150mm Baby Dobson

[Roel]

My latest ATM project is a little travel scope around a 150mm f/4 Orion UK (1/6 PV) mirror set that has been in my closet for almost a year. I'm planning an observing trip to La Palma this summer and although I already built a 350mm trussdob for this trip, I wondered if I could bring a little widefield scope as well...

At the moment the scope is nearly completed. It still needs some paint, a reddot finder, baffling, a and maybe a shroud (for solar obseving with Baader foil), but it's functional already; I observed and sketched comet Lovejoy for its First Light: http://www.roelblog.nl/2015/01/2317/  The comet was easy to locate by "eyeballing" along the side of the scope and also because its wide field of view, so I might skip the finder

The focuser is made out of the inner workings of an old camera zoom lens, the rest is plywood and aluminium.

The size of the package is 9,4 x 8,6 x 4 inches. The trusses (19" long) are to be transported separately. The total transport weight including he trusses is 2,4kg (5,3 pounds)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

That looks so sweet. Absolute little stunner. I feel I would like to build one right now (but probably would be able to make it look that nice).

[NickK]

That is beautiful - both from a scope perspective and a craftmans perspective!

Grr - just been given my father-in-law's 9" band saw.. hmm *lightbulb*

[happy-kat]

That is a thing of beauty.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Any chance of publishing the plans?

[Roel]

I'm sorry, I dont have any usable plans... Some rough sketches full of errors and alterations, but nothing anyone else but me would understand...

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I'm sorry, I dont have any usable plans... Some rough sketches full of errors and alterations, but nothing anyone else but me would understand...

I know how that works. I always make things up as a go along too

[spaceboy]

Now that is what you call a briefcase dob!! Very cool and well crafted

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Nice beer too

[1parsec]

That is fantastic and beautifully built.

[Astrobits]

NEAT

Nigel

[Moonshane]

superb. beautiful too. I think my only observations are that 1) I'd add a finder and 2) I'd not have the holes in the rocker to reduce primary dust in storage.

just awesome.

[swamp thing]

What a lovely little scope. Well done. 

Nicely photographed too

[Astro Imp]

A thing of beauty and practical too.

[Chris]

Very nicely done, it really is a piece of art! Also great idea for a light weight focuser  

[steppenwolf]

Beautiful looking instrument - I'd love to be able to work wood like that!

[kev]

Thats cute! And nicely finished too.

Sent from my iPhone so excuse the typos!

[Piero]

really beautiful! I hope you enjoy the views with it!

any thought about publishing (online?) the design? 

[Mr Spock]

Lovely scope. I'd like something like that myself.

[Piero]

me too!

[mapstar]

Saw this in your comet thread and it looks superb here. Well done and inspiring me after the big dob to make a smaller dob in the future from the mirror up

Damian

[Damo636]

Fantastic work Roel, truly lovely!

[Soupy]

Mapstar showed me this thread today. I have just bought a second hand 200p OTA. I was going to just build a rocker box but now I have other ideas. Completely strip the OTA salvage the mirror, finder scope and focuser, and build something like this! If only I had the skills. Damian I might need some serious help mate!

[nightfisher]

That is a superb little scope, i wonder what the smallest "suitcase" dob is, i seem to remember shane toying with making one from a 114 f4.4

[Nathan_Pembs]

Great craftsmanship, I'd be so proud of that.

Also agree, top photographs too