Telescope Parts

I am finally starting to work on my big telescope. I bought the mirror and it arrived almost a year ago, but other projects have taken precedence. Finally, I am starting to build my dream scope! The mirror is 18" in diameter, and the glass is only 1.5" thick, which sounds thick in terms of window glass. If you consider that the curve in the surface of the mirror needs to be accurate to millionths of an inch, you would think that an inch and a half of glass would be thick enough, but it is not and it can easily be distorted if it is not supported correctly. So these are parts of the "mirror cell" which supports the glass from behind. I cut these triangles out of 1/4" thick scrap aluminum on my table saw, cut the corners round and then sanded the front and back to make these pieces look new. These parts are sitting on an 18" circle of particle board which I will be using as a "model" of the mirror to check on the fit as I progress. It is a beginning. I will be showing you more as the project progresses.