A Note from Larry in N. Salt Lake City, Utah . . .

 A note and photo from Larry in N. Salt Lake, Utah:

Hi Dennis: Finally some warmer (non-snow, rain, wind) weather. After hand sanding quite a bit, my son told me he had a sander.  Larry

A Note from David in Phoenix, Maryland....

Hi Dennis,  I got the rocker box today!   Everything arrived safely and the scope fit like a glove.   I haven’t had chance to take it outside yet but took few pictures inside.  Thank you so much!

David...

Dan's 17.5" F4.5 Telescope Completed . . .

A full Sky Commander system is installed, configured
and tested.

All of my telescopes include a custom-fitted
mirror cover to keep the optics clean and safe.

The heaviest components of this beauty is
the primary mirror itself. Features include
an Observatory Grade Destiny spider, 9-point
flotation mirror cell, Sky commander and 
Moonlite 2-speed focuser.

 

Jim and his 13.1" Truss Kit...

Jim's OTA is looking just right. Nice job
assembling the kit. That's a Moonlite 2-speed
focuser and Destiny 3-vane spider on the top ring.

Rocker box, mirror box and top ring.

This is gonna be a super telescope!!

 

A Rocker Box for a Takahashi MT-160...

A "dob" mount for David's Takahashi MT-160
Newtonian reflector. It stands a scant 20" high
from the base to the center of the altitude 
bearings. David lives in Phoenix, Maryland.

Those are Parallax tube rings. Nice n' heavy duty.

 

A "First Light" from Al in Appleton, Wisconsin . . .

 Hi Dennis:

Well, you wouldn't think that it would take almost eight months to have first light with the amazing 16" dob you built for me, but what with several plans foiled by weather and the pandemic, it did.  My friend Steve and I drove it 1400 miles and finally set it up in Durango, Colorado two weeks ago under stunningly dark skies at 7,500 feet and had a wonderful, inspiring two nights of viewing.  First object was Sirius, to focus in and verify collimation, and then the little open cluster M41 just below it when the sky was still blue... and it was quite wonderful! 

And it only got better from there.  What I see through the eyepiece now is what I always wanted to see: globulars resolved to the core, open clusters rich with bright and faint stars, the bright wings of M42 as well as the core nebulosity, faint galaxies that had previously been too dim to see, and on and on.

So thank you!  Thank you for creating such a fine framework for the f3.9 mirror I got from Orion Optics in the UK.  The scope was easy to put together, impressively steady yet easy to move, and with the cables, holds collimation in all positions.  I have yet to hook up the Sky Commander because we ran out of clear nights before I could do so, but that's next.

Thanks again, Al.

A Completed 10" Kit and Near Completed 17.5" Telescope...

Aaron's 10" strut kit with "Easy Transport" completed.
Aaron's spider, mirror cell and focuser pre-mounted for him.

Dan's mirror box, altitude bearings and 
rocker box are pretty close to completed.

Lookin' great!!

 

Larry and his 13.1" F4.5 Strut Kit ...

It's always a pleasure meeting my customers. Here's 
Larry, from N. Salt Lake Utah, picking up his 13.1"
F4.5 strut telescope kit.

Have fun assembling the kit, Larry. It'll be an 
enjoyable experience. The primary was tested by,
and evaluated by Swayze Optical.

 

Aaron's 10" Kit Nearing Completion . . .

Pretty much completed, Aaron's kit include his mirror cell
mounted on the mirror board, 4-vane spider and focuser.
This will be the "easy transport" version of the strut telescope.

The rocker box for Aaron's kit as well as one of the 15"
altitude bearings. Looking GREAT!!

 

Dan's 17.5" F4.5 Strut Telescope --

A "good size" telescope with struts that
stand 70.25"!! It's a big 'un!!

 

Rich and his 12" GSO Telescope

A rocker box "kit" for Rich in Sewell, New Jersey.  The kit 
was "just about right" with a bit of "tweeks" needed on the
side-bearing openings.  I sure do like the color.

 

More on a 17.5" and 10" Strut Telescope...

Here are the top-rings for Dan's 17.5" strut-telescope, with
an "observatory grade" curved-vane spider and Aaron's 10"
strut-telescope with his 4-vane spider. Note the focusers
are affixed to the rings as well. Aaron's telescope is a "kit".

 

The "mirror board" and top ring are completed and ready to
test under the stars.  Date 4/10/21

That's a Moonlite 2-speed focuser and Observatory Grade
Destiny spider with 3.5" secondary. The primary is mounted
on a 9-point flotation mirror cell of our own design. Date 4/10/21.

THANK YOU TO SIDDHESH for His Note:

Here's a note about his telescope. I "so appreciate" a note from him:

Hi Dennis, I hope this message finds you very well! Now that the winter has wound down, I've been able to use my new dob more often than in the past few months. Man, do I love this scope! As one who has practically always used refractors, it is so nice to have a bit of aperture! It's like a whole new universe up there :-) I can picture myself requesting you to build a 6" f/4 for me in the coming year or two. But, for now, I'm simply relishing what I have. Thanks for building me a great scope!

With warm wishes, 
Siddhesh 

Three Projects Underway...

A 10" kit underway for Aaron in Delaware, Ohio. I've
mounted his mirror cell and spider so far.

Here's a 12" GSO telescope rocker-box kit for Richard
in Sewell, New Jersey. Richard asked me to apply the
custom color and varnish to his kit. The Red Chestnut
color is beautiful and, when varnished, really "pops"!!

Not shown is the 17.5" telescope for for Dan in Wheatley, Ontario,
Canada. It's the early stages of construction as yet.

 

Jim's 13" Truss Kit is Underway...

Jim's 13.1" truss kit is well underway. It's lookin' great!!

 

A 13.1" Kit for Larry . . .

A single-upper-ring strut kit for Larry in North Salt Lake, Utah.
The kit has a number of great components -- Moonlite focuser,
Sky Commander and Easy Transport Telescope. It also features a 13.1" mirror set Larry had tested by Steve at Swayze Optical. Note, too, the curved-vane spider.

 

A 13.1" Truss-Kit for Jim in Branford, CT...

 

A 9-Point Mirror Cell for Don in St. George, Utah...

 

A Nice Note from Hao in Arcadia, California...

 I did have a chance to use the telescope for two nights. I like that the telescope is straightforward to set up, and it holds collimation quite well from session to session. The finish of the wood is top-notch. Its original light yellow wood color is pleasing to the eye. The operation of the dob is smooth, and the encoder is accurate and it a breeze to install and use. Adjusting the counterweight is also easy, although it is not frequently needed. I like the idea of strut dob that it is easier to maneuver and make the hold dob look strong. I anticipate it will also withstand wind better. The only downside of it is that it cannot prevent my 2-year-old daughter from touching the mirror! The rocker-box structure is strong, did not twist, and swings easily. Also, its transportable option is quite helpful in moving the telescope around including the dark side. the spider vane looks super-duty. Thank you for making this telescope in a timely manner and having everything carefully and thoughtfully executed. I also enjoy communicating with you and looking at the progress of telescope making by visiting your Facebook page.  Best regards!

Hao

A Longer Focus 12.5" Telescope...

Lou's 12.5" F6.8 longer focus telescope. Note the
round altitude bearings, easy transport and strings.
This telescope, assembled from one of our kit, took
only a few days to assemble by Lou. He lives in
Green Valley, Arizona. Great job Lou!!

Detail how Lou mounted the altitude bearing. A
great solution....

 

Hao's 15" F4.5 Completed...

With exceptional optics, this 15" F4.5
is quite a telescope. Note the Moonlite 2-
speed focuser, Easy Transport, primary
dew shield and strings.

 

Hao's 15" F4.5 Telescope ...

Hao's 15" F4.5 features a Moonlite
2-speed focuser, full UTA, observatory
grade spider and beautiful primary mirror.

 

A Couple of Projects -- One Completed . . .

Here's a 12.5" kit for Lou and Gina's "long focus" Newtonian.
Lou is using his home-made 12.5" mirror many years in the making!
Note the 9-point mirror cell and Moonlite focuser. This telescope
features the "easy transport" option.

An upper tube assembly for Hao's 15" strut telescope with
easy transport option and strings.

 

A 10" String-Strut Kit for Guy...

A "complete" kit for Guy in Evergreen, Colorado. In this case,
the kit includes optics, focuser, mirror cell -- 
the "Whole Kit and Caboodle"!!

 

A 14" and 15" Telescope . . .

A 15" single-ring strut *L) for Hao and 14" strut for Nick
with full UTA for Rick are underway.

 

Mike and his 16" F4.5 Telescope...

Mike, from Salinas, California, stopped to 
pick up his 16" F4.5 telescope. As always, it's
great meeting customers from near and far.

All set in Mike's car for the trip home. The "box"
is the original shipping carton for the primary mirror.

 

Mike's 16" F4.5 Truss Telescope Completed...

Mike's 16" Truss. The scope is set up for a star-test tonight

That's a 16" F4.5 GSO on a 9-point mirror cell with
custom mirror cover and primary dew shield.

The spider is a 4-vane curved-vane by Destiny, a 3.5" secondary
and Feathertouch focuser. Note the Telrad finder.

 

A Note and Photo from Siddhesh with his 10" F4 telescope . . .

 

A note and photo from Siddhesh and his 10" F4 with Nova optics:  

Hi Dennis,  At long last, the sky cleared up and I took the dob out to the club's dark site. The seeing was poor, so I didn't split any tight doubles, but I was nothing short of mesmerized by M42 and the double cluster... Pretty amazing to observe nebulosity in the Orion Nebula with the same clarity as the cirrus clouds I see from airplane windows! . . .

Ryan and his 12" Telescope....

Ryan and his dad assembled one of our kits -- this one a 12"
and "not without its challenges". But in the end, they did
a great job. Super your guys!!

Ryan is rightly proud of the work he and his dad did on this
beauty. Note the wheel barrow handles, curved-vane spider and
Moonlite focuser -- looks great.