Thread: New observatory
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Old 03-01-2023, 05:50 PM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

xelasnave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tabulam
Posts: 17,000
Thanks very much gentlemen..sorry not to reply earlier...Well I have been very busy tidying up and working out where to place an additional pier..well I have to as I found a pier extention made of steel so the job is almost done...maybe one of these fancy harmonic drive mounts as this pier extention would take one perfect..it's like it was made for one.

Anyways...we had to adjust some roof supports to fit everything and it seemed it may have been dropping so I clamped everything and we added additional roof support batons today just in case..

We also removed the rust from the rails and added phosphoric acid and an etching coat...just needed to wait to apply the final epoxy coat.

We added 28 angle brackets to most every corner to really make the structure rock solid...and it now certainly is very rigid.

I have ordered the proper "gate" track so the thing lines up perfect..it should be here on Friday ..it works ok but I was going to replace the timber beam upon which the gear track is fitted with a box steel beam but looking today that may be overkill..which is ok..but to get the steel..14 ft...I need to put a roof rack on my little Hyundi...do you know what a roof rack costs these days..I just cant bring myself to submit to being scalped..say good bye to $450 it seems...anyways it will delend on what is in the gate track kit..there will be rollers and if we can fit them on what is there the timber may stay...

The only other thing we started today was to add cross bracing to the roof..I am just trying to make everything as strong as it can be as the less flex the better now the gate motor is operational.

The tracks that the roof travels on I noticed has a slight bend which does not effect things but I can't sleep knowing that it has a slight bend so that will have to be fixed.

I have designed a single style pier which may be five star pickets welded with a ply box to make the form work...it will depend on if I can source 235 mm pvc easy...but a ply box could work well...I am getting used to piers and now putting in another..or two..is not a big deal...I want to add a 9.25 etc to the mix...but I need to research what I need...and if there is any point to getting one...but it's like golf you need different things for different things...plus it will force me to sell a heap of stuff I don't even see let alone use.

So not getting any photos as the Sky has not been worth opening even now with the remote control...I must say it is rather ausome when you press the button and it marches off and stops exactly where it should....I still can't believe that we got it done.
But this really was a case of I should have given up long ago if I was smart...anyways I am very happy that at least it worked given everything else to achieve this goal failed over and over...

Alex
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