Re: [ATM] help in the local area (Centreville MI)]

[Mark Holm <mdholm@telerama.com>]

David Williams wrote:

>and persiading my parents to allow me to continue with the project.  
>

Well, right off the bat, let's tell your parents that this is an 
achievable project.  Difficult yes, but far from impossible.  Lots of 
atm's have made similar telescopes.  The skills, Knowledge and resources 
required are within reach.

Asking for local help is a great idea, but, on the chance somebody 
doesn't turn up, don't get too disappointed.  A wise investment would be 
a couple of books.  The first one is "How to Make a Telescope" by Jean 
Texerau.  Texerau is a bit long in the tooth, but has solid descriptions 
of Foucault testing and some approaches to mirror figuring.  He was a 
professional optician, so his advice is sound.  The mechanical portions 
won't really apply to you.  It is the couple of chapters on mirror 
making that will be valuable.

A possible alternate for Texerau is  "A Manual for Amateur Telescope 
Making" by Karine and Jean-Marc Lecleire.  This book has the advantage 
of being more recently written.  I haven't read it, though, so I can't 
give it a solid recommendation.  Perhaps someone else on the list, who 
has read both, can recommend one over the other.

The second book is "The Dobsonian Telescope", by David Kriege and 
Richard Berry.  This one is more about mechanical aspects.  It 
concentrates on a particular design of truss tube telescope, but is full 
of good information that can be used for a solid tube design like yours 
as well.  There is a lengthy appendix by Bob Kestner all about making 
large thin mirrors.  It is exactly applicable to your mirror.

Order any of these books from Willman-Bell, (804)320-7016  or 
www.willbell.com  This is a reputable company that has been selling 
books for amateur astronomers and amateur telescope makers for more than 
20 years.

Good luck, and don't be bashful about asking questions here on this 
list.  You will get help.  No question is too basic.  We all vividly 
remember our first telescope making experiences, the uncertainties and 
ignorance we have all been faced with.

Mark Holm
mdholm@telerama.com




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