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Old 05-10-2020, 01:55 PM
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ChrisM
Sandy Ridge Observatory

ChrisM is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Gippsland, VIC
Posts: 763
One of the disadvantages of a tall observatory (5.2 metres in my case) is that you can't readily get to, or even see, all the parts. Recently, when I did get to see the sliding shutter frame, I was horrified to find that part of it was almost completely rotten and would need replacing.



I bit the bullet and decided to make an aluminium frame rather than copy the original wooden design. The two side rails were cut from a 6.5 metre length of 50 x 50 x 3 mm square hollow section rolled to (hopefully) the correct radius.



I can never cut square with a hacksaw, so used an old mitre saw that still had its original blade (from 1986). It did a great job!


The design is simple: three lengths of 10 mm threaded rod, with a couple of 35 x 10 mm sealed bearings on each, to space the rails the right distance apart. The skin is 0.55 mm 'sign white' sheet metal, which I will pop rivet to the Al frame.



I need to hire a cherry picker to remove the old shutter and install the new one. I'll combine this with a total re-paint of the dome - the last time was in 2014.
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