Sky and Telescope - June 2016 - 68

Jerry Oltion
Astronomer's Workbench

Why Do It Yourself?
The reasons go far beyond mere economics.
I love to build things. I also love to share

KATHY OLTION

what I've learned in the process. If you've followed Gary
Seronik's Telescope Workshop column over the years,
you've seen a half dozen of my projects, including my
ﬂex equatorial platform highlighted in the April issue.
So when Gary told me he was becoming editor of SkyNews, and Sky & Telescope asked if I'd be interested in
continuing his column, I jumped at the chance.
Gary left a mighty big pair of shoes to ﬁll. I will never
replace him; all I can do is continue the column in my
own way and do my very best to keep it as interesting
and informative and inspiring as he did. I don't plan to
change much. Gary had a winning approach, and I'm
not going to mess with it.

Author Jerry Oltion with some of his homemade telescopes.

June 2016 sky & telescope

You'll notice one change immediately, however:
the title at the top of the page. Telescope Workshop
was Gary's column. We're calling mine Astronomer's
Workbench, because that title encompasses what the
old column did plus opens it up a little wider. I plan to
feature not just innovative homebuilt telescopes but practically anything homebuilt having to do with astronomy.
Amateur telescope makers build far more than just
telescopes, and I want to cast a spotlight on all of it. Over
time I hope to cover pretty much everything you'd want
or need to build for practicing the coolest hobby ever.
Why do people build their own equipment, anyway?
Lower cost used to be a compelling reason, but not so
much anymore. Unless you're making a big scope, it
probably costs just as much to grind a mirror and have it
coated as it does to buy one already made. For that matter, you can buy an entire 8-inch Dobsonian for about the
price of the parts needed to build it yourself.
Ah, but try to ﬁnd one with an f/3 focal ratio, or with
a collapsible mount, or made of inlaid oak. Try to ﬁnd a
red ﬂashlight with just the right amount of glow for your
sketching, or a focuser that weighs three ounces.
Even if you can ﬁnd those things available commercially, there's still the pleasure of crafting them yourself,
of working with your hands, of standing in the shop
or the hardware store, staring oﬀ into space while your
mind tries to ﬁt the shape you need into the possibilities
around you. You haven't lived as an ATM until you've
realized that a 5-gallon bucket makes the perfect secondary cage for a 10-inch reﬂector.
Like so many things, it's about the process as well
as the product. Making something yourself provides
immense satisfaction. Whether your creation looks like
an engineering masterpiece or a child's crayon drawing
brought to life, when you put your eye to the eyepiece of
a homemade scope and look at photons bouncing oﬀ a
mirror you ground, there's a sense of accomplishment
like no other.
Best of all, it's surprisingly easy to do! If I stress only
one thing in the months to come, I want it to be this:
making your own astronomy gear is easier than you
think. If you understand the principles involved and
have a little patience, you can build practically anything.

Sky and Telescope - June 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - June 2016