Wooden telescope tube

[CiderSteve]

Ten or more years ago I saw somewhere on the net instructions for making a wooden tube for a Newtonian out of wooden laths. The laths were fairly narrow, about 1" as I recall, resulting in a round tube. I got as far as sawing the laths and then "life" got in the way, since when the laths have been gathering dust on a shelf.

With the current lockdown I've got time enough on my hands to get on with it, but I can't find the website.

Does anyone else remember a site like this? Or have any suggestions or tips for a project like this?

Thanks

Steve

[Louis D]

How about this site?

Wooden Telescope Part 2: Tube and Mount

[Astrobits]

I am in the process of making an eight sided telescope tube for a 114mm dia mirror from Sapele Mahogany using my own plans ( mostly in my head, the whole telescope and mount will be in Sapele in the style of the old fashioned telescopes ). The sides are edge jointed together after putting a bevel of the correct angle onto them. I didn't want to fill the large gaps left when joining square edged strips at an angle.To assemble the sides I made a jig to hold them in the correct angle while the glue set. I then reinforced the joins with strips again bevelled to fit. To bevel the edges I made a jig for my router table for use with a straight bit.

An alternative procedure would be to make support rings which will also act as baffles in the finished tube as in Louis D's link and attach your strips to that.

A couple of pics:

Nigel

Edited April 6, 2020 by Astrobits

[niallk]

Nice craftsmanship!

Edited April 7, 2020 by niallk

[CraigT82]

19 hours ago, Astrobits said:

I am in the process of making an eight sided telescope tube for a 114mm dia mirror from Sapele Mahogany using my own plans

Sapele is such a beautiful wood, and works beautifully too. This is a chopping board I made from Sapele 2 years ago but I can't bring myself to use it! 

Look forward to seeing your finished article.

 

[Fozzie]

Another sapele fan here, nice to work with, and the change when you introduce it to a bit of teak oil... love it..

Here's my tripod I made for my vixen GP

I've also used iroko for a tripod, but found it splinters when drilling with certain types of bits, forstner or flat bits especially, not bad, but enough to annoy me, although the heart wood is beautiful also..

Only tip I have is take your time, plan twice cut once so to speak.. right tool for the job is massive, that's where my DIY let's me down, always!

Good luck with the project..

[mikeDnight]

I once had a 6" F8 achromat made by a local scope manufacturer. It had an octagonal mahogany tube which I polished with bee's Wax for days on end, much to my wife's annoyance. She thought I thought more about the scope than I did about her.  Then one night i went to bed befor her and thought it would be funny to lay the scope under the quilt on her side of the bed.  We were only young, and i hadnt learned yet just how dangerous women can be.  Like most men, once my head hits the pillar I'm out like a light, and on this occasion with my arm around my mahogany tube. I laugh a lot, but more than ever when I'm nervous. I woke with quite a start as the quilt was ripped off me and to see my 23 year old, bright blue eyed naked wife going off on one of those emotional rants, all because I had a telescope in bed with me - on her side of the bed. I just couldn't stop laughing (a nervous reaction). Women are so touchy about such things, - I'll never understand it.  Still we're both still together thirtythree years later. My telescope now sleeps in another room!

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I once had a 6" F8 achromat made by a local scope manufacturer. It had an octagonal mahogany tube which I polished with bee's Wax for days on end, much to my wife's annoyance. She thought I thought more about the scope than I did about her.  Then one night i went to bed befor her and thought it would be funny to lay the scope under the quilt on her side of the bed.  We were only young, and i hadnt learned yet just how dangerous women can be.  Like most men, once my head hits the pillar I'm out like a light, and on this occasion with my arm around my mahogany tube. I laugh a lot, but more than ever when I'm nervous. I woke with quite a start as the quilt was ripped off me and to see my 23 year old, bright blue eyed naked wife going off on one of those emotional rants, all because I had a telescope in bed with me - on her side of the bed. I just couldn't stop laughing (a nervous reaction). Women are so touchy about such things, - I'll never understand it.  Still we're both still together thirtythree years later. My telescope now sleeps in another room!

You're lucky she didn't smash it to make a point.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

[plyscope]

Toshimi Taki from Japan has an interesting wooden tube reflector.

http://takitoshimi.starfree.jp/

Thin plywood can be very effective and save weight. I have made octagonal refractor tubes with 4mm and 3mm marine grade plywood.

This is a thread from a few years ago on Cloudy Nights.

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