Construction of a 14" Dobsonian telescope from an AstroSystems Telekit.

To start...

July 15, 2007

It all began last January (2007) when I purchased a fused quartz 14" blank from eBay vendor Recolabs for $175. 7/8" thick and flat both sides. I had been grinding away at a 12" plate glass thin blank and it was about to the polishing stage. But I gave it all up for the fused quartz. Such is love...

The 12" plate glass blank looking lonely and unattended to.



In March I began to think about a mount that would do justice to this fine piece of "glass". Telekit is the brand to beat in the market, so I ordered a 14" DIY kit from them. Randy Cunningham knew what customizations would be required for a thin but strong quartz mirror.

Come July, the first pieces began to arrive and the blank was a 90% polished f/4.7 mirror.

This is the saga of the construction!

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