300 mm F4.9 transportable Dobsonian

homemade dobsonian telescope packed in car
This is my main telescope.
I built it because I wanted a decent aperture scope that I can transport to a dark site.
It is not a ultralight, but it breaks up into 3 pieces so I can pack it up in my car. The stability of a heavy, full tube scope remains.
 
primary mirror in box The primary mirror is 300 mm diameter, 19 mm "thick" plate glass. It came out with a good figure and smooth surface. foucault image primary mirror

mirror box


upper tube assembly
mirror cell

Construction started by making the mirror box and the "ground board" triangle. The box is made from 27 mm thick plywood
 

next was the upper cage

and the front collimation mirror cell, also 27 mm thick.
 
focuser board

azimuth bearing

spider mounted

focuser board with focuser
 

azimuth bearing
 

spider assembly
 
upper tube assembly

roller bearings

finderscope

UTA finished
 

azimuth bearing with 6 rollers from underneath
 

9x50 finder scope
 
first light optical axis

first light!