[ATM] ATM: Catalogue and instructions, big mounting.

["David Harbour" <scarab2@cox.net>]

To all:

One of the visitors to my web site likes the idea of my large, one person
transportable, fully latitude adjustable fork equatorial mounting so much
that I have had to start writing a catalogue for the many (over a hundred)
photographs I made of the construction progress for this mounting, which can
carry lightweight optics up to twenty inches' aperture. In captioning each
photograph for the photo catalogue, I find that I am writing complete
instructions for the asembly of this large (but one person transportaable)
mounting. If I am going to the trouble of writing this up (it is taking far
more time than I thought) I want them to be available for any one else who
would like to build the mounting.

I tried very hard to give away the templates, a long time ago, and was
convinced that a continuing lack of response for my offer to use them free
of charge to lay out all of one's parts for their big mounting portended
that no one would ever be interested in building this kind of instrument
again, and so I broke up the templates; no one was interested, I couldn't
even give them away. However, two have now expressed interest in building
this rather unique mounting (it is easily fully latitude adjustable and one
person transportable) and so I am glad that I saved the photographs (well
over a hundred, detailing almost every step of construction). I will put
them to CD, directly from the negatives, and I will be able to make a CD for
anyone who might like to try to build one of these.

I now rather deeply regret breaking up the templates. No dimensioned
drawings of this mounting EVER existed. The dimensions for each and every
part went from my head into the templates as I laid them out. It will be
quite awhile before I have the complete catalogue/instructions finished, but
I thought I would let all of you know about the project, in case any of you
are interested in building a mount like mine. When I started to build my
observatory building with its roll off roof, I did not even get the
foundation excavation finished before my body told me to forget it, old man.
If any of you have not seen this mounting, which I built to machinist's
tolerances, you may see it at:

http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Harbour/Sym.Eq.Mntng.html

The photos and instructions/catalogue will be available to anyone who wants
them, when I get done with writing them up (and find enough scratch to put
the several hundred negatives to CD at the local photofinisher place). I
gave this mounting to my friend Ken Hunter; I hope he has found it well made
and useful.

Davey

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