Six Inch Dobsonian - Kit Directions

Guidelines:

• READ THE DIRECTIONS all the way through first. You may want to do things differently, but only after you have understood out how I did things.
• Assemble with rubber bands first to practice assembly before adding glue.
• Go slow.
• Inserting the threaded inserts is one of the most annoying parts of the process. Practice on scrap first.
• These directions are pretty incomplete and assume you will look at the pictures and the part list to figure things out.

Part List Spreadsheet

Instructions:

Cut the plywood parts away from the frame. I suggest using a fine toothed saw, like an exacto saw, and then cleaning up with a *sharp* chisel.
Do a test assembly with clamps. That way you have the clamps you need before you add glue. With clamps, be careful of pads that can mark or bleed onto the plywood.
Get some glue and clean up materials ready. I like regular yellow glue with paper towels and white vinegar to get rid of squeeze out. Gorrilla glue would also be a good choice.	PAY ATTENTION to orientation here. The top side has the two holes for the mirror box, and the left and right sides have the altitude bearing mount holes offset TOWARDS the top.
When you are ready to go, add the glue.
Clamp to dry. Here you see the handle glue as well. There are pegs in there for alignment.
For the ground board, you need to insert the 3/8" T nut for the tripod in the larger base, and then the 1/4" T nut in the smaller top. Put brass threaded inserts into smaller top to attach teflon pads. Instead of gluing, you may wish to screw them together. This allows for adjuments if you make a goof. Here is a view of the insides of the ground board parts.
Here is a view of the outsides of the ground board parts. Note the nylon acorn nut feet.
After you are all set with the mirror box, glue up the cradle the same way.
Get ready to do the secondary tube. I recommend doing the hole layouts on paper. You will (usually) need the following holes: 3 Spider holes (See your spider directions) 4 holes for truss connections (1/4" diamter, centered 3/8" from bottom edge) Focuser guidance hole. (1/4" diameter) Secondary shade connection. (1/4" diameter) Finder mount. (See your finer directions)
Use some sort of guide to make sure your holes are correctly spaced and perpendicular to the tube.
For the focuser, I recommend using a jig to drill a 1/4" guide hole in the center, and then use that hole to guide a hole saw.
For the JMI Focuser, you need a slot for the rack.
Use a small handsaw or jig saw to cut the hole.
Here is how you assemble the inserts for addition to the telescope. The standoff acts as a guide. Do NOT use the regular screwdriver slots. That will end in heartache and bleeding fingers.
I reccomend inserting from the inside. That way you are less likely to mark the outside of the telescope.
After you have used three large blobs of silicone cement to glue the mirror to the cell, you can assemble it.
Screws, then nylon spacers, then springs, then washers. I used packing tape to hold the screws in place.
Assemble the telescope after all the inserts have been inserted. Add the mirror LAST so you don't risk dropping screws. If you need to readjust the struts, put in a mirror cover to protect the mirror.
I recommend placing the mirror box on top of the assembled cell, and then pushing them so that one corner is at the edge of a table. You can then screw this screw in some, and then the rest.

Includes:

• All wood components - made from Appleply
• Maple drum shell secondary tube
• Aluminum mirror cell
• Aluminum struts, pre-drilled to easily changed focusing height.
• All hardware
• Teflon
• Ebony Star Formica
• A sample secondary tube drilling plan
• Directions that I am working on.

You need to provide:

• Focuser - JMI RCF 1.25" or Kineoptics Helical Crayford 1.25" recommended.
• Spider - FPI Protostar recommended.
• Secondary holder - FPI Protostar recommended.
• Secondary - FPI Protostar recommended.
• Primary Mirror - 6" f4 to f5, full thickness. Available separately
• Finder - Rigel Quickfinder recommended.
• Glue
• Finishing (polyurethane or varnish recommended.)
• Contact cement.
• Time. Probably about 20 hours worth.
• Patience. There directions are *really* spartan at this time. For your sanity, assemble the wooden parts with rubber bands before you add glue.
• A secondary tube drilling jig similar to the one in the pictures.
• If you want to take it as carry-on on an airplane you will need a large, but carry-on legal suitcase, some plywood, and some foam. It will fit though.