TEN-DOLLAR

TELESCOPE
MOUNT
140

EADERS who built MI's Ten-Dollar

Telescope, which appeared in the
R
February and March issues of this mag-

azine should be especially interested in

this mounting. It was especially designed for folks who built this job.
(In case you missed these issues, the
plans describing its construction are
available for $2. Please ask for Plan
No. 8, Ten-Dollar Telescope. Send your
order with remittance to Mechanix Illustrated Plans Service, Fawcett Building, Greenwich, Conn.)
As may be seen from the photographs
Mechanix Illustrated

and drawing, the mount consists of

several lengths of pipe embedded in a
bucket of concrete. A twelve-quart
galvanized pail, stripped of its bail and
hooks, serves as the base. A length of
pipe bent to the proper angle forms the
polar axis.
If the latitude of your town is 45,
you're in luck. You will be able to use
a standard 45 elbow. If you live considerably further north or south of this
latitude you will have to do a bit of
bending. By bending the polar axis to
the latitude of your town you have
mounted your telescope "equatorially,"
which means you will have to move the
telescope in only one direction to follow
a given star. Position the mount so that
the polar axis is aimed directly at the
North Star. [Continued on page 166]

WOOD BLOCK
POSITIONS PIPE

EMBED PIPE LEGS

N WET CONCRETE

WOOD BLOCK at bottom of pail helps keep the pipe in place. Tape prevents concrete
from entering inside of pipe. Right: Fill with concrete to within one inch of top. Below:
Position the three legs before concrete sets; etching with h y d r o c h l o r i c acid.

TelescopeMaker'sPage
[Continued from page 141]

Construction. Cut a hole through the

bottom of the bucket to accommodate the
one-inch pipe. Drill a hole through a block
of wood and place it in the bottom of the
bucket as shown in the photograph. This
helps position the pipe so that it will not
move when concrete is poured around it.
The next step is to mix up a batch of
concrete. A mixture of 2-1/2 parts of sand
to 1 part of cement is fine. Trowel the mix
into the bucket as shown. Rest the bucket
on some sort of a bench or horse as indicated, so that the pipe extending through
the bottom of the bucket is clear of the
ground. Fill the bucket or pail with concrete to about one inch of the top. Then
insert three legs, each 11 inches long, so
they will project about an inch beyond the
rim of the bucket when it is turned upside
down.
The complete mount will weigh fifty-five
pounds and makes an excellent stand for
MI's Ten-Dollar-Telescope.
R. J. Capotosto

166

November, 19S8