Observatory furniture designs

[hotspur]

looking for thoughts on designing a desk that closes up so all my books and papers do not get damp.I use to have a furniture making business,so can build a desk,have some New Guinea Rosewood to do the job.

But was thinking of making the top like a cupboard wit doors that open up,when at night I could put ply between doors to get more protection from cold.

Was keen to see what other IIS members have made up for their observatories,so any images or thoughts would be great,I want to use the observatory and desk for regular work as well,so do not mind spending time coming up with and making a good design desk.

Thanks Chris

[CDKPhil]

Hi Chris,

Here is what I have just made for my obs. I had some left over 30mm MDF, the desk is 400mm wide x 1800mm outside radius x 700mm high. Its joined using dowels and polyurethane glue. I used organ oil to seal it.

The ottomans will be replace with ones that the seat tops come off, this will give me extra storage, as well as a place for keeping things dryer.

I have limited room inside the dome so I am trying to keep things as clutter free as possible. Also the whole dome rotates so it is not practical for me to have shelving on the walls.

Cheers
Phil

[firstlight]

Nice work Phil, but if the dome rotates, wouldn't it be handy if the shelves etc stay in relation to the opening/telescope? I imagine that the door will sometimes be blocked with the desk. Hope I'm not too picky.

[CDKPhil]

Thanks Tony, no not to picky.

You are absolutely right. The desk does get in the way of the door when it is on that side of the dome. It's no problem though because that side of the platform is not used for access.

I wanted a stable place for the computer, it is a lot easier to run power and usb cables from a fixed point rather than a rotating one. It is much more comfortable sitting at a desk that doesn't move.

I thought about having shelving attached to the wall of the dome but I didn't like the idea of the shelfs moving as the dome moved. The dome moves quite fast and it stops abruptly. So anything that is on a shelf would have a very good chance of falling off.


Cheers

[firstlight]

Ah, good point. It will also give a reference point as to where the dome should be when you exit. I haven't had much experience in observatories, but the few times I have I got disorientated because the limited vision. When it was time to leave I found it hard to locate the door :lol:

Of course when it is your own dome, you become used to it I suppose.

Cheers
Tony

Chris, some of the designs I have seen, there is a separate room with a roof, sometimes a door so can be heated without much interference with the scope and imaging, an example here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=92644&page=2