10 inch f4.5 dob

After going the wood butcher route on my first scope and seeing all the 'pretty' scopes at starparties I decided to try for a better fit and finish this time. A lot of the design ideas came from Paul Stock's website before it became Black Knight Telescopes. The wood is cabinet grade 3/4" oak veneer plywood, stained and finished with 7 coats of urethane finish.
A plunge router with a homemade circle cutting attachment made quick work of the many circles that needed to be cut. The wood is fastened with glue and biscuit joints. The only screws are the ones holding the feet on. The azimuth bearing (below) is a 1/2" id bronze bushing pressed into an aluminum flange. This design should last the life of the scope with no slop.








The focuser (left) is crayford type that uses 1" teflon rod as bearings instead of ball bearings. I found a similar design on the net and thought I would try it. The teflon proved too stiff to allow the focuser to be adjusted with a smooth roller as in a traditional crayford so I had to put a slight knurl on the roller. This caused a little roughness in the focus but it is still better than most commercial ones.



The design allows the tube to be spun to allow the best focuser position. The ring (right) also lets you adjust the balance for different finders or eyepieces.
I racked my brain trying to find a way to hold the cover (below) to the top of the scope. The solution cost 89 cents! They are 3/4" plastic tubing clamps. All I had to do was add an extra screw to keep them from swiveling.




After the scope was assembled the views through the second hand mirror were disappointing. I took the mirror out and sent it to Swayze Optical to have Steve refigure it. I now have a scope that provides great views at night as well as looks good during the day.