Dark Observing Sites 12.8.1 Why You Need a Dark Site 12.8.2 Site Selection 12.8.3 Human Factors Chapter 13 Epilog: Making a Small Telescope 13.1 Materials You Need 13.2 Overview of Construction 13.3 Begin with the Tube 13.3.1 The Primary Mirror Cell 13.3.2 Locate the Mirror Cell 13.3.3 Finish the Tube 13.3.4 Add End Rings 13.3.5 Assemble the Tube 13.4 The Mounting 13.4.1 Build the Tube Cradle 13.4.2 Side Bearings 13.4.3 Locate the Tube Balance Point 13.4.4 Construct the Rocker 13.4.5 Make the Ground Board Appendix A Wood as a Structural Material A.1 The Properties of Plywood A.1.1 Types of Plywood A.1.2 The Stiffness of Plywood A.2 Selecting Plywood for Telescopes A.2.1 Hardwood Veneer Hardwood Core Plywoods (HVHC) A.2.2 Hardwood Veneer Softwood Core Plywoods (HVSC) A.2.3 Softwood Veneer Softwood Core Plywoods (SVSC) A.2.4 Particle Board Appendix B Grinding, Polishing, and Figuring Large, Thin Mirrors B.1 Obtaining a Mirror Blank B.1.1 Porthole Glass: the Classic Choice B.1.2 Pyrex Sheet Glass B.1.3 Choose the Mirror Diameter B.1.4 Choose the Mirror Thickness B.1.5 Choose the Focal Ratio B.2 Grinding Tools B.2.1 Solid and Built-up Tools B.2.2 Segmented Tools B.3 Prepare a Suitable Work Area B.4 Preparing for Grinding B.4.1 Facing the Blank B.4.2 How to Prevent Astigmatism B.4.3 Bevel the Edge B.4.4 Grinding Strokes B.5 Rough Grinding B.6 Fine Grinding B.6.1 Fine Abrasives B.6.2 Getting a Sphere B.6.3 Going on to #220 B.6.4 The Fine Side of Fine Grinding B.7 Preparing to Polish B.7.1 Pitch B.7.2 Polishing Agents B.7.3 Pitch Base B.8 Making the Pitch Lap B.8.1 Grooving the Lap B.8.2 Pressing the Lap B.9 Polishing B.9.1 Judging the "Feel" of the Lap B.9.2 Holding the Lap B.9.3 Completing the Polish B.10 Testing B.10.1 Test Stand and Testing Tunnel B.10.2 Begin Testing Early B.10.3 Testing for Astigmatism B.11 Figuring B.11.1 Goals in Figuring B.11.2 Rating Telescope Mirrors B.11.3 Do the Best You Can B.12 Test Methods B.12.1 Testing the Sphere B.12.2 The Sphere and the Paraboloid B.12.3 Star Testing B.12.3.1 Doing a Star Test B.12.3.2 Interpreting the Star Test B.14.4 Applying a Null Test B.14.5 Reading a Ronchi Screen B.13 The Art of Figuring 24 B.13.1 High, Low, Long, Short B.13.2 Figuring Laps B.13.3 Figuring Strokes B.13.3.1 The Long, Straight, Central Stroke B.13.3.2 The W Stroke B.13.3.3 Tangential Strokes B.13.3.4 Strokes for Small Polishers B.13.4 Correcting a Low Edge B.13.5 Correcting a Turned-Down Edge B.13.6 Correcting High Zones B.13.7 Correcting Low Zones B.16 A Few Final Words Appendix C Digital Setting Circles C.1 A Bit of History C.2 How Digital Circles Work C.3 Accurate Circles Need an Accurate Telescope C.4 Installation C.4.1 Mounting the Azimuth Encoder C.4.2 Mounting the Altitude Encoder C.4.3 Mounting the Computer C.5 General Advice Appendix D Equatorial Platforms Appendix E Resources and Suppliers E.1 Aluminum tubing E.2 Foam tube insulation E.3 Double-sided tape E.4 Specialty tools, knobs and latches E.5 Threaded inserts E.6 Levelers (collimation knobs) E.7 Felt tabs and floor protector pads (mirror cell pads) E.8 HVHC plywood (Hardwood Veneer Hardwood Core) E.9 Sliders or cord locks and sling webbing E.10 Heat ropes E.11 Heat paks E.12 Black Ripstop Nylon (for the light shroud) E.13 Kydex plastic for the light baffle E.14 E.14 Etched virgin Teflon E.15 #1782 Stardust Quarry Finish Formica E.16 #4552-50 Ebony Star countertop laminate E.17 Glassboard (bead board or fiberglass reinforced panel) E.18 Self-tapping threaded wood inserts E.19 Cam levers E.20 12-Volt cooling fans E.21 Ladders (for big telescopes) E.22 Small parts E.23 Epoxy resins E.24 Loading ramps, pneumatic wheels for wheelbarrow handles, and marine trailer jacks E.25 Black aperture f/ratio labels E.26 Plastic grommets for light shroud E.27 Duct tape E.28 Collimation tools E.29 Commercial Components for Telescope Making E.29.1 Optics, focusers, digital setting circles, eyepieces, Telrads E.29.2 Spiders and secondary mirror holders E.29.3 Cast aluminum poles seat, clamping wedges, side bearings E.51 Mirror Making Supplies E.51.1 Pyrex glass E.51.2 Kerr dental plaster E.51.3 MicroGrit abrasives E.51.4 Optical pitch E.51.5 Ronchi screens for mirror testing Bibliography Afterword Index.