A Comment from Tim in Posser, Washington . . .

I had my Orion 14 rebuilt by Dennis Steele (Dobstuff) late 2018. I did the Easy Transport Telescope option, and Sky Commander. I could not be happier!!

(Posted on Cloudy Nights August 29, 2020).

Al's 16" Almost Completed...

Just about completed is Al's 16" F3.9 string-strut telescope.
There's just a couple more accessories to add -- a primary
dew shield and dual- fan assembly. Out under the stars,
this evening, the scope performed like the beauty it is.

A "powered" ground board is always a nice feature. The power source,
a battery, can sit 12 feet out of the way.

The power "distribution" on top of the ground board.

And the power control panel can accommodate 3 devices.

Dual fans for Al's 16" telescope.

Great Progress on Al's 16" F3.9 . . .

I just need to finish the rocker box bottom and ground board,
install the Sky Commander and complete the DSC
stalk. Difficult to see in the photo, but the strings are installed.

A 10" F6 for my Personal Telescope...

A 10" f6 from Nova Optics for my new "personal" telescope.

The OTA for the 10" F6. Note the full UTA for this "strut: telescope.
the focuser is a Moonlite 2-speed with a Destiny 3-vane curved-vane
spider. The secondary is 2" minor axis.

A Rocker Box for Al's 16" F3.9 ....

Coming along is the rocker box for Al's telescope. The "fit"
is just right. Wheel barrow handles need to be added.

And Al's 16" F3.9 Strut Telescope . . .

Al's "big finder" affixed along with Moonlite focuser, curved-vane
spider and Feathertouch focuser -- Note the Easy Transport
intermediate ring. Strings will be installed as well.

 

And More on Al's 16" F4 ...

Al's beautiful 16" F4 primary mirror. I've put a "donut" onto the center
for easy collimation. The spider is an "observatory grade" heavy-duty
unit from Destiny with a Feathertouch focuser.

The custom mirror cover in place. It's now time to "test" the strut lengths.

 

A 16" F4.5 Telescope for Al in Appleton, Wisconsin...

That's an "observatory grade" Destiny spider and Feathertouch
focuser. The secondary mirror will have a "dew solution" affixed.

 

10" F4.5 Light Baffle for Focuser . . .

One of our customers, his 10" telescope and a great idea for a focuser baffle. LOOKS GREAT:

My 10" Dobstuff came with a small rectangular shroud opposite from the focuser.  At home, I have various streetlights to contend with, and found this small shroud woefully insufficient. 

I first tried making a circular shroud from some thin black foam, which was worked pretty well, but tended to collapse into the light path.  So I just finished making a new one:

It's made of ABS plastic, same as the shroud near the primary mirror that came with the scope.  I measured the shape; there are notches for the spider vanes, a circle for the focuser, and an odd rectangle where my finders stick through.  I sent the design to a plastics store to make the cuts, since I'm short on tools.  I then spray painted the inside with flat black, and used velcro to hold the overlapping edge together.  It attaches to the top ring via some hand screws, so it's easy to remove if needed.

A Photo from Nathan in South Vienna, Ohio...

A note and photo from Nathan and his 12" Lightbridge on a rocker box
built from one of our kits. I like the color.....

 

Ken's 16" F4.5 Close to Completion...

Ken's telescope was converted from a single upper-ring to a full 
upper tube assembly. His 6-tube truss is now an 8-tube truss. Nice!

The dual finder mount for an optical finder and laser pointer.

 

Ken's 16" F4.5 Upper Tube Assembly . . .

Ken's UTA sports a Moonlite 2-speed focuser and Destiny 3-vane
 curved-vane spider. The "dual finder" mount is for his optical finder an
laser-pointer. 

Detail of the 3-vane curved-vane spider.

 

Two 16" Telescopes

A 16" strut telescope for Albert in Appleton, Wisconsin. This
telescope will sport a Feathertouch focuser, 3-vane observatory
grade spider, Easy Transport Telescope option and Sky Commander.

24" altitude bearings will guarantee smooth motion and enough sticktion
to keep the telescope in place between eyepiece changes.

Also underway is a modification to Ken's 16" truss telescope. We're making
this 6-tube truss into an 8-tube truss and adding a full upper tube assembly.