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This picture is by request for Chris.

The green one is a 6" f5 Jaegers lens in metal tube with GSO focuser. The wooden one is a D&G 6" f15 lens in a thin ply octagonal tube with AP focuser. Both piers are made from plywood with jarrah veneer.

Andy

Perth Australia

 

DSC01953 - Copy.JPG

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I think I've found my next project after I've finished grinding, polishing and figuring my mirror. Maybe not one that big though! wonderful craftsmen ship, Andy, I really like what you've done here! :)   

Wood and brass might look nice? Steampunk maybe? 

Is it just marine ply for the main scope tube? I'm just wondering if we can get away with this design with our damp UK climate??

Edited by Chris Lock
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1 hour ago, plyscope said:

This picture is by request for Chris.

The green one is a 6" f5 Jaegers lens in metal tube with GSO focuser. The wooden one is a D&G 6" f15 lens in a thin ply octagonal tube with AP focuser. Both piers are made from plywood with jarrah veneer.

Andy

Perth Australia

 

DSC01953 - Copy.JPG

Beautiful!!! :headbang:

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Thank you all for the nice comments. There is no reason you can't use this type of telescope anywhere in the world. I would not leave it outside when not in use but I wouldn't do that with a non-wooden scope either. They can handle dew and moisture in the air just like any other material. The wood is varnished or painted just like a small boat.

Here is a link to a Cloudy Nights thread describing a 5" f12 built to this design;

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/325327-5-f12-istar-refractor-project/#entry4171500

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16 hours ago, plyscope said:

Thank you all for the nice comments. There is no reason you can't use this type of telescope anywhere in the world. I would not leave it outside when not in use but I wouldn't do that with a non-wooden scope either. They can handle dew and moisture in the air just like any other material. The wood is varnished or painted just like a small boat.

Here is a link to a Cloudy Nights thread describing a 5" f12 built to this design;

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/325327-5-f12-istar-refractor-project/#entry4171500

Thanks for posting up pics of your lovely scopes, Andy, and cheers for the link, I'll read that with great interest!

One other question if that's ok? plywood is a great insulator, so how would you say the plywood tube compares with conventional materials in terms of cool down time?

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16 hours ago, plyscope said:

This one is a light-weight 90mm f16.7 (90/1500) using an Antares Vixen spec lens.

 

90-1500 on GP 004.jpg

Wow there's more! This size scope looks good on a medium duty EQ mount. I see the tube is quite far forward in the rings, is it balanced at this point? If so it looks handy for not having to stoop down so far to get to the eyepiece :) 

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52 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

Thanks for posting up pics of your lovely scopes, Andy, and cheers for the link, I'll read that with great interest!

One other question if that's ok? plywood is a great insulator, so how would you say the plywood tube compares with conventional materials in terms of cool down time?

The plywood is thin, only 3 or 4mm in thickness. Cooldown is not an issue at all. The lenses are achromatic doublets of small size so not really much thermal mass. 

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48 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

Wow there's more! This size scope looks good on a medium duty EQ mount. I see the tube is quite far forward in the rings, is it balanced at this point? If so it looks handy for not having to stoop down so far to get to the eyepiece :) 

This particular scope is very light for it's length and is balanced as shown in the photo with a 2" GSO diagonal and 40mm Reverse Kellner eyepiece. It is ok on the Vixen GP mount when there is no wind. The long tube can catch the breeze. It is a nice scope for solar observing with an appropriate filter.

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Thanks Andy, I didn't realise how thin the ply would be until I just read the CN thread you linked, but it kind of makes sense to keep it thin and reinforce with baffles, your 5" f/12 Istar in red looks the business! I really enjoyed reading all about it and the build process, plus seeing the end result! :) 

Edited by Chris Lock
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39 minutes ago, Stu said:

I do like those Vixens Chris, lightweight with nice sharp Optics.

 

33 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

Chris, now that Vixen does look nice, looking forward to hearing how it performs

Cheers Stu and Jules :) I'm looking forward to the clouds parting! If the optics are anything like the build quality then I'm in safe hands with it I think- feels like a proper scope, an actual metal focuser and metal tube rings unlike the budget end Bresser 90/1200 I initially tried and couldn't quite live with.

Lovely coatings on the Vixen, plus very nice looking Plossl EP's and a metal prism diagonal as standard...I'll be interested to see how the Vixen Prism performs.

Also quite dark inside that tube which bodes well :) 

IMG_20170429_154335.jpg

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Edited by Chris Lock
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1 hour ago, Chris Lock said:

Been doing a bit of penny pinching lately, so out with the ED100 HEQ5 combo, and in with a Vixen A80Mf f/11.4 on an EQ3. 

Two year old (well nearly 3) for scale ;) 

IMG_20170429_152513.jpg

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Nice looking scope Chris. Thinking of starting a book on the odds before you change it. Hehe! ;) 

Joking aside, hoping you get good views with it and it's a keeper for you. 

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13 minutes ago, Knighty2112 said:

Nice looking scope Chris. Thinking of starting a book on the odds before you change it. Hehe! ;) 

Joking aside, hoping you get good views with it and it's a keeper for you. 

haha well looking at my previous form I'd bet about 5-6 months, Gus, but you never know hey :icon_biggrin:

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On 2017-3-24 at 15:31, deejay said:

Here's my vintage £58 GBP ebay buy TOWA 80mm, stripped of its scratched worn paint job and the red vinyl covering I put on it as a temporary measure. I have taken it down to the metal on the tube and polished it, as I did with my Tasco 550 featured earlier in this thread. I may have it professionally Chromed on the main tube and finder tube and possibly brass finished on the Dew shield and finder dew shield. It looks great in the corner of my living room as it is  even my wife approves!!

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That looks great, and good optics too boot! It'll look like a Skylight F15 by the time you're finished?..

Dave

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Here are a couple of my new (to me) Takahashi FS128 just acquired 4 days ago. We had visitors all weekend til early afternoon so only just had a chance to set her up.

I haven't fitted the RA motor as yet, the EM2 mount has just an RA drive but also slow motions on each axis, ideal for my visual only needs.

The other scope for comparison is my 80mm F15 Moonrakered refractor with Kenko Japan 1980s lens on a CG4 mount: the Tak EM2 is much more robust- as it needs to be to handle the big Tak tube?..

Dave

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IMG_20170430_181928051.jpg

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Thanks John, the pictures don't really show the true difference in size of the two scopes but I thought they make a nice pair?.

I've added some more photos now onto the original thread, hope you like them..

Dave

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Yeah not bad, Dave, not bad ;) 

Seriously though, they're both amazing setups in their own right! :) 

The Tak does take the biscuit though! I'll be very interested to hear how it performs on Planets, the Moon, doubles, open clusters, globs, Planetary nebulae, galaxies, well you get the picture...that's a big bit  Fluorite glass at the front!

Edited by Chris Lock
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On 4/27/2017 at 15:38, plyscope said:

This picture is by request for Chris.

The green one is a 6" f5 Jaegers lens in metal tube with GSO focuser. The wooden one is a D&G 6" f15 lens in a thin ply octagonal tube with AP focuser. Both piers are made from plywood with jarrah veneer.

Andy

Perth Australia

 

DSC01953 - Copy.JPG

Beautiful craftsmanship Andy! 

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On 30/04/2017 at 18:31, Chris Lock said:

Been doing a bit of penny pinching lately, so out with the ED100 HEQ5 combo, and in with a Vixen A80Mf f/11.4 on an EQ3. 

Two year old (well nearly 3) for scale ;) 

IMG_20170429_152513.jpg

IMG_20170429_152539.jpg

Very nice, @Chris Lock, I'm particularly impressed that you have managed to train the Little Tikes car to look through the eyepiece! :eek:  :lol: 

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@DRT Hahah! I completely missed that! It's almost worth re-taking the picture to try and make it even more convincing, e.g. slightly move the camera position and take the EP cap off! :icon_biggrin:

Good spot :) 

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