Re: ATM Mirror Cell Design - Can Wood be Used?

[adamATstrachan-stephens.com]

Mike

I had a 17.5 inch Sky-Designs Dob of late '80's
vintage.  It had what you described in a 9 point cell
and it worked perfectly well.  Whilst I have no record
of the thickness of the tringles, my memory was that
they were about 1/2 inch.  3/4 would I am sure be
sufficient for you.  Collimation bolts were screwed
dirctly through a solid base of the rocker unto the
bottom of the triangles.  The Triangles were held in
position with a sheet of plastic material - very crude
bu effective.  One downside was the lack of cooling
ventilation.  I cut a hole in the base and retrofitted
a fan.

Adam


"Mike and Sara" wrote:

> 
> 
> Hello!
> 
>     I am considering a 12.5 inch telescope, one inch
> thick, plate glass.
> I've played with PLOP a bit to see the appropriate
> support design.
>     Instead of using a steel structure as a base to
> support the flotation
> system, can 3/4 inch Baltic Birch or some other high
> quality plywood be
> used?  For transportation, I thought I would have the
> bottom of the mirror
> box cloased, and I wondered if the bottom of the
mirror
> box itself could be
> used as the support structure for the flotatin points
> through the
> collimation bolts.
>     I wouldn't want to go to the trouble of making a
> good flotation system,
> but have sag at the 3 collimation bolts.  Does anyone
> have experience using
> plywood instead of stell as the base for the flotation
> system?  Thanks and
> best regards.
> 
> Mike Heald