Telescope Wooden Cabinet

Discuss any astro equipment that does not have its own forum, such as focusers, finders, chairs, etc.
Alpena67
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Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#1

Post by Alpena67 »


While we are getting through the coldest part of the winter I decided to make a proper wooden cabinet to store and carry my Celestron VX6 refractor. I always liked the nice wooden cabinets you used to get when you bought a telescope back in the 60’s and 70’s before the transition to cardboard. The Unitron telescopes come to mind as having a fitting container(s) to match the scope. The older Sears/Jason/Tasco scopes had pretty decent ones too. I got busy and made one that Is almost done and will put out a few pics. Definitely takes some time and a few woodworking skills but I love the results and the beauty of the wood. Just seems fitting when you think how much we spend on these instruments and accessories. As soon as I get this one completely finished I’m going to build another for my Jason 313. Just wondering if any of you ever entertained that thought or if this is just a labor of madness for me, lol. I’ll post some pics to see the progress.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#2

Post by Alpena67 »


Tried to post some pics but not going through? I’ll get it figured out.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#3

Post by Alpena67 »


B3BC00B8-CC4C-4843-A55C-E9DEBE46ADAB.jpeg
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#4

Post by Alpena67 »


A2F3DD04-6776-4DAB-B437-7D568F7B6391.jpeg
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50A194E5-C3EC-4763-8B11-6573A37D2AC7.jpeg
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#5

Post by Alpena67 »


The last pic looks off but my dad took the pic and sent it. The box is actually quite square. Just trying to show the inside. I have to finish that up but a little more time will do the trick. The cabinet weighs in at about 15lbs and is quite solid. I added a positive close latch as well as the the 2 hasps if there is a desire to lock it as well a secondary catch if someone grabbed it with the latch undone it won’t just fly open. More to come as well as some better pics.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#6

Post by Alpena67 »


Comments, criticisms and suggestions are all welcome!
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
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Seawolfe
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#7

Post by Seawolfe »


How about a pic with the scope in it?
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Gordon United States of America
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#8

Post by Gordon »


Looks like a great project! I can't tell from the pix but are the supports for the scope covered in felt?
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
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Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
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Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#9

Post by Alpena67 »


Yes, the spports are covered in felt plus I took some clear thinwall vinyl tubing, split it and pressed it in place in the half moon part of the supports that the telescope sits in. This will keep the finish from being damaged as it is soft and has some give. Attached are some pics when I was test fitting the scope to check clearances and overall fit. I will have better pics coming soon with the completely finished interior. Protecting the scope and it’s finish was the #1 priority.
D0D70E94-5CC6-451B-9440-5738350D3701.jpeg
F415A5F0-7184-411C-BEB8-92B77C9AF22F.jpeg
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#10

Post by Alpena67 »


I also engineered enough space in front of the scope to put a small case of eyepieces in and also room for the finder scope. I will be updating this thread and highlight the features, etc, of the finished product. I’m really enjoying building this darn thing.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
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Lady Fraktor Slovakia
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#11

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A nice looking project so far :)
If your dovetail sits on the bottom of the box I would put a small block in front and behind it to help keep the telescope shifting end to end.

If you look around for corner hardware you can find metal corners with small wheels, handy for loading unloading into a vehicle if you place a pulling handle on the other end.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#12

Post by pakarinen »


Nice.
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John Fitzgerald United States of America
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#13

Post by John Fitzgerald »


Alpena67 wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:20 pm A2F3DD04-6776-4DAB-B437-7D568F7B6391.jpeg
I made a box much like that years ago to store my SPC-102 refractor. I still have the box and scope.
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Ylem United States of America
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#14

Post by Ylem »


Nice box 👍

Me, I'm a wood butcher :(
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#15

Post by bladekeeper »


Very nice project! Looking forward to updates as you progress. :)
Bryan
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
Mounts: Celestron AVX; Bresser EXOS-2; ES Twilight I; ES Twilight II; iOptron Cube-G; AZ3/wood tripod; Vixen Polaris
Binoculars: Pentax PCF WP II 10×50, Bresser Corvette 10×50, Bresser Hunter 16×50 and 8×40, Garrett Gemini 12×60 LW, Gordon 10×50, Apogee 20×100

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Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#16

Post by Alpena67 »


Thanks for the replies all. Lady Fraktor, I didn’t think about the wheels; that is a great suggestion. John, I am building it to go the distance and confident it will as yours has. I have the space in front of the telescope such that the eyepiece box fits snugly and prevents fore and aft movement. There is a soft foam pad on the eyepiece side and styrofoam insert on the objective side. The eyepiece container sits between the styrofoam and case end. On the inside bottom of the box I have installed 2 stainless steel eyelets with an adjustable nylon strap that holds the telescope snugly so it won’t move off the supports. It only needs a gentle snug and will hold firm with no damage. More to come.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#17

Post by Alpena67 »


Update: added the hinges and put a coat of poly inside. I’m going to cut the edge moldings tomorrow and hopefully get those finished and installed.
0C60E569-6FCB-4BE1-A748-2E2C6E8BC6A4.jpeg
A1C9CE23-7583-4F19-8263-DD681FAB3879.jpeg
16AE0ACB-3B41-4139-98BC-DE59175AC8EE.jpeg
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
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AntennaGuy United States of America
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#18

Post by AntennaGuy »


Alpena67 wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:27 pm Comments, criticisms and suggestions are all welcome!
A pity to limit your considerable skills to telescope boxes. Have you considered... coffin making? I bet a box for a big Dob would be similarly suitable for some individuals.
:D
* Meade 323 refractor on a manual equatorial mount.
* Celestron C6 SCT on a Twilight 1 Alt-Az mount
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Alpena67
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#19

Post by Alpena67 »


Ha, ha Antenna guy; I’ll probably stick to telescope box making for now, lol. I just picked up the wood and a few other parts for the box I’m going to make for my Jason 313. If I have time tomorrow I’m going to cut the pieces for this box. I’ll make a separate thread on that one.
My Optical Obsession:
Jason 313 60mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 4454 80mm Equatorial refractor
Sears 6339 76mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron VX6 152mm Equatorial refractor
Celestron C90 “Orange tube” spotting scope
Celestron C5 "Orange tube" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C8 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Celestron C11 “Orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain
Criterion/Bausch&Lomb 4000
Criterion Dynamax 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 8” 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 10” 2120 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Meade 12” LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain
Jason 35mm 7-15X Binoculars; Celestron 25x100mm Binoculars; Nikon D7200 digital camera
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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: Telescope Wooden Cabinet

#20

Post by Graeme1858 »


That is a quality build and it puts to shame the one in my head for my guide scope made from corrugated cardboard and duct tape!

Regards

Graeme
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