Telescope Building Plans

Backyard Voyager

Amateur Telescope Making -- Plans for building various types of telescope

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Building a 13" Hemispherical Reflector by Duane Frybarger

Ever since I started observing in 1997, it has been my dream to own a large aperture telescope. The major drawbacks were the cost, size and weight. When I saw a 13.1" Coulter mirror on Astromart that was being sold by my friend Jorge Morales, I realized this was my chance to get my "dream scope". Jorge graciously allowed me to purchase the mirror on an easy payment plan. I had seen an article in the March 2003 Sky and Telescope with instructions on how to build a hemispherical reflector...

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Making an 8" Dobsonian Reflector by Olle Eriksson

This is guide about making your own 8" Dobsonian telescope. It's complete with photos, illustrations and accompanying text describing every step of the process. There are no finished plans available but almost everything is discussed in the text so that shouldn't be a problem.

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Building a Dobsonian Telescope by Ray Cash

Here you will find plans to build this telescope, or a smaller one--either a six-inch, or an eight-inch--of identical design. These plans are only slightly modified from the plans The Sidewalk Astronomers have been sending to interested parties for a mere $2.00 via snail-mail. I have kept as close to this design as possible: One, because this is--hands down--the cheapest and easiest way to make a quality telescope; and two, because I walk in the shadow of John Dobson, who invented many of these designs which have...

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Building a 13" Travelscope by Ray Cash

I made this telescope around a 13" Coulter f/4.4 mirror in 1991 after seeing an article emphasizing such an approach by Tom Clark in Sky and Telescope of about that time. Since then, this scope has served me well--whether it has been used on a sidewalk here in San Francisco, traveled on a back seat of a small car en route to the Sierras, or packed away as luggage on a commercial airline. I even re-designed my larger 17.5" scope around these principles:

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Building a 10" Reflector Telescope by Mac & Maggie McAvoy

This is a typical concrete-form-tube telescope but with some unique features. I opted for an equatorial mount so that I could lock the declination axis once the desired object was found. It's a bit more work than a Dob but I figured I need the exercise anyway :-) This instrument breaks down into five pieces: the OTA, the cradle, the counterweight, and finally the polar axis and A-frame. More.........

The "Deep Space Scope" Design by Alan Scott

In the last few years, I have decided that I needed a specialized telescope, and that it was time to build it. The following links deal with designing, building and using a homebuilt 12" ultra light dob, DS-3 (Deep Space 3). Although this was my first amateur telescope making adventure, it ended up working out quite well. Finally, I want to give credit to my mentor and fellow ATM partner, Jim Lawrence. Without Jim's help, as well as the advice of other members of the local Albuquerque astronomy club (TAAS), this ultra light telescope would never have been attempted. More...