Here are some pics of my converted gable roof shed into a flat roll off roof. When in use the sliding doors are closed making it a little haven in the backyard.
The roof rolls very easily on four rubber castors per half. As the structure doesn't weigh much at all I have used 2x3 metre long shelving system angle iron for the runners because they had precut holes which allows me to padlock the roof in any position and were easy to attached to the existing walls of the shed where the gable roof had previously been attached. I also have 2x2 metre lengths of same ( 1 each side ) connecting the runners together to minimize twisting. The roof seals by simply lifting one half over the other in the centre so no flashing is required there. I used a rubber product for timber decking from Bunnings to make flashing for around the roof which I simply screwed to the wooden frame that I made from 42x36mm treated pine battens again purchased from Bunnings. Six padlocks secure the roof when it's not in use, 2 at the centre of each half and 1 at each end in the middle of the batten. We've had some pretty heavy rainfall lately and no leaks.
I have a few finishing touches to do such as installing power instead of running an extension from another nearby shed and I will probably line the shed with some insulating material before next summer. The roof is white coloubond which makes a big difference to the heat inside the shed compared to the steel that it was before.
p.s. It took a fair bit of trial and error to get it right but it is great for convenience instead of carrrying and setting up all my gear to image and no more sitting on a damp cold lawn all night.
Very sexy pics, and a nice Obs, well done. Now fit a motor that winds up a rope connected to the roof connected to a clock and you can image all night while you sleep
Very sexy pics, and a nice Obs, well done. Now fit a motor that winds up a rope connected to the roof connected to a clock and you can image all night while you sleep
I tend to be up late even if I'm not imaging anyway, I've always been a night owl having been a muso for more than 22 years !
A muso?, oh dear, thats fairly critical . Supprised you got the patience and skill to build an obs then, rare breed indeed . Perhaps we could do a duo at the the next IIS star party then, as long as you dont play bass
Just a question though. How do you secure your shed from the nasties that prowl the burbs these days? I've noticed a lot of aa's use sheds but sheds aren't terribly secure.
I've spent too much money and time on my setup to let some scum steal it.
Don't want to scare you.
Just thought I'd ask as eventually I too will have an observatory.
Sorry For Slow Reply ..... Remember I'm 2 Hours Behind Most Of You Guys !
Quote:
Originally Posted by h0ughy
be great to see some daylight images of the observatory. green with envy!!
No worries hOughy, I'll see what i can do ! Although I don't want you to see my crappy handy work up close .... I'm no builder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bassnut
A muso?, oh dear, thats fairly critical . Supprised you got the patience and skill to build an obs then, rare breed indeed . Perhaps we could do a duo at the the next IIS star party then, as long as you dont play bass
Patience and skills come with age I guess ..... basically if there is no one else to help you just have to do it yourself ay ! Plus the fact that all I did was replace the original roof really with a few little twists. I looked at lots of guys observatories on the web and they were, for the most part, very involved i.e. welding heavy duty angle iron or building a timber structure from scratch etc. I looked for an easy way of doing it such as using the shelving unit frame as runners with pre cut holes. As they say " keep it simple stupid " .... suits me.
I think I'm a bit far away to come to any IIS parties but I can play bass as well as guitar ( lead,rythm,classical,folk ), a bit of keyboards, drums, blues harp, sing. I just don't dance ! I made a living playing guitar and singing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsnipey
Nice setup Steve.
Just a question though. How do you secure your shed from the nasties that prowl the burbs these days? I've noticed a lot of aa's use sheds but sheds aren't terribly secure.
I've spent too much money and time on my setup to let some scum steal it.
Don't want to scare you.
Just thought I'd ask as eventually I too will have an observatory.
I guess it's just a chance you have to take, as other astro guys have noted a garden shed is not designed to be impregnable but I have a pretty secure backyard and I do have security DEVICES in place that I would rather not discuss online snipey ! We've got a small dog that would make a mess of any intruders ankles heh heh heh ! One thing that I don't leave in the obs is my SBIG camera or any other camera or eyepieces for that matter. The PC is oldish and I don't store my images on it anyway, I use a 1 Gb flash drive to save them to. If anyone wants to try and lug the EQ6 or 10 inch ( 15kg ) Newt over the 2 metre fence well good luck to them, I couldn't manage it ! It's not like my gear is irreplaceable anyway and that's what insurance is for ! I think also that if you make a thing look like is contains valuables ( HEAVY DUTY LOCKS, BARB WIRE etc ) it's more likely to attract attention. Besides it's illegal to have machine guns in your back yard !!! Anyway I'm sure you will deal with security when you setup your own observatory.
Been thinking of doing something similar one day , I have a spare (though slightly bent roller door (I backed into one day not long after I had my double garage built (about 10 years ago) that I have been hanging onto for the very purpose), I thought it was all the way up and didn't see it wasn[t through the Pajero back window (was above my window line).
Now if I only had a nice dark backyard .... the dill next door keeps his outside back light on all night most nights .... very tempted to invest in a slug gun (but shooting out his light might get me into strife with the local cops).
Just a question though. How do you secure your shed from the nasties that prowl the burbs these days? I've noticed a lot of aa's use sheds but sheds aren't terribly secure.
I've spent too much money and time on my setup to let some scum steal it.
Don't want to scare you.
Just thought I'd ask as eventually I too will have an observatory.
Isn't that covered by your home contents insurance ? Scum knocking off your stuff can also happen when you keep it in the garage , or in the house too , and at least he isn't moving his gear around all the time risking damaging it that way.
Most villians wouldn't even know what they are looking at if they broke in is valuable anyway, they'd be more interest in any cameras and lenses and computers in the shed , that they can flog to a pawn broker for quick cash and is easy to carry away.
A big woofer in the back yard is a good deterent to thiefing scum too. Trained to eat trespassers.
Nice looking setup you got there and when the power gets there a pot of coffee driping away and some nice photos to whittle the nights away.
Well done.
Jinxsta
Been thinking of doing something similar one day , I have a spare (though slightly bent roller door (I backed into one day not long after I had my double garage built (about 10 years ago) that I have been hanging onto for the very purpose), I thought it was all the way up and didn't see it wasn[t through the Pajero back window (was above my window line).
Now if I only had a nice dark backyard .... the dill next door keeps his outside back light on all night most nights .... very tempted to invest in a slug gun (but shooting out his light might get me into strife with the local cops).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Robinson
Isn't that covered by your home contents insurance ? Scum knocking off your stuff can also happen when you keep it in the garage , or in the house too , and at least he isn't moving his gear around all the time risking damaging it that way.
Most villians wouldn't even know what they are looking at if they broke in is valuable anyway, they'd be more interest in any cameras and lenses and computers in the shed , that they can flog to a pawn broker for quick cash and is easy to carry away.
A big woofer in the back yard is a good deterent to thiefing scum too. Trained to eat trespassers.
I used to have an annoying neighbour as regards lights on all hours etc but she has been moved on and the house has been sold, I have yet to see what the new ones will be like. As you say theives also break into houses, garages etc so what's the difference, if they want in they get in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jinxsta
Nice looking setup you got there and when the power gets there a pot of coffee driping away and some nice photos to whittle the nights away.
Well done.
Jinxsta
I do have mains power via the extension cable that I run from another building but I'd rather go inside the house for a coffee or whatever to have a little break, there's a fridge in there with beer in it sometimes as well. I am possibly going to decorate the walls at a later date when I insulate them ... one step at a time .... I'm just happy to have a permanent setup for now.
. Perhaps we could do a duo at the the next IIS star party then, as long as you dont play bass 
