Ok, time to come out of the closet.
I got into homeshop machining due to my telescope interests. I got tired of spending the large $$ for some fairly simple astrophotography gadgets (offaxis guiders, adapters, etc). I haven't made a complete mount yet, but I have made lots of improvements/enhancements to many of my mounts/scopes. The freedom to make or modify things using machine tools is the perfect complement to this hobby. You also can sink amazing quantities of time machining things (just like pushing glass) - ask my wife/kids.
Since I just finished my 10" mirror, I will now be spending time making chips producing a mirror mount and spider/secondary. I have some Novak components, but I want to improve on them. I have come up with some ideas for a more rigid secondary holder that offers only the degrees of freedom required - and no more (only one screw for adjusting tilt). Also, I intend to modify the spider vanes by machining out most of the central material in the vanes, leaving only a ribbon of material at the leading and trailing edges of the vanes. This should approach the minimal metal obstruction of wire supports without the potential difficulties associated with aligning/tensioning wires. I am going to try and bond (silicone) the 1.5"dia diagonal to the front of a fiberglass tube instead of the usual novak metal shroud w/lip. My goals are to minimize the amount of metal and obstruction in the spider/secondary. Originally, I had thought I would try a large optical window, but after some investigations I have decided it would be nearly impossible to get or to produce a 12" dia window that wouldn't degrade the image worse than just using a spider!
As I get time, I will have to post some more of my thoughts and questions regarding insulating my metal tube, splitting the tube into two sections for easier transport, and primary mirror mount.
Bob