The Fan Plate

When Steve passed away, I took over the 24”, and finished it. I used pictures of Steve’s 40” to help guide my decision making process and to discern the design language behind the construction of the 24”. I finished the mirror cell, installed it in the exact same manner Steve did on his 40”.

Next, it was time to think about how the 24" at 2" thick primary should be cooled. I decided to build a fan plate. It was one of the very first things I made for the 24”, after finishing the cell installation.

First, I made a template for the fan plate veneer pattern using cardboard to help me visualize the design and to guide the cutting process. It has three 120mm fans spaced apart 120 degrees on a circle of 7 ¾” radius. Pictures show the process below (There are also four 120mm fans in the corners of the mirror box to blow on the mirror face- a separate thread on that is HERE)

The veneer I chose for this project are Purple Heart and Curly Maple. I took inspiration for the pattern from the way Steve patterned the veneer on the bearing trunnions. It is also a homage to Steve’s veneer work on the 24”.

Pictures show the process below:

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