Larger Dobsonian

[bosun21]

I am thinking about getting myself a larger Dobsonian. I have the 8” Stella Lyra at the moment, but was considering buying either a 10” or a 12”. With the Stella Lyra 12” being a solid tube design, I was a little concerned about the size and weight of it. Is the 12”assembly manageable for me on my own in its two parts? I would like to go for the 12”, but would it be too large? Thanks  

     Ian 

[RobertI]

I’m interested to hear what sort of answers you get on this one, I know a lot of people have 12” solid tube dobs and really like them. I’ve been thinking about getting a 12 inch solid tube dob for some time, but having seen one in the flesh recently I’m more inclined to go for the 10” as it seems a lot more manageable. Trouble is 10” is not that much bigger than my 8” SCT. 

Edited November 9, 2022 by RobertI

[Guest]

Go big or go home.  Does FLO still have the 16 inch truss? 

Ok, back to reality.  If you are going to ten, you might as well go to 12.  There will be a weight difference obviously but a ten handles pretty easily.  I added handles to mine and have no issues lifting the 70ish pounds.  Broke into two parts either is manageable.  The OTA isnt heavy, its awkward.  There are lifting straps available to make that easier.  If i lift the OTA out if the base i just grab hold of both ends.  No issues at all doing this.   A 12 inch is big, but you will forget about that the first time you look through it 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Mike Q

[dave34]

If you feel fit enough,  i would say go for the 12", i was planning to upgrade my 8" DOB until 40+ years all weather biking caught up with me, my Dob n Newt were causing neck ache, im now  enjoying a 4" Mak n Frac with no aches, my advice, if your back is good go for the big one while you still can. 

[westmarch]

If you can get your Dob away from light pollution, it is the equivalent of having 2-4 inches extra aperture.  

If you have access to a dark sky area, a Dob that you can transport easily ticks all the  boxes. For this, my advice would be  something that you can comfortably lift and fit in your car.  I find a 10 inch is the sweet spot and a truss dob just makes things easier.

John

[Mr Spock]

I can move my 12" SL from the shed to the patio and I have a slipped disc 

It's more bulk than weight. 

 

[bosun21]

2 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

I can move my 12" SL from the shed to the patio and I have a slipped disc 

It's more bulk than weight. 

 

Where did you buy the upgraded bearing for the azimuth movement? It looks much more substantial on yours. Thanks 

[Mr Spock]

6 hours ago, bosun21 said:

Where did you buy the upgraded bearing for the azimuth movement? It looks much more substantial on yours. Thanks 

Simply Bearings https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p187448/600mm-Round-Lazy-Susan-Rotating-Aluminium-Turntable-Bearing/product_info.html

Expensive, but worth it. The roller bearing fitted is flimsy and small.

[bosun21]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

Simply Bearings https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p187448/600mm-Round-Lazy-Susan-Rotating-Aluminium-Turntable-Bearing/product_info.html

Expensive, but worth it. The roller bearing fitted is flimsy and small.

Thank you for the link, it’s very much appreciated 👍

[Ratlet]

I need to figure out a way to block @Mr Spock.  He's a terrible influence on my wallet.

Seriously though, I appreciate the tips you drop.  I've been thinking about upgrading from the 130pds as I'm enjoying visual so much.  Wasn't sure about whether a 12" would be too much but it sounds like something in the 10-12" range will be fine, especially since it'll only need to be moved about 4ft from my shed to the grass.

40th birthday next year so seems a good excuse lol.

[Carl Au]

If you are looking for more ‘wow’ then you need a 12 inch. The difference between a 8 and 10 is noticeable, but not a huge step up. 
 

[bosun21]

14 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Simply Bearings https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p187448/600mm-Round-Lazy-Susan-Rotating-Aluminium-Turntable-Bearing/product_info.html

Expensive, but worth it. The roller bearing fitted is flimsy and small.

Is it a straight replacement?, or is some sort of modification required? Thanks again.

[Mr Spock]

All you need are four screws and four washers. Take out the white plugs from underneath the outer ring and screw down to the bottom base with the washers in between the outer ring and base. Fit the top part of the base back on with the original centre bolt - it's long enough. 

[guillaume320]

The OOUK 12” f4 is about the same length as a Chinese 10” and therefore fits across the backseat of a car. They are not the cheapest (although good deals to be had second hand). 
 

- Transportability of a 10

- Practicality of a fixed tube

- The full 12 inch 😎

 

That’s just my 2 cents.

Of course, f4 might be a bit more taxing on eyepieces, keep that in mind!

 

Regards,

Guillaume

[Astronomist]

Don't know about 12" Dobs but I found my 10" was not all that much different to my friend's 8" F6 in a side by side comparison. obviously the DSO views where a little brighter and the planets maybe a tiny bit more detailed, but in my area the seeing is usually the limiting factor anyway. If you are looking for a significant improvement 12" is probably the way to go, although never having used one I don't really know how much less portable it is

regards

Harry (stargazer_3000)