Peter's 14" Kit Coming Along....

The altitude bearings and rocker box sides taking shape.

A 14" Kit for Peter . . .

Peter asked that I mount the focuser, spider and secondary
on the upper ring. The focuser is a 2-speed Moonlite

I use a laser collimator to confirm that the focuser aligns
with the secondary. Here you see the "dot" in the center.
There is enough up/down, left/right adjustment for this purpose.

Keith and his 17.5" Telescope . . .

Dennis: 

Here is a pic of me and my scope at Killdeer Plains wild life area.  It is working out great. Easier to move than my old scope and setup.  Gave great view of the various objects I viewed.  My friend was with me and he likes it to.  Very good!  I'm very happy!

Keith, (N8LIS)
Galion, Ohio.

Bob's 16" F4.5 --- Just About Complete . . .

I always assemble my telescopes completely so as to check
for fit, finish and motion. In this case -- it's right on!!

The partially assembled OTA and ready to place in the rocker box.

It's easy to grab the top ring of the mirror box and lift the assembly
 into the rocker. A little leverage makes the job a snap. 

Add the "intermediate" ring. Note the washers are "up:
This keeps the top-half of the struts from digging 
into the wood ring.

Add the top half of the struts, strings,
sliding counterweight and finder(s).

Finally, add the top ring. I make the struts a bit "off center".
this puts stress on the assembly as it lines up and
creates a more rigid OTA. Note the strings as well.

The mirror box, strings and mirror cover. I like to
use Lemon Oil Pledge on the bearings surfaces to
clean and lubricate the Ebonystar and Teflon.

14" String Strut Kit for Peter ....t

The OTA for Peter's 14" kit. This will be a  "string-strut" with
Easy Travel Telescope option. Peter lives in  Canmore, Alberta, Canada.

Bob's 16" -- Getting Closer to Completion . . .

The Optical Tube Assembly just about complete. The
altutude bearings need varnish and the Ebony Star laminate.

The rocker box assembled with clamps to check
the "fit". It's great!!

The "strings" and intermediate ring. Works perfectly.

The "strings" tension is adjusted via a turnbuckle.

And Bob's OTA . . .

Bob's OTA is nearing completion. Here, the
Easy Transport Telescope option is in place.

More on Bob's 16" String-Strut Telescope

The "mirror board", custom cover and upper ring.

Bob included a JMI focuser and Protostar spider for his telescope.

Bob C's 16" F4.5 String-Strut Telescope . . .

Bob's 16" is coming along. Here, the 6-point flotation mirror
cell is affixed to the mirror. I wait 24-48 hours for the silicone to cure.

Bob sent along a Protostar spider to integrate with his "remake"
I've mounted the focuser a bit to the "horizontal" so the eyepiece
is easy to access when the telescope is higher in the sky.

Note the focuser bracket to the left of the spider.

Packaging Keith's 17.5" Telescope. . .

With "big" mirrors, like Keith's 17.5" I like to make a wood box.

The rocker box and mirror box. note that the mirror box
nests into the rocker box. Great for shipping, storing and moving.

The Upper Tube Assembly fits into a standard 28" square box. 

Keith 17.5" F4.5 truss telescope all packaged
up and ready to ship. Whew!!!

Keith's 17.5" F4.5 Truss -- 99.9%!!

Keith's 17.5" will be completed tomorrow. I'll start packaging up
the telescope on Saturday. It's rather easy to manage when dis-
assembled -- otherwise it's a BIGGY!! Nice.

Detail of the mirror box and rocker box. The primary has
yet to be center marked with a donut. I'll do that tomorrow.

All of my telescopes include a "custom mirror cover".

Detail of the mirror box. Note the 1.25" "struts" for a nice rigid assembly.

The mirror sits on a 6-point flotation cell.

The focuser is a 2-speed 2" Moonlite with compression ring. The
spider is an Observatory-Grade 4-vane curved-vane Destiny.

My good buddy Jim dropped by and snapped this photo of yours truly and
Keith's telescope. To the left is a 12.5" for a high school astronomy club.
In the foreground is a 13.1" string-strut F4.5 (for sale).