Telescope Making

Amateur telescope making is an old and noble art, reaching back to Galileo, Newton and Herschel. It is a skill that combines mechanical skill, optical design, woodworking and metalworking to achieve a good result. Despite this anyone who is moderately mechanically inclined can successfully build a telescope. The optics can be purchased or ground yourself, but mirror making raises the level of difficulty somewhat. All the necessary tools can be found in most garage workshops which is where many great telescopes are built.

I have now built six telescopes, from 90mm to 18″, and aided in the construction or modification of several more. I guess that means I am an ATM.

Telescopes

• Deep Violet, an 18″ f/4.5 Truss Tube Dobsonian
• Primero, a 6″ f/5 Classic Newtonian
• Violet Haze, a 90mm APO Refractor
• Makaʻiki – A 6-inch Travel Telescope
• Rebuilding a 12.5″ Truss Tube Dobsonian
• Restoring an Orange Tube Celestron C8
• Refurbishing a TeleVue Renaissance Mount

Improvements

• Rewiring a Celestron NexStar Telescope
• Replacing the Celestron NextStar GPS Battery
• Better Elevation Bearings for an Orion XT8

Bits and Pieces

• A Secondary Mount
• Improved Rocker Box Pads
• Building a Sun Finder
• Calculating Cage Ring or Tube Size in a Reflector
• TeleVue-76 to STi Autoguider Mount
• A USB to ST-4 Adapter
• SBIG ST-i Camera Mount

Accessories

• GPS Observing Clock
• An Audine CCD Camera
• A Dew Heater Controller
• A Red LED Desk Lamp

Placement

• A Backyard Telescope Pier
• A Driveway Telescope