Building a Telescope Case for your 10" LXD55

By John Januszczak

 

I recently purchased a new Meade LXD55 10” Schmidt-Newtonian telescope.  There has already been a great deal of debate regarding these new telescopes.  Champions point out the terrific value (a 10” reflector with GOTO capabilities, etc for under $2000), while detractors question the stability of the mount amongst other issues.  As important as a review on this interesting new offering by Meade is, I actually want to discuss something a little more mundane, but extremely practical.  Meade does not provide a case for transporting this telescope as either standard equipment or as an optional accessory.  Maybe they will in the future, but I could not wait to take my new telescope to clearer skies outside the city.

 

I decided that the best bet for quickly building a case would be to reuse the Styrofoam packaging that the telescope was shipped in.  Meade did an excellent job packaging the telescope, with big molded Styrofoam inserts in a double cardboard shipping box.  So in essence my task was to replace the cardboard boxes with something sturdier and more permanent.  The optical tube was shipped in a separate box from the tripod and mount, so I had to create two cases in order to recycle the foam packaging.  You should also understand that the 10” telescope’s optical tube is about 3.5 feet long, so this is not a small case!

Materials

I decided to use 5/8 inch plywood for the sides.  By using slightly thicker plywood, I hoped to avoid the need for extra framing.  I decided to use 2” finishing nails and carpenter’s glue for putting it all together.  Due to the form of the packaging foam I was reusing, the case had to be “clam”-like, opening down the middle.  I bought some 3/8” thick foam weather stripping to make a nice seal around the opening.

 

As far as hardware goes, for each case I used two narrow door-type hinges.  I did not use a piano hinge because the cases would have had to be perfectly square, and I am not a professional carpenter!  I used two heavy duty draw latches, case handles and for an added touch, some nickel plated case corners.

 

Everything can be purchased at Home Depot, except maybe the case corners which I bought at a specialty hardware store.  Here is a break down on the bill of materials and the cost for both cases:

 

Item

 Cost per Item

Quantity

 Total

4 X 8 sheet 5/8" plywood

 $   24.95

2

 $   49.90

2" finishing nails

 $     3.00

1

 $    3.00

Carpenter's glue

 $     4.00

1

 $    4.00

3/8" foam weather-stripping

 $     3.95

2

 $    7.90

Case handles

 $     7.99

2

 $   15.98

Draw latches

 $     3.99

2

 $    7.98

Hinges

 $     3.95

2

 $    7.90

Case corners

 $     5.00

4

 $   20.00

 

 

Total

 $ 116.66

 

 

(+Taxes !)

 

 

 

 

 

Construction

Lucky for me, I had access to a friend with a high quality table saw for ripping the plywood into the required dimensions for the top, bottom, sides and ends.  This greatly reduced the time required to cut the plywood.  It is my understanding that Home Depot will provide a cut or two for free, so one could also take advantage of this.  You could certainly use a circular saw and clamp down a guide to get decent results.  Remember, you are building a heavy-duty transportation case, not fine furniture!  When it comes to dimensions, close enough is good enough!

 

I used two inch finishing nails and carpenter’s glue for attaching the sides.  Make sure you use glue with the nails and clamp the assembled sides together overnight.  This is essential when using finishing nails.  I was afraid screws would have split the wood..

 

Figure 1: Clamping an assembled case

 

I decided to sand down the outside of each case and apply a stain.  After that I applied two coats of high gloss varnish.  I did this purely for aesthetics.  I don’t think it is really essential to apply any finishing.  Of course, if the cases got wet for any reason, the added protection of the varnish would not hurt.

 

Figure 2: The optical tube case after some staining and varnishing

 

When the varnish was dry, I inserted the Styrofoam packaging into each side of the cases.  I used a non-solvent based bonding agent for this task.  Solvent based glues will typically ruin foam.  I let this cure overnight.  Bonding the Styrofoam to the wooden cases has the added value of adding structural integrity.  On the case for the Optical Tube, I have to make some minor modifications to the Styrofoam so that I could easily use the “clam”-like design.  These minor alterations involved cutting the Styrofoam.  If you do not have a hot wire cutter, the next best thing is a serrated bread knife.  Cut using a gentle sawing motion, otherwise you will not get a clean cut.

 

For the finishing touches, I added a strip of foam weather stripping along the perimeter of the openings to provide a nice seal.  I then attached the hinges, latches, handles and case corners.  They turned out great!

 

Figure 3: Completed, tripod and mount case

 

Figure 4: Tripod and mount case open

 

Figure 5: Completed optical tube case

 

Figure 6: Optical tube case open

Afterthoughts

If I had to do it again, I would pick the lightest, sturdiest material available.  The plywood was easy to work with, but these are big cases – weight becomes a factor.  The big handles are essential.  I think I will also add castors on one side so that I can pull the cases along on wheels.  There is also lots of room on the inside of the optical tube case to put other accessories.  If you have any specific questions please feel free to contact me at johnfj@rogers.com.