Hi Lee,
Just spoke to my neighbour and he said he could make you a pier. For something similar to mine he said about $400 + powedercoating. Not sure how much the powdercoating was as he got a mate to do it for a favour for me as a one off.
If you have the specs for your pier pm me and I can get you a more exact quote.
Last edited by Asterix2020; 09-06-2014 at 05:48 PM.
So, I pulled apart the marine ply floor package to discover it's not precut as I thought. Off to another neighbour to borrow a circular saw and some nice bits of straight aluminium. Cut the ply as required and then measured and cut the hole out for the pier. Painting the ply today, one side done and will finish the other side tomorrow.
I plan to install the pier before the ply floor to give more access for the leveling washers and grout. Just got to find some washers that fit.
Well, a productive day. Scooter came up to visit and we were thwarted by rain. So some quick rearranging in the shed allowed us the room the make up the roof frame. By then the rain had cleared so we set the pier in place using washers to level it. Made up some grout and plonked it on. Tightened the nuts squeezing out the grout, all nice and level. That construction non shrink grout only comes in 20 kg bags, so if anyone is after some, going cheap
We then screwed the floor on. More casualties as I broke two screw driver bits
I also realised I have made a mistake by making my pier top plate too big, and by not thinking about the bolt alignment. So my peir top plate points to about 200 deg azimuth, meaning the counter weights will foul on the corner of the plate. It would just have cleared if the pier was aligned due south. Will need to confirm once it's all bolted together (still need to tap the holes for the adapter plate, but need to get true south at noon tomorrow if no clouds before I can do that), but looks like the angle grinder will be coming out again to lop off a bit of the top plate
Well, after a few days off back into it. Wall frames are up. I've also marked true south on the pier and I might be lucky and not have to chop the corner of the top plate off. Will wait and see when I get the mount on there.
Got the adapter plate onto the pier. Tapped holes in the top plate to screw it down. Put the mount on for a test, and the counter weight clears to corner of the top plate so no need to cut it! Would have left it on for a test run but there's cloud here tonight
Well, some more progress but I just returned from a week's holiday in Darwin and Kakadu. Just before I left the wife and I got the silversark on and the walls sheeted. Like literally putting the final screws in minutes before having to leave for the airport. No photos of the sheeting yet as it was too dark. I threw a tarp over and though I'd tied it down well enough but when we got home found out there was some strong winds and the tarp came loose. My great neighbour pulled the rest of the tarp off. No rain since so it's been exposed, just like it will when being used .
Today I tidied up some flashing on the doors and wall corners. I also had to take the sheets of the doors and front walls as I forgot the spacers that give the air gap between the metal and the silversark. I still didn't manage to get a photo, I'll try and get one tomorrow.
Just need to set the posts and C-purlins for the tracks and then organise some 6m angle and rollers and I'lll be semi-operation (as in I can leave the scope in there!). I can't seem to find a source for V-rollers, if anyone can suggest a place yet me know.
Here's the photo of the sheeted shed. Also go the latches and locks on the doors today. Brackets to hold the rails have had stays attached. Next job is to attached the brackets and set the posts for the rails.
Another update. Brackets to hold the rails on the shed have been attached. Posts set in the ground. Wheels and track arrived today so wheels have been attached to roof. I ended up using http://www.gatesplus.com.au/wheels.html, the 170 kg Japanese bearing wheels and their U-track.
So Astrofest took away some of my time, and I kept forgetting to take photos. Rails are done and roof has been up there for a test roll without it's sheeting. Roof is now Silversarked and sheeted, ready to go on tomorrow when some helpers arrive to lift it I will then add the gable wall sheeting and then it's just tidying up little things and working out how best to weatherproof it.
Well, illness has stopped progress for a while but with help from my brothers we were able to finished the roof metal cladding and get the scope in there. Waiting to do final polar alignment due to clouds but scopes are set up in there. I will be remoting in from the house so I don't have to go down there due to my illness. Hopefully it will all be working soon. Photos attached.
