Home made telescope schematics?

[CorySpaceCowboy]

I've wanted a nice scope so bad for so long and buying one just isn't an option for me.

I want to build a decent 90mm-120mm refracter with a pair of 16x50 binoculars and a magnifying glass, is it possible to build something like this relatively easily with what I have without ordering parts and what not online?

Can anyone link me to some good sources?

[John]

If you use one of the eyepieces from the binoculars with the magnfying glass lens, both mounted in a tube, you will have a telescope. The problem will be that the magnfying glass lens is (probably) a single, non-achromatic lens so you will get lots of false colour fringes. It should still work however, in a basic kind of way. You will need to mount the tube on somthing sturdy to observe astro objects as the scope will need to be held pretty steady.

If you want something a little better you could put a "wanted" ad in asking for an achromatic lens or even a low cost mirror set - you never know what might come up !.

[CorySpaceCowboy]

Thank you very much.

Could anyone recommend a good supplier for an achromatic lens? I know I said I didn't want to buy online, but I suppose I will if I must.

Also, what would be a good size to purchase? I read somewhere to use between 50mm-100mm, would 120mm be too large/expensive?

How do I know how far to position my eyepiece from it? (How "long" do I make it?)

And lastly, could someone direct me to a site with information on building the focusing mechanism, that seems like it's going to be the most complicated part of construction.

[Demonperformer]

Not sure 'recommend a good supplier' is quite how I would put this, but they do appear to have improved considerably recently: AstroBoot There are a couple of 60mm achromatic lenses in cells for £10 each. They also have a few 70mm refractors for £30 (although they look as if you would need to purchase a focusser to go in them).

[Capricorn]

Try:

Sterling Resale Optics

and/or:

Surplus Shed

Cannot recall which one has the most but if you look it is fairly obvious.

Have read of a few people of CN getting objectives and building their own.

Don't know of anything similar here in the UK unless it is new, and that means expensive.