The old Parks 10" Newtonian Equatorial optical tube assembly that I had previously rebuilt on a Dobsonian mount, is undergoing reconstruction again; this time as a lightweight, truss tube, minimalist Dobsonian.

This time I'm using aluminum as the construction medium rather than wood. I want this telescope to be as light & compact as possible when disassembled for easy transportability. Yet it has to be rugged and solidly built in order to perform properly.

What you see here is just the optical tube assembly in progress. I've since decided to remove the black plastic box at the bottom all together, leaving just the primary mirror in it's aluminum framework. The black box doesn't add anything to the functionality, so out it goes.

I have most of the remaining materials on hand to complete the base and rocker assembly. I just need to make the time to do the work to complete it.