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Originally Posted by Ric
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That looks very nice Ric but I think it is overkill if you intend to opperate from the one spot..If you do not intend taking it anywhere there is no need to have any moving parts..which was my point really... make a prism .. steel plate welded ..on the base plate you will need four holes for bolts to mount it to a pier.. this is where you can adjust altitude slightly..having designed the prism so your angle is close to your latitude..the holes if a little elongated will give movement also to allow dialing in South.. I am suggesting perhaps only a 5 degree range here..once you are polar aligned it will not ever have to be moved..well a little as the pier may settle over time... if you are not clear on what I have in mind tell me and I will draw a wedge and pier design cheaper and better than a shop version. I promise.
With no moving parts it will not flex..I would say you could even build using thick ply, a very strong material because of the layering and use of two part glue (resin I believe these days)... Ply has advantages as it respondes little to heat change.
Alex