2 Minute Guide to Building a Dobsonian Mount

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[@Astrolavista]

I made this particular Dob mount in 2013 from an old cupboard door and a pine shelve. If you want to make your own dob base, and are unsure about any of the steps in this video, just ask and I'll do my best to answer :)

[@lucienpower]

I'd love some dimensions you used as a guide. I've got the 6" dobs telescope

[@lmohrtheoneandonly]

thanks so much for this! i have been seeing videos everywhere for unique spins on the dobsonian design but each keeps overcomplicating things, and with a limited supply of tools i've been doubting if i could actually build the mount. this video makes it all simple and clear, and establishes a simple design! really appreciate it!

[@TheUrbanAstronomer]

hey how did I miss this.. very cool Chris!

[@Astrolavista]

lol Thanks Vineeth :) It's amazing what you can do with an old cupboard door :D

[@toml.8210]

You don't need the round cutout for the alt bearings. A V-shaped cut is fine for a small OTA, and was mentioned in Mr. Dobson's book.
The only thing I did differently was to use the countertop laminate ("Formica") in stead of the record, as Mr. Dobson recommends it, and it slides much better than the record. You can get sink cutouts from a cabinet shop for free or almost free. It only needs 1 finger to move the whole box by pushing the end of the OTA!
Mr. Dobson also stipulated a doubled base of 3/4 inch plywood with three wooden blocks for feet. I added a bubble-level, and a plastic 360-degree compass to the base as a sort-of setting circle.
The carry handles come in quite handy! Mine were metal so they fold flat.

[@Astrolavista]

All good advice, yours sounds like a very good build. The record on mine did give a bit of stiction, so I agree about the Formica.

[@leatherindian]

By far the nicest mount I’ve seen. Nice work!

[@Astrolavista]

Thanks!

[@prashantchauhan5778]

Hello sir.. great video. I want to ask how to make sure that telescope stays at place and not fall down or go upwards on its on. I guess that is why you used kitchen worktop edgin strip on alt bearings and teflon pads on the mount. But still I'm asking so can you please explain this to me. That how to make sure that telescope stays at place and not go up or down buy its own.. especially when a mobile phone or camera is attached to it.
And again, great video.

[@trekfire2651]

amazing job! i'm tired of using my equatorial mount for visual, i'm gonna follow your tips to make me one, thanks you ! (sorry if my english is incorrect)

[@Astrolavista]

Your English is very good. Good luck with the build :)

[@trekfire2651]

Thanks ! I have a question, what type of screw did you use to attach the circles of altitude bearings to the rings of your scope?

[@Astrolavista]

@@trekfire2651 Sadly I can't check as I sold this mini Dob some years ago. I should have kept it really, bit of a regret after the work I put into it.

[@toml.8210]

It's pretty well known that the only real; drawback of the Dob mount is the ability to track an object at high magnification. You don't have the tracking control knob the equatorial mount has, but somebody will come up with something one day- maybe using an Arduino board with stepper motors & gearing. 😁

[@toml.8210]

@@trekfire2651 Machine screws should be fine, depending on the weight of the mIrror & OTA. Use washers for reinforcement. The BIG dobs use a wood box to hold the OTA, so that would be more obvious regarding how screw things up. 😄

[@avt_astro206]

Beautiful Dobsonian Mount Design Chris..Useful DIY : )

[@Astrolavista]

Thanks Cosmos :) I did start making an 8.75" version including grinding the mirror. I really need to carry on with that at some point.

[@ManishFrenchStudio]

Superb cool telescope 🔭❤️ dear, thank you for informational video... Fully enjoyed 😀💖🎁🎁🎁🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Astrolavista]

Thanks for watching Manish :)

[@ManishFrenchStudio]

@@Astrolavista 💖💖💖

[@doublea7218]

Love the video. How did you get a perfect circle on the altitude wheels?

[@Astrolavista]

Thanks! I used a compass to pencil out the circle, then carefully followed the pencil line with a jigsaw, followed by sanding to get rid of the dodgy bits.

[@doublea7218]

That’s what I was thinking I would do. Thank you.

[@Octoclops]

Hi! This is exactly what I want to do for my 200mm newt, thank you so much for the guide! 2 quick questions, instead of making the side pieces round, I've seen other people just cut a V, is there any advantage to making it round? It's just easier than cutting, or routing perfectly round. And where can I find those Teflon pads?
Thank you so much for your help

[@Astrolavista]

Hey Popper Clops. No worries :) The circle rather than V is purely for aesthetics, both would work fine, I just like the look of the circle. Search for PTFE Teflon sheet on Ebay, you can get a little bit quite cheaply on there :)

[@toml.8210]

If you're mounting a really heavy mirror, like 14 or 17 inches, then I think you'll want the round cutout, so you can have 3 or 4 Teflon pads on each bearing. Mine has a 6-inch mirror, so I actually glued 4-inch PVC pipe to the 8-inch PVC tube, and it works very well- I just wipe any dirt from the bearings before I put the tube on the base.

[@lefablabdequoy8301]

300 mm dobson build out of a 300/1500 PDS skywatcher: ua-cam.com/video/mcTPAftXxKU/v-deo.html

[@MrAwol007]

would this work with a celestron 10inch btw great mount and diy skills :)

[@Astrolavista]

Thanks Dillon, yes, this should work with any solid tube Newtonian, you obviously just have to scale up the dimensions of course. My dad was a carpenter and he always said - measure twice, cut once. This has saved me from making a mistake more than once. Good luck with the build! EDIT: thinking more about it, my only doubt is the record for the azimuth bearing. It worked well for the 6", but will it be suitable for the extra weight of the 10"? Maybe? if you use more Teflon pads to reduce friction. You might need to experiment with the Azimuth bearing but there is only one way to find out :)

[@MrAwol007]

@@Astrolavista thank you and thank for your advice buddy :)

[@toml.8210]

Yes. My book on the Dobson mount uses a 12 inch mirror for the example, and I've seen some up to 20 inches!
ua-cam.com/video/ehFgKcaA8Kc/v-deo.html

[@rossbriannestein5054]

Please give dimension?

[@Astrolavista]

Sorry, I made this video from old photos. I sold the telescope on to fund another project many years ago. The dimensions are somewhat to taste though, just base everything off the size of altitude bearings you choose.

[@uwu-cz5dx]

What is the record for?

[@Astrolavista]

It's a bearing so the base can spin.

[@uwu-cz5dx]

@@Astrolavista how about the kitchen worktop edging straps? Are those necessary?

[@creativeamol]

I am doing few stupid things you can see them 😉