Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Summers
The idea of making my own telescope has gained a lot of appeal over the last few weeks. Started thinking of a Dob but then thought about a refractor. I already own a little 5" refractor which is quite good. Would like advice on size limits for the starter telescope maker, Dob or refractor, thought about 12" for the dob and 8 or 10" for refractor. Is this shooting too high??
Tom  |
Hi Tom
I like how you say "I already own a little 5" refractor" - some would call that quite a reasonable size! I just made a 4" f13 with a lens cell I bought off a bloke on CloudyNights.com. It was fun to make and seems to work quite well.
As a few others have said, if you are going up to 8" or 10" for a refractor you will need a fairly hefty mount. They are big scopes, but no doubt would be terrific to use.
And, on the dobsonian side - you can have a lot of fun making something to just suit your needs. There are quite a few inspirational examples here at IIS, on CloudyNights and also on the Stellafane site which spurred me on to make an 8" dob a while ago using a secondhand Guan Sheng mirror. Oh yes, mirrors seem to have come down a fair bit in price over the last few years if you just want to buy one already complete - have to say that making a mirror or even a refractor lens is probably well beyond my patience, and skill.
Good luck (sorry about the ramble).
Andrew