Machining a C8 Dovetail Bar

[TheSemtexCow]

Suburb job =) Easy and clear instructions at every stage

Now i just need to convice my mate to let me loose on his lathe lol

[OldSchoolSkill]

That is genuine Old School Skill Brother!

Great work! Funky. Organic. Practical. Elegantly simple. I dig it!

It's great to see that vintage South Bend machine is still rockin.

Though modern CNC machines are great for large-repetitive production runs, there will always be a need for hand operators with good old fashioned know-how.

You are keeping that skill-set / knowledge base alive. And you are doing this for astronomy! A great thing!

Now go look at the universe and "get your awe on!";-)

[Thejirka64]

Perfect component Ed.Jirka.

[pumkinvine]

Nice work, I'd like have a lathe/mill to play with

[Shombroni]

Now that is passion. 10 years ago I would have such patience, but no more.

[BudgetAstronomer]

When the goal is to have fun, rather than to have a finished product, it doesn't require that much patience.

[clearwatertom]

A waste of time...should have used a saw to get rid of most of the mass...basic stuff.

[BudgetAstronomer]

If I had the right saw...

Besides, the point is not just to make a product, the point is to *play with the toys*!

[583techie]

Nice job on the video> thanks for the instruction, ive never seen a fly cutter used like that before.

[BudgetAstronomer]

Me neither :-)

[richjyt1031]

Impressive and ingenious use of a milling attachment for your South Bend. Maybe you should invest in a mill, however.

[apolloisgo]

Much better than Celestron could have done themselves... trust me on this one

[BudgetAstronomer]

When I originally contacted Celestron about buying a C8 dovetail, the reply came back "Contact Losmandy". Go figure.

[jmar1371]

@BudgetAstronomer Pretty sure Losmandy makes most of Celestron's mounts. They made the GEM on my CG925. (They made it, I modded it.)

Nice work. Ingenious use of the available tools.

[airbrushe]

Beautiful....I really enjoyed watching and learning...Thanks for taking your time to document...Could you tell us what the aftermarket piece would have cost you if you had bought one?

[BudgetAstronomer]

The aftermarket ones cost ~$70 US, but one is raised on spacer blocks, adding potential flex, the other has an 8" dovetail bolted to a plate, limiting the useful span.

Of course, the finish on them is nicer. At least, until I get into home anodizing :-)