More on Scott's 16" Truss Telescope . . .

Almost completed in Scott's rocker box for his big 16" truss telescope.
Once the bottom and ground are completed, I'll make the wheel barrow
handles and DSC stalk. A full Sky Commander will be installed.

Chris' 10" Zhumell Rocker Box Complete . . .

An oversized ground board makes for a much
more stable platform. 

"Almost" Complete, Chris' Rocker Box . . .

Rocker Box for Chris' 10" Zhumell. Looking great.

Just another couple of components to complete
this beauty. I'm looking forward to seeing the
telescope installed. Neat stuff!!

Scott's 16" and Chris' 10" . . .

The rocker box is taking shape for Scott' 16" F4.5 truss telescope.

And with the mirror box/altitude bearings inserts, a perfect fit!!

Chris' custom rocker box for his 10" Zhumell. Lookin' good.

10" Zhumell Custom Rocker Box ...

A custom rocker box is underway for Chris in Saline, Louisiana.

An example of the rocker box supplied
by Zhumell is pressed wood and heavy.

10" f4.5 For Sale . . .

99.9% completed and for sale is a 10" F4.5 with Meade research grade primary and secondary. Two speed GSO focuser, curved-vane spider. $995 plus shipping.

Contact me at densteele@dobstuff.com for more information

Dennis

Scott's 16" F4.5 Altitude and More ...

24" altitude bearings for Scott's 16" F4.5.

Mirror box and altitude bearings. The rocker box is
coming along as well.

Dave Delivers a Rocker .

Dave and his wife Peggy (L), Linda and me enjoy a nice meal
at one of my favorite "joints" -- Mama Gina's in Palm Desert.

It's always so enjoyable to meet my customers face to face....

Dave drove on out from Albuquerque, New Mexico to deliver
a rocker box projects -- a 12" Orion Intelliscope!! Neat.

Scott's 16" F4.5 Truss...

Scott 16" with full Upper Tube Assembly and
2-speed 2" Moonlite focuser

Mirror cover and mirror box detail

Detail of the UTA

Size Does Matter . . .

Working on the 16" telescope for Scott, I thought it be interesting to compare
an altitude bearings for a 10". The 10" bearing is 15" in diameter while
the 16" bearing is 24" in diameter. So, yes, size does matter!!

A 10" Under Construction and For Sale . . .

Under construction and for sale is a beautiful 10" F4.5 with Meade

research-grade primary mirror and mirror cell. The altitude bearings

 and rocker box sides are taking shape.   Nice!!

The telescope is awaiting its 3-vane curved-vane spider. 
Note the 2-speed GSO focuser and custom color. The telescope 
will sell for $1195 plus shipping.

An "example" of the completed telescope.

A Note from Dave in Peotone, Illinois...

Hi Dennis:

Now that I've had 8 or 9 months to use the scope, I wanted to update you on my thoughts:

1. The general construction is excellent. Visually the telescope resembles a piece of fine furniture in the house. In fact I leave it assembled in my home when not in use.

2. The durability of the telescope great. The telescope is made rock solid!

3. Though the telescope is built solid, the movements of the Alt bearing and Azimuth are quite smooth and very easy to move.

4. The balance on the scope is good. The center of gravity is slightly off making the bottom of the telescope slightly heavier. I added a small diver bag with lead shot in it (less than 2lbs) to the top so the scope would balance.

5. The mobility of the telescope is excellent! I am able to disassemble the scope and load in my vehicle in 5 minutes. I can remove from my car and assemble within 10 minutes.

6. The collimation is easy to adjust and holds well through an observing session.  Obviously after a ride in a car I have to tweak the collimation a bit but that is true on most dobs.

7. Customer service throughout the build and after was nothing short of spectacular. Dennis it was an absolute pleasure working with you.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the telescope.  If i were rating the scope on a 5 star system, this scope would be 5 stars! Everyone who sees the telescope is completely impressed by it, both aesthetically and functionally! Combined with the custom Ostahowski mirrors this scope is a dream come true. The images are absolutely incredible.  Just the other night i was noticing the swirls in one of Jupiters equatorial bands. Ive also seen the central star in M57, and even was able to find Pluto from our somewhat light polluted skys. Over the winter i was able to view the horsehead nebula (briefly). Star clusters, and galaxies look amazing.

Dennis feel free to post this review. And if anyone out there is considering Dennis for building their telescope, your search is over, Dennis is the Man!!!

Dave
Peotone IL
16in dob
Optics by Terry Ostahowski
Structure by Dennis Steele

A 10" Under Construction ...

A 10" strut telescope under construction. This telescope will
be offered for sale when completed.

An example of the telescope except for the custom color --
Mahogany.

John and His 12" Lightbridge - Another Blast from the Past...

All set up for Saturn last night, July 9, 2019.
(That's one of our rocker boxes built in 2011).

More on Scott's 16" Truss Telescope . . .

The upper tube assembly (UTA) with Moonlite 2-speed focuser.

The Meade 16" primary mirror in its cell and custom mirror cover.

A 16" Truss for Scott in Puerto Rico . . .

Scott's 16" F4.5 mirror is a Meade Starfinder and includes
the stock mirror cell and spider.

The early stages of the upper tuber assembly (UTA). This telescope
will be an 8-tube truss with Sky Commander.

The Meade Starfinder spider works just fine. I'll make a small modification
to make it easier to attach the secondary and collimate.

The focuser board and finder board coming together.

Another Note from Nick and his "Built from a Kit" Telescope...

Hi Dennis,

Managed to get out to dark skies last night in eastern WA. The telescope was perfect - buttery smooth motions and a pleasure to use and look at. I received many compliments on your (our? I'll take some credit for the sanding / staining :) ) craftsmanship.  The scope fits without issue in my Mazda sedan - pretty great for a 13.1" of aperture.

The telescope sets up and tears down quickly. I'm all thumbs with the truss poles still but getting better w/ practice.

Hope you are well, looks like you're busy as ever.

Clear skies,
Nick
Spokane, Washington.