Do you want to borrow my drop saw Bob?
Also have some useful tools like holes saws that cut steel etc. Router etc.
I'd hate to see you do less than a good job due to tool shortage.
Feel free, no obligation.
Way to go !! Bit of a good workout and some usable results.
My Ob is a bought tinshed but the floor and most of the rest of the gear is 'repurposed' pallet timber, concrete pipe, chucked out PC's and electrical gear.
I actually scored a very long network cable chucked from work which has now connected the Ob to the rest of the world. First thing it did was tell me my copy of Windows is not Genuine !! It's a re-imaged DELL done with the OEM disks so should be kosher but I have others I can use.
Great Going Brent, using initiative, being resourceful, compromise & ingenuity are very well exercised in your doings, , brilliant !
Makes for a very satisfying work
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jenchris
Do you want to borrow my drop saw Bob?
Also have some useful tools like holes saws that cut steel etc. Router etc.
I'd hate to see you do less than a good job due to tool shortage.
Feel free, no obligation.
Hey Thanx Jenni, ill keep in mind for sure
I'm pretty well equipped, so, see how I go
Scratched out a bit of a 'rough-draft' sketch for near minimal space needed inside the Roll-Away-Cover to house either the 10" F4.7 newt or the 12" Meade Schmidt and from there working out what length timbers are, how high & long for walls mainly !
Have come up with some proportions that works well with the lengths and also the idea of a 'pitched roof' so all does not look like one weird looking tall Box
Thus working out the pitch of 45* degs allows the use of naturally square timber for the center top rail - keeping things at 45's & 90's makes life easier in my books
In the 2nd Pic, there are some old Roofing offcuts in which two of these come to a width 1600mm - so this is going to be how long the roll-away will be !
The 3rd pic is a 'Mash-Up' of whats to come. Also purchased some Auto Gate rolling Rails and wheels which the whole caboose will roll on. These rails will be secured onto two 5 or 6" wide concrete footings which will run inline with the SCP so to accommodate the scope 'Parking' inline with its housing and significantly reducing the overall height of the narrow Roll-Away..
Also will be weatherboards for the walls as demonstrated in the pic.
Last pic of a 90x80mm timber cut at 45* length ways, with a power saw which only cut 2/3rds the way through, so needed to turn timber over and match up the second cut to keep the cut flush. These to be use to Join/marry up the Roof to Wall Top Rails
Bit of a Start until some wet weather ahead clears !
Have cut and mitered the wall frames, bar the middle 2 studs (one each side wall) needed to help secure the weatherboard panels. All these & roof frame have had two coats of timber oil.
Looking a bit wet tomorrow here - need a garden rain worthy day...
Been a bit slack last few days, tho managed a little more progress, slowly but surely !
I need to put in some 'crete' foundations for the Caboose track/rails and ultimately need these running due celestial south as the scope will be sitting in the Park posi, so the pitched roof will be aligned aswell for a snug fit !
Unfortunetly I dont know exactly where Sth Celest Pole is here, have only ever roughed it for viewing purposes, because I have two rather large Reg Gum Trees in front of the SCP & any compass does not work well with the sheds & steel close by !
Tonight I will do some Star Trails and hope to pick it up close enough through the trees so I can dig the Caboose foundations in the right direction, which will travel out from the area another 2 meters or so !
Anyway, a couple of pics of current capers :
1st) the dig-out and form - I've decided to remove half the pavers and 'crete the area in one piece with a step to the grass on the right, bit more respectable looking ..
2nd pic) the two wall frames (Timber Free) in the little workshop, out of the frequent showers lately !
Hope you find it interesting ,,,,
Been pre-occupied as we are over the New Year ect, btw, all the best to all for '16 .
Although it took me a couple of efforts to 'Discover' the SCP here, I eventually found it right in the middle of all the circling stars
The 1st try didnt work as was not enough stars (because of the Red Gum 'tree') to be accurate for this duck, Out with the 6m ext Ladder & chain saw - dropped a couple of branches and a few little bits
Then 'plumb bob' <-- down and run a stringline to the Pier.
Also have the River Sand, Pebble & Cement tho will be letting these rain/showers clear before pouring - hopefully Weds
Decided to hand sand the Cedar Weatherboards taking the splinters off which turned them a little lighter in colour, tho timber oiling them brought back the redness as seen in the 2nd pic (stacked up) which was good.
Joined the two side walls together which needed some packers in some joins to keep the frame square as using 120mm long Gal hex head screws, which were pulling in on my uneven hand held power saw join cuts - jack of all trades, profession at none
Roof frame just sitting on top in the pics, so to contemplate what on earth to figure out for the next step
Most likely get the wheels on, then the tracks down and make sure the whole Caboose frame rolls evenly weight distribution wise & squarely while the framing is still pliable or able to adjust if need - would be quite the 'Mission' if all the wall coverings & roof were secured on
I also need to obtain some 50 x 20mm Gal Steel Box framing which I'll weld together & screw into position on the inside to help keep the caboose square at all times - this needs to be in place as the door opening can Not have a top or bottom rail as the whole pier and scope has to have clearance through it when the caboose is moved away
An interesting little project and a nice challenge
Wheels Mounted in there 'Aligned' Recesses and Fastened with 6mm x 100mm hex head Gal screws .
Caboose frame 'Plum & Lined' up with pier & South Cellest Pole - inc Pic of Star-trail to show the sighting line.
Scope set up for space allowance both inside caboose & relative to where the track starts & ends. The tripod used to imitating the pier height & location.
Are you going to fit a drop down seat in the front of your sentry box?
A little drop down table on the side for your lappy?
Shame they don't make drop down beer fridges... lol
Looking really sweet. Looking forward to the next instalments.
Looking very good Bob, you have done a great job...
cheers
Thanx Peter, Wood is not the normal medium for me apart from mainly burning the stuff, but a bit of thought,, measure twice and cut once goes a long way, I'm actually quite pleased with the way its going considering ...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jenchris
Are you going to fit a drop down seat in the front of your sentry box?
A little drop down table on the side for your lappy?
Shame they don't make drop down beer fridges... lol
Looking really sweet. Looking forward to the next instalments.
Sentry box, Lol, ,
No 'drop-down' thing'o's Jenni, it may have a convenience shelf tho but Ill hopefully set myself up in the recently added Shed with the usual 36" plasma screen, Buffet Hutch for quick snacks, water bed and yeah, a Bar Fridge - - so I can Drop this & that , , Lol
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GrampianStars
Great roll off Obs project going on
Can the southern tree be trimmed?
Cheers Rob ! The tree/s wont be trimmed any, they are each side 'Est & Wst of the BBQ area providing much loved shade through the long summery days,, also higher Light pollution in the Sth & Est direction, 'suburbia' so will be mainly utilizing the darker sky from the Zenith to the WNWst
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RB
Looking so good Bob!
Very exciting to see it all come together.
RB
Thanx Andrew, and yes looking forward to some quality 'astro-time' without tearing down & setting up, tho I didnt do that much, easier to leave in bits
Oh boy, can even practice on moonlit nights
down and run a stringline to the Pier. 
haha, was thinking of the 12 foot screed tho 
