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Scopes
and Testimonials: Pictures and comments are coming in from many of my customers. Thanks to all. |
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A Review of our Dobstuff
Lightweight Dobsonian Kits - A Big, But
Lightweight Scope for Public Events - By Doug
Reilly.
Read the full review here. (with
permission). Learn more about Astronomy Technology Today. Published in February 2012. |
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A rocker box built from a DobSTUFF "kit"
by Rob in Chester New
Hampshire. Rob sent me his tube-cage with
altitude bearings for his 6.5" long focus
Newtonian. The depth of the rocker box is 24.75"
from the bottom of the alt bearings to
accommodate the long solid tube of his
telescope. The rocker box rides on a 16"
circular base for stability. I added the "lip"
on the altitude bearings so the cage would
transit from horizontal to vertical smoothly.
Here's what Rob has to say about his new rocker
box: "Hi Dennis, I had 1st light with the scope last night and all went well. The focus of the tube was set correctly and the mount is a joy to use. It looks great too. Thanks for the nice woodwork." Completed January 2012. |
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A rocker box built for Chris in Madison, MS. and
his 16" Meade Lightbridge. Completed January 2012. |
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Jose in Kentwood, Michigan built a 16" F4.5
in just a few days from one of our kits.
The components feature a primary mirror,
secondary, focuser and spider from a Meade
Starfinder dobsonian. Note the ETT option for easy storage, transport and setup as well as a Telrad. A custom color was applied before finishing the wood with a protective overcoat of lacquer. Here's what Jose has to say about the telescope: "Since I saw this wonderful strut design, I knew it was for me... As I was looking to carry this big scope only by my self now is a dream come true. I want to thank Dennis for his wonderful job and commitment to bring this awesome design and wonderful customer service. Jose" Completed January 2012, |
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A 12.5" F6 for Mark in Austin Texas. Telescope
includes a Baltic Birch cell for Mark's
full-thickness primary mirror, a Moonlite 2"
2-speed focuser and Protostar 4-vane spider.
The "string" option adds rigidity to the longer
struts of this F6. Completed December 2011 |
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An 18" telescope made from one of our kits
by Geoff in Yarramalong,
Australia. The components of the telescope
include an 18-point flotation mirror cell,
Moonlite focuser, curved-vane spider and 4.25"
secondary from Optical Wave Labs. The "white
wire" you see hanging from the secondary is for the Kendrick dew heater. Geoff
will affix the wire along one of the spider
vanes. The telescope also has the ETT (Easy
Transport Telescope option). Kit and telescope completed December 2011. |
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18-point flotation mirror cell components
for a 16" mirror for Scott in Fillmore
California. Scott will use his own "mirror
board" on which to mount each flotation support.
The components are made from 1/4" T6061 aluminum
plate and steel machine screws. Scott says: Dennis, I received the parts and they look great. I am glad you were able to get them to me so quickly as now I can finish making the scope this weekend. This scope is going to be ultra low profile as the top of the mirror will only be 9" above the floor of the rocker box. Scott Completed November 2011 |
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A 10-inch F4.7 made for Jeff in Wilmington N.C.
The scope has a Destiny 10" mirror, secondary
and curved-vane spider. Jeff asked that I mount
a Telrad on his telescope as a finder. The
custom mirror cover and 1.25# counterweight are
standard on telescopes I build. Completed October, 2011 |
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13.1-inch F4.5 with a Coulter Pyrex mirror,
Moonlite focuser and Destiny curved vane spider.
This "early" version of our telescopes served as
a test-bed for many changes to the present
design. Sold to Thomas in Flint, Texas, the
telescope is ready for a digital setting circle
system such as the Sky Commander. A DSC stalk
was also included. Here's a picture of Thomas G from Flint Texas with his "new" telescope. Shipped in October, 2011. |
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16-inch telescope for Rick in Taylor Michigan.
Rick built this telescope from a DobSTUFF
16" kit. Included are a 6-point all aluminum
mirror cell, a Destiny curved-vane spider, 3.1"
secondary and Moonlight 2" 2-speed focuser with
compression ring. Here's a few words from Rick
about the kit and assembly: "Dennis, The kit has been finished for a few days and had a little clear weather to try it out. It works marvelous. Without your guidance and advice via email and phone conversations things might have been much harder through the assembly process. The build went much easier and took less time than the staining and varnishing." Kit Completed September 2011. Telescope assembly completed November 2011. |
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Rocker box and altitude bearings made for Robert
of Fridley, Minnesota. Robert contacted me
saying he needed a rocker box and two altitude
bearings for a 10" F7.5. The overall depth is
29.5" to accommodate the long focal length tube. Completed September 2011. |
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A 10 inch F5 made for Michael and Michael Jr. of
Mountain House, California. The mirror is a full
thickness Zhumell on a Baltic birch cell.
A 2" 2-speed crayford focuser, Destiny
curved-vane spider and 2" secondary complete the
optics. Note the "insert". These shorter "travel struts" allow the easy transport and storage of the scope while protecting the focuser, spider and secondary. Completed September 1, 2011 |
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An 8" F4 Orion "Astrograph" remade into an open,
ultra light OTA for Shane in Sunnyvale
California. The OTA is only 28" long. Notice the
Moonlite focuser with electronic focus control.
A cooling fan is also included. Shane
intends using this telescope on a German
equatorial mounting, so the Losmandy dovetail
plate is affixed to the left side for that
purpose. Completed August 2011. |
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A 13.1 F4.5 with a full-thickness Discovery
mirror. Also includes a Destiny curved-vane
spider, Moonlite 2-speed 2" focuser and Sky
Commander. The telescope is stained "Sedona
Red", which gives a nice deep rich reddish
color. I built this telescope for my own use and replaces a Coulter-based 13.1" F4.5 telescope now for sale. Contact me if you might be interested in my former "personal" telescope. Completed July 1, 2011. |
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A DobSTUFF 10" F4.9 with a primary mirror,
secondary, focuser and curved-vane spider by
Destiny. This telescope is on display at
Scope City at 350 Bay St. in
San Francisco, CA. Scope City is home to the largest selection of optics for astronomy, sport, science and education. Contact the store's manager, Sam, at (415) 421-8800. Oh yeah, be sure to tell 'em Dennis sent ya!!!! Completed June 2011. |
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A 16" 18-point flotation mirror cell made for
Brian in Vineland New Jersey. The cell is
made of 6061T 1/4" aluminum plate. The rest of
hardware is steel. The mirror cell was designed and optimized with Plop.
Here's what Brian had to say:
"Hi Dennis,
I received the
18 point cell
and I wanted to
thank you for
your interest
and help with my
project. The
quality of the
cell is
excellent and I
am delighted
with your
services.
I was truly amazed how fast
and smooth the transaction
went. It’s
a rare thing in today’s world to
be able to pick up a phone and
enter into a verbal agreement on
a Friday, have that item
engineered / built on the
weekend and shipped on a Monday. I
can’t thank you enough and would
highly recommend you to others.
Very Best
Regards,
Brian,
Vineland, New
Jersey"
Completed June 2011 |
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A 10" F4.8 made as a "floor model" for Scope
City in San Francisco. Destiny has provided
their new 10" optic and secondary as well as the
focuser and spider. I've applied a mild color to
the scope that makes the Baltic birch sort of
"pop"... Completed June 2011. |
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A 16" F4.5 telescope built for Tony in Portland
Oregon. The scope has a 16" Hubble Optics
sandwich mirror, Destiny curved-vane spider and
Moonlite 2-speed crayford focuser. Notice the
Telrad mounted on dual clamps just above the
focuser. A Sky Commander is included. Completed May 2011. |
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A 14" F5 telescope built for Tony in Maidenhead
Berkshire in the United Kingdom. The mirror is a
Hubble Optics. The other components include a
Moonlite 2-speed all-black crayford focuser,
Destiny curved vane spider with Antares
secondary. Not visible, but included is a Sky
Commander DSC system. Tony ask that I leave the wood "unfinished" so he can apply his own custom color Here's what Tony had to say about his telescope: "Dennis, I just received the big box with the scope and accessories. I just love it!!, IT IS A WORK OF ART and it's so light and pretty . I have friends in the Slovenia Astronomical Society who can't wait to look at it! Warmest wishes, Tony Completed May, 2011. |
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A 10" F5 assembled from a DobSTUFF kit for Doug
in Geneva New York. Note the unique curved vane
spider from Protostar. Another unique feature
Doug asked for was the ability to "nest" the top
half of the struts into the bottom half.
Once the ETT intermediate ring is removed from
the assembly, Doug can "telescope" the 1" upper
struts into the 1.25" lower struts. Doug added
the design elements to the rocker box himself.
Neat job. Kit completed April 2011. |
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A 14" F5 ETT (Easy
Travel Telescope) built for Armond in
Glendale, CA. The telescope includes a Moonlite
dual-speed 2" focuser, Sky Commander DSC system
and dual fans. Rather than a DSC "stalk",
Armond asked that I install the Sky Commander
closer to the focuser on one of the struts. The
DSC mount is on a clamp that can be moved along
the length of the strut to the desired location.
Armond had me apply a custom color, in this case
the Miniwax Red Sedona followed by 5 coats of
varnish. The effect is striking. The struts have
been powder coated. Here's some comments from
Armond:
"My wife and I got the great pleasure to meet Dennis in Palm Springs for our vacation which was over the weekend. He invited us to his house where he had my fully assembled telescope prepared in his living room. I was completely stunned after taking first sight of what he had built for me. The craftsmanship was pure excellence and perfection. I believe in quality products and got more than I expected. Dennis is a professional telescope maker who builds fine products for his customers.
The DobSTUFF 14" telescope is so beautiful and well made, I am considering just placing it in my living room as a showpiece. I honestly consider this "museum" quality work. I am strongly considering returning to Dennis and purchasing a 8" or 10" inch telescope. This beautiful Newtonian is worth every penny not to mention the excellent customer service you will receive from Dennis personally. The ETT model I purchased made the scope much easier to carry with me in my vehicle. The additional storage struts were also great additions which add to the convenience factor. The black powder coating also adds on to the look making it more elegant. I am still amazed Dennis pulled all this off from the middle of the desert! Aside from the telescope, we had the great pleasure to go out for lunch and dinner. He came to my hotel room and gave me a lot of advice and pointers which I really appreciate. He is a very nice guy to deal with and will build your telescope however you wish. Dennis is one person you should definitely contact if you are in the market for a serious premium Newtonian telescope. I highly recommend his fine craftsmanship and customer service 100%! Great job Dennis and thanks for everything!! Sincerely, Armond"Completed and Delivered April 2011 |
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A pair of matching 6-point flotation mirror
cells and a pair of secondary holders with
collimation system built for Dave in Novato
California. These components are for use
in a 12" binocular telescope he building
with Hubble Optics primary mirrors.
Completed March 2011 |
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A 16" F4.5 built for Mark in Harriman TN. Mark
sent me his 16" RF Royce mirror with a 4"
secondary. The focuser is a Moonlite 2-speed
2-inch crayford. The spider is an "observatory
grade" from Destiny. Mark asked me to
install a dual-fan system to help cool the
mirror and all aluminum cell more quickly. Mark
says: "Dennis, I got started unpacking about 10:30 or so Friday night. Once I figured my right from my left, everything assembled perfectly. I stayed up till about 2:00am waiting to take the scope outside. Of course, the skies were cloudy. I went to bed and got up at 4:00am, took a peek outside and saw a break in the cloud cover on the horizon. With the full moon out, there was not much to look at other than Saturn. I did not allow any time for mirror cool down, but the brief moments of a stable image showed very good detail. As good as the images were, the structure is equally impressive. Even my 20 year old daughter who is often critical of other peoples work (She is a perfectionist) said "Dad, he really does good work!". Let me get a few observing nights under my belt, and I will give you a review. I am kinda sleepy right now and not sure if what I have typed makes sense. But I can assure you, when I unpacked the first altitude bearing, I said to myself, this will probably exceed my expectations. It most certainly has. Thanks again, Mark" Completed February 2011. |
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"Dennis,
I just want to drop you a line and tell you how much I love the
Rocker Box you made for me for my 12" Light Bridge. I have one
of the first LB.s that Meade built several years ago. For. $1000
telescope the optics were good but the mount was not the best. I
always figured Meade did the best they could to keep the scope
at a price that would be appealing to those of us who didn't
want to pay the big bucks for the premium dobs. Since receiving
your rocker box on Friday, I have used my scope more in the last
few days that I have in the last few years. I feel like I have a
new scope! I feel I now have the smooth movements of a premium
dob with the price of a LB. Thank you again, John", Okeana, Ohio. Completed February 2011. |
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A 14" F5 telescope delivered to Johan in
Hillsboro Oregon. The telescope includes the
"Easy
Transport Telescope" option as well
as a
Hubble Optics sandwich mirror on an all aluminum
6-point flotation mirror cell. The Antares
1/10th wave secondary is mounted on a curved
3-vane spider by Destiny. The focuser is a
2" 2-speed Antares. Johan asked that I
apply a custom color and chose Miniwax Puritan
Pine. In this picture, the optional removable
"dew shield" is in place.
Completed January 2011. |
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A 12" F5 kit delivered to Pete in Mt. Shasta
California. It so happens that Pete's
father-in-law is noted physicist
Dr. Freeman Dyson. During a trip to his
son-in-law's home in Mt. Shasta, Dr. Dyson
assisted Pete and Pete's children assemble a 12"
dobstuff kit. Here's what they had to say about
the telescope:
"This is a brilliant design, fun to put together, easy to carry around, lovely to use. Freeman Dyson"
"And I will add, having ventured into finish
carpentry, what a pleasure it was to have such a
thoughtful design, precise measurements, and
top quality materials.
Peter " Click here for more pictures. (Mt. Shasta California, January 2011). |
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A single fan to cool the primary mirror of Dennis' 10" telescope
in Benicia California. The fan affixes to the mirror board with
3 simple screws. The assembly includes a power plug for the
12Vdc supply. Note that I can make single, double or triple fans if you wish. (December 2010) |
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A rockerbox for a Meade Lightbridge 16" telescope made for David
in Nickelsville VA and JB in Muscatine, IA. David ordered the
complete assembly, while JB wanted a kit to assemble himself.
Here's was David has to say about the rocker box: Dennis, Toward the end of 2010 I bought an LB 16 rocker box from you. I think mine may have been the first one. I've not been able to use it much just because I'm busy but it has performed great. I can't say enough about how sturdy and durable it is. Meade should've built it like this from the factory! David. (December 2010) |
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A 6-point 14" mirror cell (optimized with PLOP) built for a
traditional dob "tailgate" for Faure in Boissieres, France. (November 2010) |
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Here's a beautifully executed 10" kit assembled by Ron in Stafford
Texas. The kit was delivered in October 2009. An interesting
note, here, is that Ron had me make him two intermediate rings.
He's then formed an "upper tube assembly" which is then detached
from the rest of the OTA as a complete assembly. Notice, also,
that Ron has compensated for the extra weight of the UTA by
using a "virtual counter-weight". A nicely done telescope all
around. Here's what Ron has to say about our kit:
"Dennis, |
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A 10" F4.5 using a Meade Starfinder mirror, Antares 1/10th
wave diagonal, standard spider and 2-inch crayford focuser. The
OTA is only 40" long and can be carried in one hand. The
telescope assembles and disassembles without the need for tools. Sometimes I make one of these telescopes in-between other projects. This telescope is virtually complete and is Contact me about other telescopes at 650-315-6578 or densteele@dobstuff.com. See more picture here. Completed March 2010. (NOTE: eyepiece not included). |
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A 12.5" F5.62 built by Paul in San Ramon, Ca., using a DobSTUFF
kit. Paul built the primary mirror himself. The telescope has a
low-profile helical focuser and 2.14" secondary. The
primary mirror cell is by Kenneth Novak. Paul
did a nice job finishing the wood and putting the components into
the OTA. Since Paul lives nearby, he took the opportunity to come by and put some finishing touches on the final assembly of his telescope. We had a great time working together. Completed March, 2010 |
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A 13.1" F4.5 built for Winston in Hayward, California. The
telescope includes a Coulter primary, Antares 2-speed, 2-inch
low-profile focuser and all aluminum 6-point flotation mirror
cell optimized with Plop. The Sky Commander digital setting
circle has yet to be installed. Completed February 2010 |
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A 10" F4.5 built for Randy in Golden, Colorado. The telescope
includes a Meade primary, Antares 2-speed, 2-inch focuser and
Destiny curved vane spider. The eyepiece is 46" from the ground
when pointed at the zenith. The entire telescope, including
mirror cover and sliding counterweight weighs approximately 39#. Completed February 2010. |
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A 10" F4.5 "Suitcase Telescope"
designed and built by Hugh in Oakland, CA. Once Huge finalized
the plans, DobSTUFF built the kit and helped with some of the
design elements. The entire telescope breaks down into a 9"x13"x22" suite case size for an airliner overhead compartment and weighs just 35# when packaged for "travel mode". More pictures and weights/measures here. Completed January 2010 |
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A 13" F6 ETT (Easy
Travel Telescope) remake" for Barry W in Bakersfield, CA. Barry sent me his components and transformed a heavy traditional dob into an "ultra light" design. The primary mirror is a full-thickness Swayze 13" F6 and matching secondary. The rest of the scope includes a University Optics mirror cell, an Antares 2-speed 2" crayford low-profile focuser. Also included is a DSC stalk for his Sky Commander, an eyepiece tray with two 2" and three 1.25" slots and a Destiny curved vane spider. A removable dew shield, for the primary and a focuser baffle is also included. Click here for more pictures and weights/measures. Completed November 2009. |
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Another beautiful example of an
8 F6" ETT (Easy Travel Telescope)
assembled from one of our kits by Brian G in Shaker Heights,
Ohio. Here's what Brian had to say on the Cloudy Nights
forum:
"Well,
nobody is awake in my house, so I'll share my excitement
with the CN reflector forum. I've been working on putting
together a dobstuff kit
for my 8" f/6 Wessling primary, and finally had a clear
night and some free time to cut the struts and test it out
under the stars tonight. I've still got a little fine-tuning
to do, but at least I was able to bring it to focus and test
out some eyepieces. It's going to be a great scope -- I'm
very pleased.
Dennis Steele at dobstuff deserves a major "shout out." Working with him was an absolute pleasure. Everything about his work product is first-rate, and he's a helluva nice guy, too. He went above and beyond to help me with this project. I give him the highest possible recommendation. Thanks, Dennis! Brian" Kit completed and shipped November 2009. |
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A beautiful example of a
13.1" ETT (Easy Travel Telescope)
assembled from one of our kits by Bob C in Homer Glen, Illinois.
Bob's use of 3-tone coloring makes the telescope look
exceptional. Bob says:
"Dennis,
here
is the 'finished' scope. ... Thanks for
such a great quality kit. You can tell that a lot of
thought and engineering went in to the design. I can't wait
to bring this to a star party..."
Read the full text of Bob's comments and see more pictures here.
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A 23" F4.75 telescope built
for Don in Geneva, Illinois made with dobstuff.com components.
Given the size and weight of the assemblies, instead of my usual parallel strut design, the telescope is made with truss components from Moonlite (focusers.com). The truss aluminum tubing is 1" in diameter. Once assembled, the telescope is quite rigid. Here's what Don has to say:
"Dennis was a great help on this project. He took the time to
work with me and was even enthusiastic about it. The scope looks
simply gorgeous and functions beautifully. Thank You!" More pictures and descriptions here. Completed and delivered in July 2009. |
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10" Kit for Eric in Sacramento, CA. Includes
a Discovery 10" F5.6 mirror, Sky
Commander XP-4 and Antares 2-speed 2" focuser. An eyepiece
tray is also included in the kit. (NOTE: Eric built this kit in
"one day"!!). Eric says:
"I started talking with
Dennis back in August and explained several things unique to my
situation and hey was very amicable about everything!. I came by
his house to pick up the kit ... and we worked together for
about 3 hours. When I got back home I started building. It went
to together like Lego's (from playing with my kids) It was very
simple!!! I think it took me 8 total hours to build this scope
with sanding and clear coats (4 of them) Simply awesome!!! This
is only the second scope I have built, the first being my
Discovery rebuilt "home depot dob"... Dennis is awesome to work
with and works with you at every turn!!! You can not go wrong
working with Dennis, I have been in astronomy for 9 years and he
is by far the best person to work with in the field." |
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A 12 ETT (Easy Transport Telescope) for Colin in Ashland,
Oregon. The primary is a 12" Hubble Optics mirror, Antares
secondary and 2-speed 2" focuser and a Destiny "Professional"
3-vane curved-vane spider. The telescope is set up for a Sky
Commander and a DSC-stalk is included. Here's some comments from
Colin: "Hi Dennis, My wife went down to collect the scope this weekend. Thanks for delivering it to my daughter. I am VERY pleased with the scope and I can't wait to get it outside and try it out. The workmanship is fantastic. Many thanks for a great job..." Check here for more pictures. Completed October 2009
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A "table-top" mounting for Hugh in Oakland. The telescope is a
Celestron 130mm SLT. The dovetail mount was purchased from
Scope Stuff.
The mount is 16" tall and sits on a 17" platform. Completed October 2009 |
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A 17.5" F4.8 "remake" for Jim in Alameda California. This started out as a traditional dob. The telescopes sits on a motorized equatorial table as its ground board. Notice the "filter holder" under the focuser. The Baltic birch wood has been left "unfinished" so that Jim can apply a custom color of his own choosing. Also, a picture of Jim at the time he picked up the scope. Click here for more pictures and descriptions. Completed September 2009. |
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A 3-point mirror cell for a
10" telescope mirror made for Bill in Hayford, CA. The aluminum
back plate will fit a telescope tube from 10" to 14" in
diameter. The mirror affixes to the cell with silicone.
The front "mounting plate" is 13-ply Baltic birch with 5 coats
of varnish. The cell is optimized with Plop. Other cells available from 10" to 18" in 3-,6-, 9- and 18-point flotation. Completed September 2009. |
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This is a rocker box made
for Jerry in Brooksville, Florida. The rocker box was made for
an off-axis reflector with a 182mm O.D. telescope tube. The tube
rings are from Orion Telescope and are all metal construction.
The rocker stands 22" tall and stands on a 16" base for
stability. The construction is all 13-ply Baltic birch
finished with 5 coats of varnish. The OTA is an unobstructed reflector. Completed September 2009. |
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This is a 12" F5 made for
Dustin in East Hampton NY. Dustin sent me the primary and
secondary mirror. I supplied the Destiny curved vane spider,
Antares 2-speed 2" crayford focuser and 6-point flotation mirror
cell.
Click
here for more information and
pictures. |
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This is a 12" mirror box
with cooling fan. The fan runs on 12Vdc with a simple RCA power
cord available at most electronic stores, including Radio Shack.
The fan mounts on the back of the mirror box and is held in
place by the collimation bolts. The telescope also has an eyepiece tray which holds two 2" and two 1.25" eyepieces. The eyepiece tray is easily removed. The tray is made with Baltic Birch. I have metal eyepiece trays also available. |
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A 10" F4.5 with a Meade
mirror made for Nick in Vancouver B.C.
Click here for a list of
"weights and measures" plus some other photos. Nick says:
"Dennis:
The scope - love it!! Unfortunately the weather has been iffy
for my viewing schedule, so I have to wait for extensive
testing.
I will recommend Dobstuff highly! Best regards again,
Nick ."
Completed June 2009. "I just wanted to say how much I like the scope and that you are especially to be congratulated for several features:
All in all it is a lovely piece of work and excellent value and completely satisfies what I was look for in a travel scope.. John" |
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A 12.5" F4.7 for Gary in
Hinckley, OH. The mirror is from Hubble Optics with a strehl
ratio of .9987 and sits on a custom made 6-point floatation
aluminum mirror cell optimized with Plop. The telescope includes
a 2" 2-speed Crayford Antares focuser and a Destiny
"professional" curved vane spider. I've installed the encoder
installation kit, encoders and DSC stalk for Gary. There
is a removable dew shield as well.
You can see more pictures here. Completed and delivered in June 2009. |
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An 8" f6
Easy Travel Telescope for K. L. Lee in
Singapore. The telescopes breaks down into a 22.5" size for easy
transport and storage. The rocker box footprint is only 14"x14"
Overall, the telescope weighs 34#, including a small
counterweight on the mirror cell to help balance the system.
I've added a "break" on the altitude movement to help when
changing from lighter to heavier eyepieces.
Click here for some additional views of the telescope. Completed and delivered May 2009. |
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A 15" Discovery F4.2 remake
for Mark in Tampa Florida. This telescope uses the focuser,
spider/secondary and mirror/cell from the original Discovery
telescope. One nice feature of the telescope, because it's an
F4.2, is that the eyepiece at the zenith is only 63" high. The
telescope is also "encoder ready". Here's what Mark
has to say about his scope: "Dennis,
Allow me to formally thank you for building me such a
beautiful scope. My wife thinks it goes perfectly with our
hardwood floors. It's a telescope that thinks it's a fine
piece of furniture. You've significantly reduced both the
weight and footprint of the original telescope. Set up time
is a breeze. I can easily pick up the entire truss/mirror
box structure in 1 piece. It's light-weight yet rigid and
the motions are buttery smooth.
Thank you again Dennis. I look forward to many years of use
with this beautiful scope.
Mark"
Completed and delivered May 2009. |
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A 14" F5 telescope with a
Hubble Optics sandwich mirror for Ron in Franklin, Indiana. Ron
asked that I left the wood unfinished so he could stain and
varnish it himself. This telescope was also delivered with the
20" "travel struts" so that it can be easily moved and stored. Delivered in April 2009.
More photos here. Ron says: "Dennis, thanks again for my 14" F5. Fun to use. It really brings the faint-fuzzys to life and it will knock your socks off -- on the moon. Lots of WOW factor. Very affordable and fits completely in the back seat of my Saturn ION. Light-weight and fits my closet at home. Good craftsmanship. Ron, Franklin, IN." |
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Here's the result of some fine craftsmanship. I built a 10" kit
for Fred and delivered it in November 2008. A couple of months
later, and Fred assembled a beautiful 10" telescope. Here's what
Fred has to say about the kit and telescope: "This is a 10" (F5) finished in February, 2009. The kit was a pleasure to finish and assemble. The wood is high quality, the craftsmanship of the cut pieces is excellent, and the design is superb. Furthermore, Dennis promptly and clearly answered all my questions via email. I used an Antares 10:1 focuser and Destiny 3-vane spider. The secondary has an AstroSystems DG-1 dew heater with wiring inside one of the struts. The base weighs 21 lbs and OTA is 27 lbs. Fred in Bloomington, Indiana." |
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A 14" F5 with Hubble Optics mirror, 2-speed Antares 2" Crayford focuser and Destiny curved-vane spider. The mirror is mounted on a custom-made 6-point floatation mirror cell optimized with Plop. Built for Jeff in Clio Michigan and delivered in January 2009. |
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A 12.5" ETT (Easy Transport
Telescope, and easy to store) made for George in Show Low
Arizona. The scope was completed in December 2008. See more
pictures and descriptions here. Here's
what George has to say:
"I wanted a easy to transport Dobsonian so I sent my 12.5" mirror and other parts to Dennis. He turned them into a easy to use and transport Dobsonian that fits into the back of my Jeep Cherokee without removing and folding down the rear seat. I am very happy with my new Dobsonian." George, Show Low, AZ" |
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Brian Medeiros,
West Greenwich, Rhode Island and his 14-inch telescope with a
Hubble Optics sandwich mirror. The telescope was completed and
delivered to Brian in November 2008. Click HERE for Brian's comments, more information about the telescope and more pictures. |
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12.5" Travel Telescope breaks down into an 18"x18"x17.5" assembly for easy transport. This also meets the checked-baggage dimensions for airline travel. For additional information, including weights and measures, click here. These telescopes are available in 10", 12" or 12.5" apertures. |
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"Dennis is an innovative
and practical scope builder. I have had a great time participating
in the construction of my scope, from sourcing materials,
to design and execution. Dennis is great to work with and
makes great value scopes. He is extremely knowledgeable,
experienced and honest. My scope turned out great; I got to do
some customizations which I am very pleased about. I took my scope
home from the Dobstuff workshop on the weekend of 8th June. The
complete 12.5 inch scope fit in my small civic along with a passenger
which my friends find difficult to believe. I
learned more about telescopes and telescope making from him in
20 hours than I have in 10 years J. I would strongly recommend
him to anybody who wants a scope built or wants to build one by
himself using one of his kits. Thanks Dennis for a great experience!" |
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16" F4.5
for Carl Ching in Sunnyvale, Ca.,.
It has a Moonlite focuser, Protostar spider and secondary
and a Telrad base. Carl lives nearby and was able to
help build most of his telescope himself. 12/23/07. Here's
a link to Carl working on his own scope in my shop. Here's what Carl has to say about his scope:
" Dennis was great to work with. His patience working with me was amazing considering I had not been in a woodshop class since my junior high school days. While I did not put this telescope together entirely by myself, I'm nevertheless grateful for his patience and assistance for I now have my LAST telescope. (It also helps Dennis & I have been friends for a long time...) Anybody wants to put together a really great telescope at a very reasonable cost, I strongly recommend going with Dennis at www.Dobstuff.com." |
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A 13 Inch F4.5 (a Discovery mirror) made for Joe in Northern California.
It uses a Moonlite focuser and Destiny curved vane spider.
November 2007. |
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15" F5 Discovery Make-over for Jim Falls, September 2007. Here's a comment from Jim from Pleasanton California: "Dennis is terrific to work with, and his craftsmanship is superb. His elegant design has allowed me to significantly lower the overall weight of the scope, while preserving excellent imaging quality. Because of Dennis’ efforts, I expect to be using my scope for many years to come. " |
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Greg in Visalia CA. and a Coulter 13.1" f4.5 makeover kit.
Greg's well-appointed wood shop is something to envy! February
2008. Left photo shows Greg in his shop with the kit. The right
photo is the finished product. A beautiful job assembling one of
our kits. Here's what Greg had to say about assembling our kit. |
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A 12.5" f5 with digital
setting circle stalk for Stuart in Gardner Kansas. It has
a University Optics mirror cell, a Moonlite 2-speed focuser
and a Destiny curved vane spider. I've also mounted the encoder
installation kit on this scope. Completed July 2008. |
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"The 10" F4.5 scope I received from you is better than I expected. Quality
woodwork, smooth motions, and very light weight. I
can actually carry the tube assembly easily with one hand, something
I've never been able to do with any other scope of this size. I
look forward to many nights of observing. Thanks again for
a great product."
John in Wooster, Ohio, July 2008
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Here is a review by Jon Isaacs, one of our kit builders. |
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A
6" f8.3 for Dean in Nashville, TN. A small telescope like this,
with a light mirror, balances a bit more toward the center
of the OTA, so the rocker box needs to be made a bit higher. The
scope is very stable and exhibits no vibrations. March 2008. |
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A mirror cell for
a 10" f4.5 Newtonian. The cell has an insert underneath in which a
small counterweight can be added or removed. Depending on the
need, 1.25 or 2.5 pounds can be added to the rear of the cell
without effecting the mirror in any way. |
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10" for John in Houston, TX. This
scope sports a Destiny spider and Feathertouch 10:1 focuser.
Completed and shipped 01/08.. |
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"To everyone who reads
this testimonial and is looking to purchase a telescope kit made
from wood, you need not look any further. For price - Kit availability,
Quality of material, you can't beat Dobstuff and the service you
receive from the master behind it all Dennis Steele. His work is
outstanding and he is most accommodating. Dealing with Dennis by
e-mail or telephone has been an absolute pleasure and you can't
believe his speedy response time to general information or
technical issues. I have absolutely loved every minute of this
time. Believe it or not there were days that I worked all day and
almost through the night. I enjoyed it so much I couldn't wait
to get on to the next piece." Bill Shea Brooklyn, New York |
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"I'm up at 5am - just finished star party at Patoka Lake in Indiana. Your DobStuff scope got more attention than any scope there. More than the 2 18" Obsessions, more than a 12.5 Starmaster (which is the scope I sold and was an awesome performing scope at the dark site) and more than any other scope. Before it got dark I sometimes had 6 or 7 guys around it asking questions. No less than 6 people remarked it is a beautiful scope. I never thought of it being beautiful. One guy asked what it was. One asked where the rest of it was. One asked if it was a special filtering scope. Many people said it was their favorite scope at the party . . . BTW by the time we finished around 3:30 am water from dew was pooling on my ground tarp. The grass was soaked. If I left for 5 minutes the vinyl on my observing chair would dew up. My car windows were completely fogged. But the primary and secondary did not dew over at all, and that's with no dew system . . . People absolutely loved the design. So simple and minimalist. So well engineered." Mark, Louisville, KY, August 2008 with his 10" f4.5. |
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10" f4.7 for Tom
in Cambridge MA. This scope includes "travel struts", and
makes into a 17" tall assembly. Features a Moonlite focuser and
Novak mirror cell. Completed 02/08. |
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A 13.1" F4.5 for Murray in Dallas Texas. Completed September 2008. This is a refigured Coulter mirror completed by Pegasus Optics with a 98% coating! Great optics. Other features are a Moonlite 2-speed focuser, Destiny curved vane spider and an XP4 Sky Commander. |
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A custom-made 6-point mirror cell for a 14" F4.5 telescope. The cell, optimized with "plop" is made with 1/4" aluminum plate, and weighs 2 pounds. These cells are available for mirrors up to 16" in diameter. |
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A 10" F4.7 made for Peter K
in Richmond California. It has an Antares 10:1 2" focuser and
Destiny curved vane spider. The Hubble Optics primary mirror has
a strehl of .9932. Peter lives close enough to me that he
was able to pick up the scope in person. It was great meeting
him. Telescope completed October 2008. |
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