Hi all, well not doing any astro related stuff at the moment because I am in the middle of constructing an observatory in the yard of my unit.
So far I have designed and had the pier built. I now need to mark the top plate for drilling so that the super wedge will work properly.
This weekend I am going to dig the hole for the concrete block that will support the pier. The pier is 1700mm high with three plates attached 400mm square. So the hole has to be quite sizable and then I also want to fill it with concrete. I really dislike mixing concrete, so that is a task I am not looking forward to.
After the concrete is set and cured in about a week I will chemset the holding down bolts into position and then set the pier into position. In the interim I will paint the pier with several coats of rust cure and enamel. Not sure of the colour yet.
Once this is done I will build a deck so that I can reach the top of the pier. Use some of my carpentary skills that I have not used for this last year.
So In the next couple of weeks I will submit shots as things take place to this thread. Wish me luck.
Sounds great RR. Good Luck! I hope to have something up by the end of the year - will certainly make using the old 10"er alot more easier to use/setup for the night! Look forward to your pics.
From an ex-builder and landscaper, I'm with you guys. Maybe we can start a "There's got to be another way other than concrete" forum. Would love to see ongoing construction photos Paul. I'm sure I wouldn't be alone in wanting to pinch some ideas.
Well dug the hole yesterday for the Concrete plug. Hole dimensions are 500mm deep x 600mm long x 500mm wide. This did not happen without some mishaps. First was that I found the water pipe with the first blow of the crow bar. $200.00 later after a visit from the plumber hole completed. Still want to bell out the bottom a little just for added torque. Here is a shot of the hole and the pipe lagged.
Second thing that happened was that I put my back out. Just stood up while digging and felt it go. This morning it is better but still moving gingerly. Won't be mixing concrete until it is better. Maybe one night this week.
This is the pier minus the top plate. I will strip and paint it today with several coats of enamel. Then I will apply another two coats in a couple of days time. The pier is 1700mm long and the plates are 400 x 400mm square. Threaded rods tapped and screwed into the secondary plate. Top plate goes on top where nuts and washers are.
This is the wedge sitting on the top plate. There is a slot for the azimuth adjustment. It can be seen at the back. The top plate must now be drived for the stud pattern of the wedge. Top plate is 8mm thick.
All steel components are a minimum of 8mm thick. Drilling of the holes will be undertaken by Metal Fabricators P/L with precision equipment. They assure me that the bottom plate and the secondary plate are within 20 seconds of 90 degrees. Best to get everything as close as possible right from the start.
The hole has been set of the north south line that I set up several weeks ago on the side of the wedge when I had the scope set up in that area.
Nice work Paul.......Too bad about your back...you sure do have to be careful......if it was me I would have made the wife dig the hole while I supervised.....
Sorry to hear about your back Paul, but you will be happy to know I about your water pipe. You should know by now that its a given (ie murphy's 3rd law of construction), that if you drive your crowbar into unchecked ground you will hit
a) A stormwater pipe
b) IF it will cause more inconvenience to you, a water pipe
or
c) IF it will cause you to look like a fool and inconvenience your neighbourhood, a sewer pipe or if using an excavator, the main coax telephone line between WA and the EAst Coast.
I wish I had a $100 for everytime I've had that happen or seen it happen to someone else. And the usual time it happens, 1:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon, after the hardware is closed.
BTW I love your pier. I'm really looking forward to seeing it installed. Either that or the next installment of "Rumples Riot builds an Observatory" Sorry mate I'm a cruel b*s*a*d like that. At least it didn't happen to me this time.
Funny thing was I checked that there was nothing there. The pipe further down the units was much closer to the building. Some drunk put the thing in and it was at an angle to the building. Added to that I took the crow bar from a friend of mine who dropped it off and is notorious for his uncanny ability to find water pipes, telstra cables, sewer pipes (I helped him fix that; phew), stormwater pipes and electrical cables. Believe me he has hit them all several times. So I think it was his hoodoo that transferred straight to me; not long after that I did my back.
I should have known that I needed to ground out the crow bar first so that the hoodoo did not transfer to me. It was the very first time in years of building that I had hit a waterpipe. So felt like a complete goose as I went and told all my neighbours that the water was off. Most laughed knowing that I am involved in the building industry and thought that it was a great joke.
Anyway, I have painted the pier today with the first two coats, and will finish with the last two tomorrow. I will take some snaps for you all and show you the painted version tomorrow.
Fortunately I've developed a phobia to crowbars so I'm unlikely to experience the thrill of hitting electrical cables. That's one I'm very glad to say I've not experienced. Though back in the 70's I was fortunate enough to see a backhoe dig up the main defence dept land line from Brisban to Townsvile. Didn't it hit the fan that day Fortunately it had nothing to do with the job I was working on.
The overview, a little on the small side, but the sky is what is important. You can see the black shed which went in this year and is a steel cupboard. All part of the plan.
Finally the framed hole. Next week there will be a shot of the concrete finished (curing tonight), placement of the holding down bolts and the following week the fitting of the pier. Then the building of the deck. But for now this is where I am at.
Not enough room to swing a cat, but enough to swing a schmidt cat. Pun o Pun. Don't worry that is where the scope has been for the last 3 months and that is where I took all of my most recent shots.
BTW, the green steel is my next door neighbours fence. Like I said I have a small back yard. 7 metres wide by 2.1 deep. However, it is enough to fit blackwood observatory in.
Concrete is now dry and the holes for the set down bolts have been drilled.
The man from Hilti is coming tonight to help me set the chem anchors for the set down bolts. Seems that my Hilt tools are not tough enough to screw the 16mm set downs in place. The bolts will be able to hold 250kg per bolt and with the entire scope weighing in at 65 kgs I should be more that covered.
Pier is chem set into position now and is plumb and level, now for the top plate which is meant to be ready for tomorrow. With any luck i will be able to catch the occultation this weekend.
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Maybe one night this week.
