OK..I made a mistake thinking I could sit the EQ8 and RASA on the observatory floor and avoid the obvious problems..I was going to move it to the central pier but I like having the EQ6 and 115 mm refractors there..or I would be happy not to go thru all that would be required..which I may have to do..however I think if I can drill thru the floor in three places so the three legs of the EQ8 tripod sit on piers that go to the ground and a block and pad etc which I can make stable...the floor is 19 mm of particle board, with 19 mm of ply on top and some imitation timber floor on top..I can remove the imitation stuff but the question is how to get holes thru the flooring.
It would be ideal to have six inch holes ( four seems possible but six would be so much better...and this is guess work so big is best...( maybe one foot dia with six or four inch at top) so I can have three six inch poles made from sewer pipe with a couple of star pickets inside filled with concrete...they can come down to a pad anchored to star pickets driven into the soil...just do as much as I can approach there..anyways not perfect as I can't get to bed rock but the middle pier uses this approach and I have no complains with it...
So any ideas...is there a six inch key hole drill bit out there?...the other way is to cut thru with the chain saw which is probably the smartest approach...but not as neat and I really don't like using a chain saw that way..you can get into enough trouble just using them correctly...however that seems inevitable.
I couldn't find one that was six inch, but I did find a hole saw that was 178mm https://www.bunnings.com.au/kango-51...51178_p0354588
...and some of them are diamond / carbide tipped, so that may be one approach. If there's a 178mm in existance, there may be a 150mm...although you'll no doubt need a fairly powerful drill behind it, and the patience to work through it carefully.
Just a thought.
I couldn't find one that was six inch, but I did find a hole saw that was 178mm https://www.bunnings.com.au/kango-51...51178_p0354588
...and some of them are diamond / carbide tipped, so that may be one approach. If there's a 178mm in existance, there may be a 150mm...although you'll no doubt need a fairly powerful drill behind it, and the patience to work through it carefully.
Just a thought.
Thanks Warren that is good to know..I have ordered the saw Bojan suggested but when I go to Bunnings I will inspect the unit you found.
Thank goodness this project is becoming doable at first it seemed beyond me but I can do it..digging laying on my belly isn't fun but I just realised it is not so much working like that is a bother but strangley getting back to my feet..you just cant imagine how something so simple is such a drama for me these days ...so thinking ahead all I need is a rope hanging off the side of the observatory so I can get up with little fuss...I am so happy..
I guess I may as well start digging so it is officially started and buy some concrete and star pickets so I can turn back.
Option two is a must for anyone who wants an easy circle cutter imo.
Steve
That is really useful stuff so thanks Steve.
Things are moving fast... I have been talking to my assistant who advised he has a giant reciprocating saw and a post hole digger so the job is as good as done..I will end up with another saw but it will be handy thats for sure.
But I have not started digging but very happy to have solved this problem.
Alex,
I used a jigsaw to cut my original tripod pier holes at 100mm diameter for my EQ6-R and then when I bought my EQ8-R mount I had to enlarge them to 160mm
Again I used a jigsaw but had to cut 12mm off the end of the blade ( with an angle grinder) so it wouldn’t hit the concrete pier 12mm below the underside of the deck boards
My deck boards are Merbau hardwood (18mm thick) not particle board but the jigsaw worked fine with a medium tooth wood blade, but had to hold it firm as it wanted to jump a bit with the shorter blade
Took me half an hour and job done
Alex,
I used a jigsaw to cut my original tripod pier holes at 100mm diameter for my EQ6-R and then when I bought my EQ8-R mount I had to enlarge them to 160mm
Again I used a jigsaw but had to cut 12mm off the end of the blade ( with an angle grinder) so it wouldn’t hit the concrete pier 12mm below the underside of the deck boards
My deck boards are Merbau hardwood (18mm thick) not particle board but the jigsaw worked fine with a medium tooth wood blade, but had to hold it firm as it wanted to jump a bit with the shorter blade
Took me half an hour and job done
Cheers
Martin
I built a sailing boat using a cheap jigsaw and so it was what I thought of first but my floor is 40 mm thick and I thought it would be too much for the jigsaw although it probably could manage if you took it very slow...thick but particle board and ply..not like its hardwood.. the reciprocating saw that my assistant has is huge apparently as I think he said it was the biggest one he could get at the time...I have been doing some measuring and it appears it can be done without cutting thru a bearer...
I thank you for posting your photos as your approach is what I have in mind and it will be handy to show your photos to my assistant to show him how the experts do it. I am so happy that you approached things this way as it gives me confidence in sticking with the tripod and I gather you did not support the central pier... there should be no need but I was wondering as I do...
I built a sailing boat using a cheap jigsaw and so it was what I thought of first but my floor is 40 mm thick and I thought it would be too much for the jigsaw although it probably could manage if you took it very slow...thick but particle board and ply..not like its hardwood.. the reciprocating saw that my assistant has is huge apparently as I think he said it was the biggest one he could get at the time...I have been doing some measuring and it appears it can be done without cutting thru a bearer...
I thank you for posting your photos as your approach is what I have in mind and it will be handy to show your photos to my assistant to show him how the experts do it. I am so happy that you approached things this way as it gives me confidence in sticking with the tripod and I gather you did not support the central pier... there should be no need but I was wondering as I do...
Thanks again Martin
Alex
Alex,
I installed 4 piers , 1 central pier and 3 tripod piers , I only used the 3 tripod piers as the central pier was not big enough ( wide ) to support a central EQ8-R pier adapter from Sidereal Trading.
The EQ8-R tripod is a heavy beast and I’ve still got plenty of room in my Dome , in fact I have more room now than my old EQ6-R because it tripod legs were higher , the EQ8-R legs are low centre of gravity
So it’s a Win Win
Alex,
I installed 4 piers , 1 central pier and 3 tripod piers , I only used the 3 tripod piers as the central pier was not big enough ( wide ) to support a central EQ8-R pier adapter from Sidereal Trading.
The EQ8-R tripod is a heavy beast and I’ve still got plenty of room in my Dome , in fact I have more room now than my old EQ6-R because it tripod legs were higher , the EQ8-R legs are low centre of gravity
So it’s a Win Win
Cheers
Martin
Actually that also helps Martin as that tells me that at some point down the road I can change the mounts around ... The RASA would only need an adapter plate to go on the central pier ...I have a design that is very simple and all I need is some decent steel plate...I want to avoid doing a casting like I did for the current set up with the EQ 6... but that's for later for now I just want to get the piers in and take a small step forward....
AND thinking about it just three legs must be better than four ...a three legged table does not rock and I suspect getting the pier and the three legs to play nice may be more difficult than one may expect...I don't know but that has me not now concerned about support for the pier.
A router for option two is better, being able to control your plunge depth will help with beams, structs and supports if you're on floors/walls/ceilings.
The jigsaw for making tabletops, dob based, kick wheels* or any circle on a free board.
If you clamp scrap board against the exit face of the cut you won't get tears and splinters on the exit face, great tip for drilling, sawing, cutting etc, blessed be YT(at times).
Steve
*old school kinetic potters wheel... should be good for mirror work.
A router for option two is better, being able to control your plunge depth will help with beams, structs and supports if you're on floors/walls/ceilings.
The jigsaw for making tabletops, dob based, kick wheels* or any circle on a free board.
If you clamp scrap board against the exit face of the cut you won't get tears and splinters on the exit face, great tip for drilling, sawing, cutting etc, blessed be YT(at times).
Steve
*old school kinetic potters wheel... should be good for mirror work.
The irony is I checked my set up earlier and found the balance was way way off..I had moved/ exchanged finder / guide scope and added an Aisiair and I guess got caught up in many things and overlooked the most fundamental step...... balance it again..anyways the piers will now happen and so as with everything that goes wrong some good has come out of it...I ordered 250 mm pvc pipe "which is only 225mm"??? The shop said that but I only wanted 200 mm so it's my old friend over kill... so it is all go...
Thanks everyone I sure learnt a lot today and I do hope others benefited as well.
The irony is I checked my set up earlier and found the balance was way way off..I had moved/ exchanged finder / guide scope and added an Aisiair and I guess got caught up in many things and overlooked the most fundamental step...... balance it again..anyways the piers will now happen and so as with everything that goes wrong some good has come out of it...I ordered 250 mm pvc pipe "which is only 225mm"??? The shop said that but I only wanted 200 mm so it's my old friend over kill... so it is all go...
Thanks everyone I sure learnt a lot today and I do hope others benefited as well.
Alex
Alex
I used 250mm pvc pipe ( OD 225mm ) for my piers ( Reece Industrial)
Over specified for a tripod arrangement
Under specified for a singe pier arrangement ( should have be +300mm as advised by Diego from Sidereal Trading)
Hence I couldn’t use my 250mm central pier with a Sidereal Trading Steel pier adapter ( my pier is still sitting under the deck unused )
Just some advice from a reputable company and Astrophotographer
Alex
I used 250mm pvc pipe ( OD 225mm ) for my piers ( Reece Industrial)
Over specified for a tripod arrangement
Under specified for a singe pier arrangement ( should have be +300mm as advised by Diego from Sidereal Trading)
Hence I couldn’t use my 250mm central pier with a Sidereal Trading Steel pier adapter ( my pier is still sitting under the deck unused )
Just some advice from a reputable company and Astrophotographer
Cheers
Martin
Hi Martin...250 mm OD and ID 225 mm expect.thats beefy..yum.
Did you put reo in before you added concrete?
My idea is to drive star pickets into the soil past my pad but in effect continue the line of pickets from soil to top inside the pier... I will probably wire them together ..if you have two seperated by say 4 inches ( I will do it with four) and wire them it becomes very strong ..I cant give enginering figures but you create a beam effect..
Anyways I will do my best if it is not satisfactory I will just build another observatory...that will be my sixth..but next time I will get a dome now that I have this remote stuff working for me...
Hi Martin...250 mm OD and ID 225 mm expect.thats beefy..yum.
Did you put reo in before you added concrete?
My idea is to drive star pickets into the soil past my pad but in effect continue the line of pickets from soil to top inside the pier... I will probably wire them together ..if you have two seperated by say 4 inches ( I will do it with four) and wire them it becomes very strong ..I cant give enginering figures but you create a beam effect..
Anyways I will do my best if it is not satisfactory I will just build another observatory...that will be my sixth..but next time I will get a dome now that I have this remote stuff working for me...
Alex
My piers sit on a 500 x 500 x 150 concrete pad with reo bars located 600mm below ground level. Piers are 450mm high out of the ground , so piers are effectively 1050 high sitting on the foundation pads. Each pier has 3 x 16mm reo bars in trefoil formation 50mm below the top of the pier to leave space for drilling and fixings
It will hold the harbour bridge up
That’s not the issue , the issue was the “WIDTH”
225mm is too narrow for the EQ8-R mount and the custom Sidereal Trading galvanised steel pier adapter
Diego advised 225mm is way to narrow , the chemset bolts on the pier adapter would only have 20mm of concrete to the edge , way to close for any strength, even with 20 to 40 Mpa concrete
That’s why he asked me why did make it so narrow , they should be 300mm dia minimum or 350mm to 380mm ideal
I said because I was always going to use a tripod arrange and through the centre pier in for good luck should I use it sometime in the future
I understand the issue...a 250 mm pier would be strong enough no doubt but it is the "fitting" ... I could walk you thru casting one in alluminium to fit your current bolts if you like
We had a thread recently as to what would be left in a thousand years ..I vote your slab and piers
You wont believe this...not withstanding a clear afternoon I now have clouds...and I went to take some flats but I have lost the little power pack...yes in a small caravan it's bound to happen.
Alex
I understand the issue...a 250 mm pier would be strong enough no doubt but it is the "fitting" ... I could walk you thru casting one in alluminium to fit your current bolts if you like
We had a thread recently as to what would be left in a thousand years ..I vote your slab and piers
You wont believe this...not withstanding a clear afternoon I now have clouds...and I went to take some flats but I have lost the little power pack...yes in a small caravan it's bound to happen.
Alex
Alex,
You might think I’m crazy but I prefer the tripod pier arrange in lieu of a central pier
The EQ8 tripod is built like the Bismarck and it’s sitting on 3 piers so the mount and payload is extremely stable.When I first set up the 10” on the EQ8-R I pushed a 10min sub on a test Star and it was perfectly round, it proved the rigidity of the piers and set up. I can kick the tripod leg and it will brake my toe , won’t move a micron. I was going to bolt those big foot pads down with 6.5mm dynabolts but it’s not needed.
I used to sometimes inadvertently bump into the EQ6-R in the dark and it would throw my polar alignment without a doubt
Chalk and cheese the EQ6-R and EQ8-R
Hope you get some clear skies
Cloud and Showers for the next 6 days in Sydney
..I will end up with another saw but it will be handy thats for sure.
