Observatory in progress

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

Look at the ends of the beams in the last piccy.
Laminated from ( what looks like ) 7 thin pieces each.Very nice look.Andrew

Yeah saw this but with laminations there would be a loss of load bearing. Kinda like the idea of the curved roof...keeping it lightweight.

But sadly ...there is no hammock for those balmy nights!

[Dealy (Kev)]

Thanks for the comments.

Brendan, yep they are made from 7 laminations glued together. For each rafter I ripped a 140 x 45 x 4200 length of treated pine into 15mm strips and glued 7 together in a jig - see photo.

So they end up 105 x 45 in section. The bottom chord ties them together and prevents spreading. There is still more bracing and noggings to fit plus the roof sheeting, so when complete will be more than adequate for the job.

The other photos show the hanging beam and rack for the opening mechanism.

A hammock ........mmmm........ I could put one in between the posts on the pool deck. That's actually quite a good idea.

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Thanks Kev...pics explain it all. I wouldn't have thought of a form jig....sadly I sometimes suffer from a lack of imagination.

[batema (Mark)]

Beautiful. Lots of wonderful nights ahead of you.

[Dealy (Kev)]

Thanks Mark. Yeah I'm keen to get it weatherproof.

It's very frustrating at the moment - only about 2 days work to finish the roof but I am always at work or too tired after work to do anything.

Hopefully up and running by Christmas.

[Jen]

Looks awesome Kev I'm in between deciding between going for a dome or a roll off roof also, my husband thinks the same as your wife he doesn't want an ugly looking tin shed in the middle of the lawn but the cool factor of having a dome they do look kinda small and you have to have room for a beer fridge for sure

I like the look of this for an observatory hehehe

[Jen]

Keep the pics coming I'm really watching this thread closely to see how this comes out how long and how high is it good luck it looks great lots of inside pics too please

[Dealy (Kev)]

G'day Jen,

I am still wondering if I made the right decision re dome or roll-off. There are advantages both ways. The deciding factor for me was I wanted a decent sized warm room that would comfortably hold several people and is was just a bit easier to do with a roll-off.

Mine is 5.4m x 3m overall, with a 1.5m x 3m warm room inside. The warm room is fully enclosed and will have room for some shelving etc. The walls are 2.2m high. I thought about lower walls but, because I'm tall decided on higher piers instead. I will build a removable platform for my wife to stand on

The biggest problem I've struck is to come up with a cool name for the observatory. My wife works in day care and keeps throwing suggestions at me like "Twinkle Star Observatory"

I need something a bit more macho. Anyone have any ideas?
Possibles so far:
The Pool Room
Woodford* Observatory (* the street I live in)
Blue Gum* Observatory (* a regional park nearby)
The Box

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Your avatar suggests Cassowary Observatory might be appropriate...

I'm trying to include your beautiful laminated roof beams somehow .....

[silv (Annette)]

"Twinkle Star Observatory"

+1

I like your thread. Thanks for sharing.

And I like the name suggestion.

Just imagine:

when the more manly abbreviation "TSO" is established and a newcomer pops a can of beer and asks you and your mates in awe: "So, what does TSO stand for?"

Be brave. Let the joke be on you.

It's such a cool observatory and building project - the surprising name Twinkly Star Observatory just illustrates your natural superiority.

[Dealy (Kev)]

A very belated thanks for your replies Silv & Brent. I still don't know about the name. If all else fails TSO may have to do.

I finally managed to get some time off work to continue the build. Power is now connected. The roofing is now on and almost finished - rolls off nicely with the press of a button .

Outside just a bit of painting and a couple of trims to fit. Inside there are still 1,000 little jobs to be done including fitting out the warm room.

I couldn't wait any longer so mounted my scopes on the piers the other day, but they're not yet aligned and operational - sorry everyone who lives near Newcastle, I'm the reason we are having all this rain and cloudy weather

I will post some more photos when the rain stops.

Getting close now to finally being able to use it

Kev

[alan meehan (Alan)]

Looking good Kev ,you have done well,we will have to come around for the christening
AL

[Dealy (Kev)]

Thanks Al, yep you're most welcome.

Had a bit of time to do some aligning last night, and snuck a few looks at the moon and Jupiter while I was at it. Can't wait to throw the camera on - I haven't taken a shot since August.

It was sooo good to be able to park the scope, turn off the power, roll the roof back on and go to bed. No more 30-40 mins of packing up.

[5ash (Philip)]

Very nice Kevin, makes me a bit jealous with so much space. Makes my Heath Robinson structure a bit sad. Well done , should give you many years of pleasure.
Regards philip

[Dealy (Kev)]

Thanks Phil.

I was jealous of your setup when I came up and had a look.

Yeah the space will be good. Plenty of room for a few other people in there.

Storage is also an issue for me. I do a fair bit of woodwork in my main shed. Sawdust and astro gear doesn't go well together.

[Dealy (Kev)]

Getting close to finishing now.

Outside almost there. Still a few corner strips, moulding and painting to do.

Inside also nearly finished. Just have to wire up the piers. Office/warm room finished.

I bought some 2nd hand carpet squares on Gumtree. They make a huge difference for comfort and padding on the floor for when I drop things in the dark.

Scopes are in and operational.

Very happy with the result so far.

[Jen]

I'm so jealous can you make one for me when your done hehe it's looking great

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

That looks to have come together very well, comfy and plenty of room too, nice work Kev, even the sky looks good ..can you send me some?

Mike

[Dealy (Kev)]

Thanks Jen. It's been a lengthy process but yeah I'm very happy with it.

I have a mate who's a school teacher who is already making plans to have groups of science students come and visit

I should start memorising some facts and figures so I don't look like a dope when they start asking questions (no guarantees I won't still look like a dope though)

Thanks Mike - sorry I'm keeping every bit of clear sky to myself

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Dealy

Thanks Mike - sorry I'm keeping every bit of clear sky to myself

well...I got some last night nah! nah! ...hopefully some more tonight too (still that bloody moon though ...thank God for narrowband filters!)

Mike