Custom built dob structures?

[pgc hunter]

G'day,

I'm toying with the idea of getting a new dob structure for my 12" dob, as in its existing state it is getting fairly worn...i.e. primary collimation doesn't hold particulary well, the secondary assembly is almost impossible to collimate etc. Is there any company in Melbourne/Vic specialising in building custom made dob structures with the user supplying the primary mirror?

[mental4astro]

The premier dob maker in Oz is in Vic.:

http://www.sdmtelescopes.com.au/

There is also plenty of DIY info out there too.

[wavelandscott]

+1 on SDM...Peter does some incredible work and would be among the top of the list not only in Australia but worldwide...

[pgc hunter]

Well, I spoke to Peter and he said that it would be "prohibitive" in terms of pricing and that I would actually be better off purchasing a larger SDM.

Any other route I could take? The mirror in my scope is known to be outstanding quality....it just needs a "home" worthy of it! ;)

[DavidU]

I have been thinking about this. If I have time, I could do one DOB.
I have a 12" myself that I was thinking about making into a truss DOB.
So it wouldn't be too hard making one more.
Let me think about it.

[mental4astro]

This following site is a very good starting point for starting on scope and component design for the ATM'er. It has both DIY items as well as commercially made components utilised into DIY projects:

http://stellafane.org/misc/links.html

Here are a couple of pics of my 10". I've seen this idea taken all the way to a 17.5" size. For a DIY design, it is very easy to make with limited skills and tools. I made everything except for the optics and focuser. Next time, I would use 10mm ply.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

A friend of mine is a composites engineer and we were discussing re-inventing the dob. I'm meeting him tomorrow to have a gab re design and fabrication. If you have an idea of how you want your scope to look / work, we'd be happy to entertain anyone's plans. If enough people take part we may just be able to get his firm to crank them out a decent price.
However they DO NOT work with 'twigs and mucus', so the price should be much lower and the scope much more weather tolerant.
PM or email if interested
Peter

[GrahamL]

Thats a usefull link alex.. Sab I'd give some thought to making one
even the traditional truss dobs are not overly difficult to make .

[pgc hunter]

Thanks for the offers everyone. I'm currently in discussion with Peter at SDM, and we are in the process of working out a very nice package for my needs.