Les it depends on your access to tools and skill levels. Are you after a permenent pier or a portable one? If it is portable I would just buy one as they are not too expensive. e.g.
I made mine from the cast iron plinth for a birdbath and attached an EQ6 pier extension to the top of it. This gave me the necessary attachments etc. Cheaper and prettier than a bought one.
The answer depends on your DIY ability and access to appropriate parts etc.
I pondered the same issue a few months ago. I ended up shopping around with some small manufacturing businesses and had one made to my specs. Inlcuding the adaptor plate for the EQ6, the final price was about a quarter of the retail prices at the time.
At that price, I couldn't be bother mucking around with it.
My suggestion is to draw what you would like, then take it to a welder or similar business and see what they can do. I know there are three places on the Gold Coast that can do it
I made one from a 18" square base 10mm, 1.3 m tall 7mm thick 150mm circular base, plus 4 1.1 metre 7mm think 15mm long gussets.
cost materials $300
Got a friend to tig weld it,
cost = 2 cased beer $60
bought a 25mm drill to machine holes to let bolts secure it to the round.
cost = $48
Bought a 150mm * 75mm aluminum head to secure it to the vertial steel cylinder and a 160mm 3mm stainless steel top plate
cost = $95
Paid a machinist to machine it to mate the top plate to the aluminium head, drill a well for the mount and ensure the aluminum slug mated perfectly with the steel sleve
cost = $85
Bought stainless steel bolts 8 and the right drill bits to lock the aluminium head to the sleve
cost = $30
Cut a window to tighen the mount to the aluminium head when its all secured to the steel sleve (already had angle grinder and cutting heads.
Galvinised it and painted it gloss black
Cost = $30
So its purpose build for around $700 versus generic job for $1,000
than a bought one.
