DAVID LUKEHURST
ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE MAKER
Speciality: Large Aperture Dobsonian Mounted Newtonians
Services include: - Complete Telescopes - Custom Designs - Telescopes built around customers mirrors
- Telescope Components: - Primary Mirror Cells - Secondary Mounts/Spiders - Large Diameter Altitude Bearings etc.
More than 30 years of telescope building experience and over 250 truss-tube telescopes built.
All Telescopes are
made in
my workshop in Nottingham, UK
I am also interested in purchasing good s/h mirrors with which to build new telescopes
Equatorial Platforms:
After receiving many enquiries over the years, and as there does not currently seem to be any other maker in the UK, I have decided to start building equatorial platforms. These allow Dobsonian telescopes to have equatorial tracking. This makes visual observing at high magnifications, particularly lunar/planetary observing, much easier and more comfortable. The pictures below are of the first prototypes. This design is now available in two sizes, #1 suitable for telescopes up to a maximum of ~14-inches and a larger #2 suitable for telescopes a maximum of ~20-inches. The maximum spacing of the telescope feet that the platforms can accomodate is 18-inches for the #1 and 22-inches for the #2. The weight of the telescope also need to be taken into account as many Chinese dobsonians are very heavy for their aperture and may overload the platform or require the platform to be constructed more heavily than standard.
The platforms are constructed with high quality 15mm or 18mm Baltic Birch plywood and battery powered. The batteries normally give several tens of hours of operation. Platforms track for approximately an hour before needing to be re-set. Available for latitudes between ~46° & 56°.
Can also be constructed using marine plywood or exterior grade hardwood plywood. Functionally just as good if (slightly) less pretty.
(See offer below for platforms made using alternative type of plywood)
Size 1: £375 - Size 2: £395. (Prices for platforms constructed with Baltic Birch plywood)
 22-inch f/3.6 Type 2 Ultra-Portable (With DSC encoders fitted) |
Special Offer: Size 2 (Large) Equatorial Platform: £350 Due to the current high price of Baltic Birch plywood, I have started to offer these Eq. Platforms made with a less expensive but durable exterior hardwood plywood at the reduced price of £350 + delivery
I also have several s/h mirror sets available that are suitable for
constructing truss tube dobsonians
8¾" f/6 (David Hinds), 10" f/7 (Henry Wildey),
10-inch f/6.4 (Hinds),
10-inch f/5.8 (Oldham) x2, 200mm f4.5
(Orion)
I also have a Calver 10-inch f/8 telescope from ~1880. (almost)
complete telescope
and alt-azimunth mounting. Includes mirrors which are in good
condition. |
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David Lukehurst
87 Victoria Road, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 2NL, U.K.
Tel: 00 44 (0)115 9602266
Last Updated: 13th October 2023
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