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FW: [ATM] Beginner
Books: I actually like Sam Brown's book, All About Telescopes, available
from Willman-Bell: http://www.willbell.com/tm/index.htm
Others will recommend Texereau, which is quite thorough.
Plenty of info on the web, and I'm sure you can get photos of nearly every
step of the way for free that way, even some video (e.g. the stellafane.org
site). A good search keyword is "ATM"
Cost: There's a wide range of cost/time tradeoffs. If you go the plate
glass route, you'll need to make sure you aren't getting tempered glass,
which will shatter if you try to grind it. A good tradeoff is a kit which
will get you everything you need - abrasives, polishing agent, pitch.
www.gotgrit.com has everything but glass, or telephone Willman-Bell (kits
aren't on their website, but include glass).
Size: Larger is harder (more glass to remove). Shorter focal ratios are
harder (needs more precision). Good beginner sizes are from 4.25" to 10"
f/6 to f/10. Many adults do quite well with 8" f/6, but it depends greatly
on your temperament. This hobby demands some patience.
Daunted: Don't be. Be thrilled that you'll be able to finish the entire
surface of a piece of glass to tens of nanometers using nothing more
accurate than a tape measure and a 1/4-20 screw. And if you get stuck
anywhere, there are dozens of folks here to help you out.
=Matt
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Stephen Yale dl1966@earthlink.net
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:14:13 -0600 (GMT-06:00)
To: atm@atmlist.net
Subject: [ATM] Beginner
I live in Katy,TX (nr Houston). I have read pages and pages over the
weekend on how to build a Newtonian / Dobsonian. So much so that I want to
build one from scratch. I can do the woodwork easily enough but when it
comes to making the mirror, I am a little daunted.
Questions
1. Recommends for an excellent beginners book with lots of images suitable
for a newbie.
2. Are there any telescope making classes here in Houston (or nearby) and
if so where?
3. Cost is the big issue. I have a very limited budget. Is it cheaper to
get a local glass store to cut the blanks from plate glass for me?
4. Would I be better off starting with a 6" or 8" mirror?
5. Can I buy the equipment I would need locally or do I need to order it?
Hope someone can help
Regards,
Stephen
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