Re: [ATM] Strip planked telescope tube

[Kevin MIchael Zabbo <chaosopher23@yahoo.com>]

Strip planking is excellent, if you're going to build
a boat.  I've seen it done with telescopes, and if
you're going to use cedar, I don't see why you would
want to add fiberglass to the nice, pretty, and
possibly aromatic wood.

If you want to do strip planking and keep it light and
cheap, 1/2" foamcore insulation sheeting will work
great with fiberglass.  There are at least two kinds,
however, and one of them (the styrofoam variety) makes
excellent food for the resin used in the fiberglass
process.  Don't use styrofoam.  Use the other kind,
and if in doubt, ask for a small sample and expose it
to the chemystery involved with the fiberglass
operation.  If it holds up, that's the stuff to use.

Personally, I would like to build my telescope out of
aluminum framework and cover it in cloth like an
airplane wing.

Kevin of Eastern Iowa
Seeker of the Darkness

--- Rod Brackenridge <rjbr@lycos.com> wrote:

> I was thinking about tube ideas for a 14 inch
> cassegrain and came across an S&T article from
> November 1991.  I also saw a couple references to
> the idea by Kurt Maurer in the archives.  The
> process inolves building a form from strips of wood
> (usually cedar) and then applying fibreglass cloth
> and epoxy to the inside and outside, creating a
> composite tube. I understand the strip plank
> approach is commonly used to build boats. 
> 
> For my purposes I am looking for something
> reasonably light and that is thermally stable enough
> for visual observation at moderate to high
> magnification.  For me cost is also a factor.  I
> haven't checked the price of cedar yet but I do have
> a saw table so can rip my own strips.
> 
> I would be interested in hearing about what others
> see as the pros and cons of this approach to
> building a tube.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Rod Brackenridge.  
> 
> -- 
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