Scope building

[Simon E]

Always been thinking about building my own scope one day and been having a look at the price of mirrors, etc. However how does one find a supplier for the actually metal tube. Espically if the scope would take something like a 16" main mirror. Bearing in mind this would be a dob, has anyone on the forum herd of a supplier of large long tubes

Talked my other half around to building an observator in the back garden, as long as it is right down the bottom, and been looking at the guide to building one in this month SKY AT NIGHT mag.

Any thoughts on tude suppliers would be cool, espically links to websites that produce large tubes.

si

[MarkS]

Talked my other half around to building an observatory in the back garden ...

Cool - I wish my wife would build me an observatory!

Mark

[Simon E]

She does loads, she washes the cars, cooks the dinner, does the ironing, now she is getting into observatory building and she doesn't moan once .

Some of us have just got it!

si

[Ian]

Sonotube is the stuff of choice I believe. It's a cardboard tube used to form cylindrical moulds for casting concrete.

Where you get it from, I'm afraid, is up to you.

You could always try and roll your own from steel sheet, or if you're thinking of 16" or more, build a truss.

Update, a quick google for sonotube indicates there's a cardboard tube manufacturer for postal purposes in Crayford. They're even called Crayford Tubes

[Simon E]

Talked my other half around to building an observatory in the back garden ...

Cool - I wish my wife would build me an observatory!

Mark

And to top it all I'm not even married

Although I have now ended up with 4 kids at the weekend My two aged 8,9 and her two aged 13,15, The weekends just fly past, can't wait to get back to work for a rest.


Thanks Ian will have a look at Crayford Tubes
si

[Simon E]

Hi all,

Just spoke to Crayford tubes, who are gonna email a price of a 16" tube and a capped 12" tube both being about 6 feet long, just to give me an idea.

Will post the price when I find out.

si

[Simon E]

Just found this website, which looks pretty good!

http://www.xmission.com/~alanne/DS4/DS4Main.html

[Ian]

Pah.

I see your little monocular and raise you; a 22" binocular.

http://www.foothill.net/~sayre/22-in.%20binocular.htm

[mickw]

Cardboard Tube up to 660mm dia x 12 metres long
http://www.cardboardtubes.com/flash.html

While you're there you can go to 
http://www.galvoptics.fsnet.co.uk/telescope2.htm
for your blank and grinding kit

[Mac]

I see your little monocular and raise you; a 22" binocular.

hmmm nice call,

I'll call your 22" binocular and raise you a 330" binocular

http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/optics.htm 

[JohnP]

Si - have you seen this on uk astro buy & sell....

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=27689

John

[Ian]

nice one Mac. I don't suppose NASA would make a Hubble twin and sent it up with the original.

Quick chat with the Russians for a ride to it. You might be able to do it for a billion or two. Check down the back of your sofa...