Re: [ATM] Wooden Truss "Tubes"

["matt" <electro_optic@bellsouth.net>]

there was a time when sailboats were made of wood. Hollow wooden spars, etc.
Airplanes made of wood, remember WW1 and some WW2 ?
Even motorcycles and bikes were at one time made with wooden frames. Tennis
racquets too and snow skis. I have used most of the above wooden objects,
and am happy now they're made of composites, aluminum etc. I hated wooden
snow skis, hated wooden racquets, not to mention wooden sailboats which are
a beauty but not if you're the owner .

On a more serious note, there's a reason why wood was displaced from all the
above products. Although some modern composites could be even more labor
intensive than wood (so mass production is NOT the reason) mechanical
characteristics are so much better and more controllable that there's no
incentive to use wood . Want absolute lightweight and easy to patch ? Use
carbon fiber or cored composites in general (if designed/made right)  . Want
it tough , use aluminum . It's also cheap.
Want furniture you'd have to sand and varnish twice every year, watch out
for humidity changes, etc, use wood .

best regards,
matt tudor

-----Original Message-----
From: Mel Bartels <mbartels@bbastrodesigns.com>
To: atm@atmlist.net <atm@atmlist.net>
Date: Sunday, April 10, 2005 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: [ATM] Wooden Truss "Tubes"


>> answer is no. But just in case: has anyone built a 16 - 24" scope using
>> wooden truss tubes?
>
>Yes, in the old days we used solid wood closet rods and the like.  I used 1
>1/2 inch diameter truss rods for my 24 inch.
>
>> that reduced it's weight about 1/2 would weigh less than  a 1 1/2" OD
>> .049 aluminum tube. Or it could be 3/8" thick  on 2 sides and 1/8 on the
>> other two, for better glue surfaces. It would still be tremendously
stiff,
>> vibration free?, and being square or rectangular attaching to
>
>I like to think of it as a continium all the way to elaborate truss tubes
>that themselves are built of truss tubes.  The more elaborate the fewer the
>larger trusses you need, all the way down to a single truss.
>
>Mel Bartels
>
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