Amateur Telescope Making
Amateur Telescope Making Websites
- Stellafane ATM Pages
- Stellafane Build a Dobsonian Pages
- Stellafane on Facebook
- Stellafane on Twitter
- A Darker View
- Allen Maroney Astronomy Stuff
- Amateur Telescope Making - India by Arvind
- Amateur Telescope Making Video by Arvind
- Amateur Telescope Making by John Nichol
- Amateur Telescope Optics by Vladimir
- Arie's Dobsonian Telescopes
- Astro Bananas English
- Astro Khan Telescope Making
- ATM by Arjan
- ATM by Bruce
- ATM Page
- ATM-Pages by Achim Strnad
- ATM Turk (Turkish)
- ATM2009 (Turkey)
- Astrogene1000
- Astro Pages
- Astronomic Unit by Stephen
- Astronomy Junkyard by Dominic
- Astronomy Selbstbau (German)
- Bob Bunge's Telescopes
- Build Your Own Dobsonian Telescope
- Cloudy Nights ATM Contest
- Conception et Construction de Telescopes
- Construction de Dobsons by Oliver Ruau
- Creations by Thomas Jacques
- Dale Eason's YouTube Channel
- Dale Keller ATM
- Dave Rowe
- Dick Parker Workshop*
- Dobson Making
- Epic Home Made Telescopes
- Etienne's Blog
- Francis O'Reilly's YouTube Channel*
- xFrogsharkx YouTube Channel
- Gary Seronik.com
- Gary Wolanski's Telescope Projects
- Gerry Logan Scopes
- Gordon Waite's YouTube Channel
- Greg Babcock's Astronomy
- Guy's Math & Astro Blog
- How To Grind and Polish a 6"
- How To Make A Telescope by Ryan
- Howard Banich's Telescopes
- Il Grattavetro by Giulio Tiberini
- Images and Optical Essays by Roland
- India Astronomy Club
- In The Shop at Lockwood Optics
- Jan Astronomy Menu
- Jason Hissong's Astro Interests
- Jim's Astronomy and ATM
- Joe Castoro's Stellafane Page
- John's ATM Workshop
- John Reed Telescope Making
- Joy of Mirror Making by Mel
- Junkbox Telescope Gallery by Jeff
- Laurie's Astro-Tel
- Laurent Astro (French)
- Making Your Own Telescope by Allyn
- Mike Lockwood ATM
- Mike's Telescope Workshop
- Eye of Newt by Mack & Maggie
- Mel Bartels Telescope Making
- Michael Dodge YouTube Channel
- Mirror Lab @ SPAC
- Mirror Making by Peter
- Mirro-Sphere Livre D'Or
- Mitchell's Telescope Making Website
- Mr. Pinbout YouTube Channel
- My Astronomical Miscellany by Rex
- My ATM Story by Achim
- Neil "Super" Booker's Telescope Page
- Newtonian Pages
- Notes on Amateur Telescope Optics
- Observo Ergo Sum by Mirceo
- Optical Ed
- OpticsEd YouTube Channel
- Oregon Star Party Flickr Group
- Oregon Star Party 2011 by Serge
- Peter's Thoughts on Portland OR ATMs
- Poor Meadow Dyke Observatory
- Projekte der Selbstbaugruppe Muchen
- Richest Field Telescopes by Mel
- Riverside Astro Society
- Ron Ravenburg Memorial Scope Gallery
- Ross Sackett ATM
- Sandroac34's YouTube Channel
- St. Petersburg FL Mirror Lab
- Scopemaking by Berislav
- ScopeX ATM Videos
- Sidewalk Astronomers' Articles
- Solar Scopes by Dave
- So, You Really Want
- Sidewalk Astronomers Dob Plans
- StarStone Videos
- Stellarzac by Fred Gea
- String Telescope Concepts by Don
- SudiBalls
- Feature Article Topical Index
- Teleskop Bilder (German)
- Telescope Making Blog by David
- Telescope Making by Olivier
- Telescope Making Course by Chris
- TM for the Relatively Unskilled by Mike
- Telescope Making, Optics, Astronomy
- Telescope Making Projects
- Telescope Nerd
- Telescope Projects by Doug
- Telescopes and Deep Sky by Reiner
- The Dobson Factory (French)
- The Dobson Factory (German)
- The Newtonian Pages
- The Perfect Telescope by Dave
- Tom's Scope Page
- Tom's Homemade Telescope Page
- Traveling with Telescopes by Barry
- Vega Sky Center, Mel's Gleanings
- VDS Fachgruppe Selbstbau
- Vic Menard
- Waite Research ATM Videos
- Woodware Designs Telescope Freebies
Telescope Makers and Their Instruments
- Mel Bartels' Tri-Dob
- New Sub-F3 Telescopes by Mel
- Bob May
- Mike Lockwood
- Brian Lula's Advanced Projects*
- Stathis Kafalis' Many Scopes
- Kurt's Sawdust Factory
- Larry Brown's Homemade Astronomy
- Steven Lee Astronomy
- Achim's Telskopbauseiten
- Fraser Valley Club Scopes
- Mr. Science's Equatorial Sunspotter
- Coronagraph by Dave
- 60mm Calcium-K Scope by Dave
- 60mm H-alpha Scope by Dave
- Kid Peek 60mm by Rod
- Kid Peek II by Rod
- Nanodob 60mm by Berislav
- ComaScope by Ed
- 65mm Spectroscope by Dave
- Timmo's 4"
- 4.5" White Light Solar Newtonian by Dave
- 67mm Refractor by Rex
- Mike's 70mm Solar Camera
- 70mm Solar Funnel by Tom
- Vintage Telescope Restoration by Rod
- Bogbits & Beantin Refractor by Stephen
- Optical Ed's Solar Projector
- Homemade 94mm Newt in Brazil by Roberto
- Scott's 4"Okapi Refractor
- Ryan's Handmade Scope
- 4" Aerial Lens Wide Angle by Tom
- Dave's 4.25" Schiefspiegler
- Bill's 4.25" Schiefspiegler
- 4.25" Planetary Scope by Bob
- 4.25" Travel Scope by Ross
- 4.5" PortaBowl by Jay
- 4.5" Travel Dob by Reiner
- Mitchell's 4.5" Refigure
- CloverBall by Chuck
- 110mm Schupmann by Kurt (German)
- 112mm f/18 Refractor by Stephen
- 130mm Newtonian by Orlando (Spanish)
- 146mm Wright Reflections by Bratislav
- Small Dob in a Box by Brent
- Dick's 6" Refractor* (See above)
- Ben's 6" Dob
- Mitch's 6"
- Mike's AOAS 6"
- Steve's Aagghh 6"
- Sam's 6" Dob
- 6" Ultra Small Travel Scope by Bob
- Ed's 6" Dob
- Mel's 6" Airplane Travel Scope
- 6" Bowling Ball with Tracking by Doug
- 6" Mac by Tom
- 6" f/8 Motorized by David
- 6" Newtonian by Berthold
- 6" Travel Scope by Barry
- 6" Coral Sand Scope by Gil
- Homebuilt 6" f/15 & Mount by Astrochef
- 6" f/7 Newtonian Rebuild by Joe
- 6" f/2.8 by Mel
- Mitchell's 6" f/8
- Moonsilver V by Ross
- Primero by Andrew
- A Richest Field Telescope by Arjan
- Marc Rene's 7.8" Maksutov
- Gerry's Scopes
- Doug's String Scope
- Ed's Miatascope
- Mike's 8" Compact
- Bolton Group 8" RC
- Akkana's 8" (Fits in a Fiat)
- Stephan's 8" Dob
- 8" String Travel Scope by Craig
- Reiner's 8" Travel Scope
- 8" Dob by Mike
- Springsonian 8"
- 8" One Trip Dob by Jim
- Jim's Motorized 8"
- Retain Your Sanity by Jeff
- 8" Truss Dob by Jim
- 8" Fritz Mirror by Allen
- 8" Two-Pole by Ross
- Moonsilver 1 by Ross
- Moonsilver 1v2 by Ross
- 8" Travel Scope by Gary
- 8" Plywood Dob by Taki
- 8" Travel Scope by Barry
- 8" Stacked String Scope by Don
- 8" Spring Counterweight by Don
- 8" Dob by Anil
- 8" Mahogany Tube by Nitzan
- 8.5" by Andre
- Classic 8" Restoration by Rob
- 8" Longjohn by Achim
- Mitchell's 8" f/8.25
- Jeff's One Trip Dob
- Great Big Astroscan by Jerry
- 200mm Lightweight by Roel
- Jim's 9" Schupmann*
- Willie's 9"
- 10" Macroscope/Telescope by Pete
- Mike's 10"
- Gert's 10" Ritchey Chretien
- Frodo, 10" Travel Dob
- Royce 10" Newtonian
- Geoff's 10" Skateboard Wheel Dob
- Trackball 10" by Jerry
- 10" f8.75 by Mike
- 10" Boppian by Bob
- Stargirl's 10" by Kathy
- Telescoping 10" by Dale
- 10" f5 Ultralight Travel Scope by Chris
- 10" Truss by Rolf
- 10" Classic Dob by Ross
- 10" Digital Dob by Doug
- 10" Dob by Steve
- 10" Schupmann by Gerry
- 10" Dob by ksearles
- 10" Window Scope Video by Ed
- 10" f/2.7 with 2.4 deg FOV by Mel
- Mitchell's 10" f/4.3
- SAO 10" Fork Mount by Mel
- 10" Dob by Laurent (French)
- Travel Scopes MkI and MkII by Arjan
- My Delmarva Mirror's New Home by Tim
- Dobson de voyages 300 by Pierre
- Bob's Three-Tube Dob
- Achim's 12.5" Three-Tube "George"
- Ulli's 12"
- 12" Truss by Ron
- Bill's Leftover 12.5"
- Scott's Projects 12.5"
- Mark's 12.5" Aluminum Scope
- Mike's 12" Cassegrain
- Michael's 12.5" Cassegrain
- Carbon Fiber 12.5"
- Scott's 12.5" X-Scope
- Dave's Two-Tube 12.5"
- Stefan's 12.5" Driven Scope
- 12.5" Travel Scope "Ellie"
- Captain Nemo 12.5" by Ross
- Moonsilver II by Ross
- Griffin 12.5" by Allen
- 5 Lightweight 12.5" Dobs by Jan
- Pollux 12.5" by Mike
- Big Tom 12.5 by Sean
- 12.5" Travel Scope by Barry
- Rebuilding a 12.5" by Andrew
- Making a 12.5" Mirror by John
- 12" Astrograph by Armin (German)
- 12" Dobsonian
- 12.5" f/5 Sphere Mount by Norman
- Lightweight Coopered Dob by Nate
- Misadventures in Telescope Building
- TM Advendures Continue by Dan
- Machining a Dob by Mark
- 300mm Ultralight by Pierre (French)
- Lightweight 30cm by Jan
- 310mm Schmidt Camera by Dominic
- Jacques' 465 mm Fiberglass Dob
- Rod's 13" Twin-tube
- Ray's 13" Travel Scope
- Ross's 13" Truss Dob
- STM's Schupmann
- Zip Dob by Mel
- PAC 13.1"
- Harry's 14" Borofloat Dob
- 14" AstroKit by Ian
- 14" Phoenix by Achim
- Rapido 14 by Laurent (French)
- 14" Three-Tube by Tom
- Bill's Homemade 14.5 TM Project
- Ivory & Black Satin by Jim
- James' 15"
- Don's 15" Miata Scope
- NOVACs Sweet Sixteen
- 16" CUAS Club Scope
- Carlo's Ultralight 16"
- Minimalist 16"
- Robert's 16" Flex Rocker
- 16" Hemispherical Luceal
- Sweet 16 by John
- Notes on a Homebuilt 16" by John
- Dobson Compact 400mm by Pierre
- 400mm Dobsonian by GAP47 (French)
- Dobson 410 by Pierre
- 16" f4.5 Dobsonian by Reiner
- UltraLight 16" by Timm
- 16" Low Profile by Victor
- Michael's 16"
- 16" on GEM by Michael
- Monstro 16 by Laurent (French)
- 16" Ultra-Compact by Craig (The 27# Laptop)
- 400mm Lightbridge by Pierre (French)
- 406mm Ultralight by Robert
- 410mm Ultralight by Pierre (French)
- Dave's 17"
- 17" Dob by Dave
- St. Petersburg 17.5"
- John's 17.5" Dilworth Relay
- 17.5" by Mike
- Big Dob by Gavin
- Bill's Extreme 18"
- Jim's 18"
- Moonsilver III 18" Single Pole by Russ
- Moonsilver IV by Ross
- Collapsible 18" Cass-Newt by Richard
- 18" Classical Cassegrain by Richard
- Ultralight 18" by Serge
- 18" f3.6 "Tardis" by Paul
- Deep Violet by Andrew
- Bruce Orvis Wheelchair Scope by SAS
- Dobson Compact 500mm by Pierre
- Mega Homemade Scope*
- 20"With Links
- German 20"
- Jan's 20" TriDob
- Jan's 20" Dob
- Achim's 20" Ursus
- Bob Bunge's 20"
- Brian's 20" Astrograph*
- PMDO 20" Go-To
- Another PMDO 20" Go-To
- Leanne a 20" Driven Dob
- TJ, a 20 Year Old 20"
- 20" f3.6 by Jan
- Lightweight 20" by Timm
- 20" Dob by Chris
- Reiner's 22" Lowrider
- 22" f/4 Dob by Alvin
- Dobson 600mm by Pierre
- 24" Ultralight by Greg (scroll down)
- Chan Yuk Lun's 24" School Project
- 24" f/4.5 by Shane
- 24" f/3.7 Encased Dob by Andre
- 24" f/3.7 by Mattia
- Refiguring a 25" f/4.2 at Lockwood Optics
- 25" Grosser Riese by Richard
- Construzione del Telescopio da 70cm
- Rebuilding a Classic by Dave
- Dan's 28" String Scope
- 28" f/4 Alt-Az by Howard
- 30" & Flats
- Bill's Extreme 30"
- Chan Yuk Lun's 30" School Project
- Dobson 760mm by Pierre
- John's 32"
- Stathis' 32"
- Olivier's 32"
- Making a 32" Telescope by Fred
- T1000 by Fred
- Telescopio 1 Metro by Fabio
- Hercules 41.2" by Dan
- Hercules 41.2" Rebuild
- Erhard's 42"
- Robert's 110cm Cruxis Telescope
- Cruxis 1100mm
- 1.5 Meter Project by Mikhail
- Very Large Dobsonian by Normand
- Group 70 (70" telescope project)
Telescope Making Workshops and Seminars
Astronomy Conventions & Star Parties
Please drop us a note if you would like your event listed.
- The Stellafane Convention (Springfield Telescope Makers / Springfield, Vermont)
- Astro Assembly (Skyscrapers / Rhode Island)
- CAFTA '19 (Quebec)
- ITV Telescope Making Convention In Germany, 2008
- Northeast Astronomy Forum (Rockland Astronomy Club / Suffern, New York)
- Portable Meter-Class Astronomy Conference
See the Sky & Telescope Event Calendar or Astronomy's Community Events for additional world-wide listings.
Astronomy Clubs
This list is mainly Northeast United States clubs that we know about, and where we have many friends. Please drop us a note if you would like your club listed.
- Springfield Telescope Makers (Springfield, VT)
- Aldrich Astronomical Society (Worcester, MA)
- Amateur Astronomers Association of New York
- Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island (Skyscrapers, RI)
- Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston (Boston, MA)
- Arunah Hill Nature Center (Facebook) (Cummington, MA)
- Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford (Hartford, CT)
- Astronomical Society of Northern New England (Kennebunk, ME)
- Astronomical Society of Southern New England (Taunton, MA)
- Copernican Observatory & Planetarium (Central CT State University)
- Delmarva Stargazers (Dover, DE)
- Federation des Astronomes Amateurs du Quebec
- Keene Amateur Astronomers (Keene, NH)
- Nevada City Astronomers
- New Hampshire Astronomical Society (Concord, NH)
- Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation (Peacham, VT)
- North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club (Groveland, MA)
- San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers (San Francisco, CA and World Wide)
- Skyscrapers, Inc. (North Scituate, RI)
- Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (Chester, VT)
- Sudbury Astronomy Club (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada)
- STARS, Springfield Telescope And Reflector Society (Springfield, MA)
- Thames Amateur Astronomical Society (Mystic, CT)
- Vermont Astronomical Society (Burlington, VT)
Also see Sky & Telescope's Clubs & Organizations Directory or Astronomy's Astronomy Groups for additional world-wide listings.
List Serves and Discussion Groups
- Stellafane Facebook Page
- Astronomy Club India ATM
- ATM Group India
- ATM Free
- ATM in Pakistan (FAQ)
- ATM Wiki (German)
- AstroMart
- Astronomy Technology Today
- Astro Society of South Africa ATMs
- @stropages Forum
- Belgian ATM Groups
- Big Dobsonians
- BiNewt
- Cloudy Nights ATM & DIY Forum
- Constructores Telescopios (Spanish)
- Der Astrotreff (German)
- Forum Astronomy Ro (Romanian)
- il Grattavetro Forum
- Interferometry
- Istar Scope Club
- Lockwood Optics
- Mirror-O-Matic Group
- Night Sky Info
- Oslo-Talk
- sci.astro.amateur
- Reflections of the University Lowbrow Astronomers
- Roddier Test
- SchiefBuilders
- STAR ATM Discussion Board
- StarDate Radio & Magazine
- Telescope BlueBook
- VacuumX
- Waite Research ATM Forum
- Webster Telescopes ATM Forum
- Zambuto Mirror Group
Mirror Making
Glass Fabrication
- Bonded Mirrors by Dominic-Luc
- Current Availability of Glass by Bart
- Evaluation of Stressed Parabolas
- Fusing Thin Discs by Mike
- From the Kiln of Horace
- Glass Cutting by Paul
- Grinding Barrel Top
- Hacking Glass by Mike
- How I Make Lightweight Glass by Mike
- Kilns to Slump Mirrors by Mel
- Lightweight Mirror Design by Daniel
- Making a 250mm f/6.4 by Arjan
- Mirror Slumping Calculator by Mel
- Not the Stellafane Way by David
- Perforating Glass by Laurie
- Precision Molds for Slumping by Mel
- Rokosz Glass
- Warm Glass
Mirror Grinding
- Stellafane Guide to Rough Grinding
- Stellafane Guide to Fine Grinding
- Stellafane Guide to Grits
- Stellafane Guide to Strokes
- Bob May's Mirror Grinding
- Chordal Stroke by Kiris
- Curve Generating by Jeff
- Curve Generating Video by Ed
- Curve Generation with Sub Diameter Tool
- Dykem Test for Pits
- Fast Grinding & Polishing
- Fine Grinding a 20" by Gordon
- Fine Grinding by Jeff
- Fine Grinding (with a twist) by Dave
- Folding Grinding Table by Allen
- Grinding: Charging the Grit
- Grinding: Chaotic Chordal Stroke
- Grinding: Chordal Stroke at Stellafane
- Grinding: Placing the Mirror on the Tool
- Grinding Barrel Top
- Guide to Abrasive Sizes by Stephen
- Grinding my First Telescope Video by Carlos
- Heiner's Grinding Log (German)
- Hogging the Curve on a 20" by Gordon
- Hogging With Grinders
- Joy of Mirror Making Rough Grinding by Mel
- Joy of Mirror Making Fine Grinding by Mel
- Large Thin Mirror Grinding
- Making a 112mm f/7 by Arjan
- Making a 150mm f/4 by Arjan
- Making a 250mm f/6.4 by Arjan
- Mirror Making Video by Armin (German)
- Mother of All Sagitta Charts by Bob
- Normal Stroke by Kiris
- Oldham Optical Glass Comparo
- Pregeneration Part 1 by ATM.Belgium
- Prepping a 20" Blank by Gordon
- Pyrex vs ULEs
- Rough Grinding a 20" by Gordon
- Webdoc by Klaus
Grinding Tools
- Stellafane Guide to Making a Tile Tool
- Cast Iron Tools by Laurie
- Dental Stone Mixing Video
- Fine Grinding by Mel
- Making a Cement and Tile Tool by John
- Making a Dental Stone Tool I by Francis*
- Making a Mirror Grinding Tool by Allen
- Making a Tool by Gordon
- Making Tools by Jeff
- Plaster and Penny Tool by Ed
- Plasters and Gypsum Cements
- Spiral-Wound, Edge-Stacked Tool
- Richard's Dental Stone Instructions
- Roger's Tile Tools
- Tile on Plaster Tools
- Tile on Plaster Tool by Berthold
Grinding Machines
- 20" Mirror-O-Matic by Atila
- 24" Machine by Bill
- Automatic Cerium Stirring
- Computerized Mirror Making Group
- Drapier Grinding Machine
- Fine Grinding a 20" by Gordon
- Grinding Machine by Tom
- Grinding Machines by GAP47
- Horizontal Lapping Wheel Plans
- How To Use A Polishing Machine by GAP47
- James' Machine
- Laurie's Mirror Grinding Machine
- Machines Summary by GAP47
- Mike's Machine
- Mirror Grinder by Jim
- Mirror Grinding Machine by Armin (Video)
- Mirror O Matic
- Mirror-O-Matic by Berthold
- Mirror-O-Matic Operations Page
- Modified Near-Drapier Video
- My Mirror Grinding Machine by Tom
- Polishing Machine by Laurie
- Polishing Machine Video
- Rough Grinding a 20" by Gordon
- Small Machine by Laurie
- Small Spindle by Bob
- Woodware Grinding Stand Plans
Mirror Polishing
- Stellafane Guide to Polishing
- Stellafane Guide to Pitch
- Stellafane Guide to Polishing Compounds
- An ATM's Kitchen
- Making a 110mm f/7 by Arjan
- Making a 150mm f/4 by Arjan
- Making a 250mm f/6.4 by Arjan
- Micro Mesh
- Oversized Laps by Mel
- Polishing a Telescope Mirror by Jeff
- Polishing Machines by GAP47
- Polishing Machines by Daniel (Youtube Channel)
- Polishing Theory by Mel
- Polishing Tips by Mel
- Polishing Video by Ed
- Rough Polishing a 20" by Gordon
- Testing for Quality of Polish
- Testing the Polished Surface Video by Francis*
- Trimming the Pitch Lap Video by Francis*
Pitch Laps
- Stellafane Guide to Pouring a Pitch Lap
- AccuLap Tech Page
- Gem Faceters Guild Pitch Laps
- Hot Channel Cutter Method
- Mike's Mirror Making Musings o
- Making a Pitch Lap by Jeff
- Optical Polishing Pitch by Norman
- Pitch Drop Webcam
- Pitch Hardness Tester by Laurie
- Pitches & Waxes by Bob
- Pitch Lap Making Video by Francis*
- Pizza Lap Method Video by Ed
- Pouring 15" Lap Video by Gordon
- Pouring a 15" Part 2 by Gordon
- Pouring the Pitch Lap by SFSA
- Channel Trimming Video by Pinbout
- Recovering Pitch by Gordon
- Zambuto Lap Carving Video
Figuring & Parabolizing Techniques
- Stellafane Guide to Measuring Parabolas
- Figuring an Astigmatic Mirror by Ed
- Figuring a Telescope Mirror by Jeff
- Figuring by Newport Glass
- Figuring Notebook (Spreadsheet) by GAP47
- Full Sized Lap Musings by Mike
- How To Know You Are Finished by Mel
- Making a 110mm f/7 by Arjan
- Making a 150mm f/4 by Arjan
- Making a 250mm f/6.4 by Arjan
- Oblate Spheres by Mike
- Optical Shop Testing by Malacara
- Parabolic Mirror Testing Video by Ed
- Parabolizing by Mel
- Parabolizing a 10" Video by Ed
- Parabolizing Video by Sandroac34
- Parabolizing a 20" by Gordon
- Parabolizing a 20" Part 2 by Gordon
- Reducing a High Zone by Gordon
- Smoothing and Blending by Gordon
- Sub-Diameter Techniques by Massimo
- Turned Down Edge by Laurie
- 28" Figuring Report by Mike Lockwood