Roll-Away shed obsy - thoughts...

[fwm891]

Hi All, I'm looking to move house at the moment and the old obsy is staying put, so its time to put pen to paper and tinker for a while whilst everything else is in turmoil!

Olly posted some images of his roll-away sheds and they sparked some interest even before the move bug set-in. So my thoughts (at present) are very much based on Olly's images although the kit will be more modest and I'm not looking to sleep-out with the scope.

My obsy will house a SW MN190 on an NEQ6 pro S/scan mount which at present sits on a welded steel tripod/pier base. Unless I really need to I'm sticking with this basic set-up as its served me well so far. I'm not a visual observer 99.9% of my astronomy is via digital imaging.

Currently I have an attached warm room from which I control the NEQ6/MN190 via CdC, EQMOD etc. but my intention is to run cables (12-15 mtrs) from a conservatory at the new property and do my imaging in comfort!!!

My plan is to build a timber frame and clad shed - probably from cedar match-boarding and a slate roof all mounted on twin rails.

Thoughts are to have two large doors, both taking up one broad wall of the obsy as a double skin. When these are open and the obsy is rolled away from the scope assembly the two doors sit at a slight angle to each side and provide a kind of wind-break for the scope (that's the theory).

A concrete slab about 3' x 2' x 18" hopefully will serve as the base for the mount, (I'd like to tank and insulate the slab to minimise latter damage and instability). Two strips of paving slabs on a light concrete foundation should suit the rails.

What I'll use as rails, what the obsy will roll on and other details are up for grabs at the moment.

The dotted circles on the drawing show the estimated turning circles of the OTA.

The angled roof pitch should allow me unhindered views to the polar region.

View south is about 3 - 5 º estimated at the moment. (Makes a change from 30+º at the moment)

Any thought welcome...

Francis

[Gina]

Certainly a nice easily made and cheap alternative to a full obsy with warm room and it gives uninterrupted views over something like 270 degrees (as far as the obsy goes). I guess if you have a ready made "warm room" nearby you don't need an attached one. The design looks fine to me I looked at this idea at one stage but the nearest alternative to a warm room was the bungalow and I decided on the "full monty"

I gather then that you already know where you're going Francis Is it a nice dark site? Are you moving far? How are the views? I see they're good to the south - how about other directions ie. east and west?

[pete_l]

It sounds like you've researched this quite thoroughly so I expect you know that slate is quite a heavy material for a shed roof. Will your means of attaching them stand up to sliding the roof off (hopefully) dozens of times a year?

[Black Knight]

Looks like a neat solution. I keep coming back to the idea of roll-away shed as well.

[fwm891]

Hi Gina, Yes heading to the other side of the M5 from you near the town of South Molton in Mid Devon. I've attached a couple of images one showing the view from the garden looking south, the other shows the Need-Less simulations of what I'm leaving and where I'm headed

View East is about the same, view west hampered by the bigger tree on the right but I can't complain

Thanks Andy, Having built a full monty (to quote Gina) I decided it wasn't really necessary when the structure will be quite close to the house anyway (and conservatories are not just for show!).

Pete_I, The whole obsy will move so I'm not looking at sliding just the roof section. I have to admit that the slates are a cosmetic idea and the extra weight will help keep it in place with those Devon winds...

Francis

[Black Knight]

I've not seen that Needless site before. Very interesting .... . It would be handy if you could punch in a post code, but from what I can tell my own LV mag is around 4.5 . Oh well, perhaps when I retire I can relocate somewhere in the middle of nowhere ...

[fwm891]

Hi Andy, With my current location (Reading) I can watch the aircraft (body & lights) simulation show the planes from one side to the other. The Devon site shows the lights right across but the plane only shows when crossing the MW! Gets addictive!

Just found this site which may solve my track and roller needs for the obsy: http://gatecomponentsuk.com/index.htm

I haven't looked at pricing of the tracks and wheels on this site but a great improvement on the nylon jobbies I was thinking about!

[Black Knight]

Do you have a ready-made shed structure in mind, or are you planning to build your own?

[Gina]

Hi Gina, Yes heading to the other side of the M5 from you near the town of South Molton in Mid Devon. I've attached a couple of images one showing the view from the garden looking south, the other shows the Need-Less simulations of what I'm leaving and where I'm headed

View East is about the same, view west hampered by the bigger tree on the right but I can't complain

Francis

That's very interesting Francis I've been to South Moulton several times. It's a nice little town

Looks like your new garden is fairly small (compared with here) and I would agree that a roll off little shed would be very appropriate. You've certainly got a better place for AP I'll look forward to seeing some spectacular DSO images from you

Here is my sky :-

[fwm891]

Hi Andy, No, planning to build from scratch. By the time I've messed around modifying a shed any extra cost is minimal but the build is stronger. If I bought a shed I would still have to purchase all the extras like track-n-wheels etc... At present I'm guestimating that my obsy will be about 6'6" wide, 5' deep and about 5'6" wall height.

Walls will be clad with vertically laid match boarding over a 100 x 46 tanalised softwood frame. No floor as such. Two heavy bearers (to which the obsy is attached) running under the obsy with the wheels fitted will take the weight of the obsy. Because there is no floor I intend to use diagonal corner braces between the side and end walls to prevent twisting. Probably also place a mid height shelf right across the inside end wall to act as a useful stiffener.

I intend to use a moisture barrier between the match boards and the timber frame and then insulate between the frame timbers to temper the temperature swings in a small environment when its closed.

I will do some more sketches just to clear in my own mind how things go together - I find if I can't pre-build something in my head or on paper it won't be built. That's definitely not to say things turn out right all the time, but rarely needs big mods to achieve final results...

[Black Knight]

It all sounds very interesting Francis. I shall be following your progress!

[fwm891]

Sketch Nº: 2 general timber frame and cladding thoughts...

[fwm891]

Here's a link back to the original obsy: http://stargazerslou...servatory-shed/

The mount tripod/pier will be in the new obsy but it now holds a SW MN190 as the imaging scope...

[fwm891]

Found another supplier of track & wheel components: http://www.gateauto.co.uk/categories/Accessories/Sliding-Gate-Accessories/

Can't find dimmensions on their site for the component parts and they only seem to do the cement-in-place option for the track so I may alter the paving slabs to concrete strips...

[Earl]

my only concern with a roll of shed is making it sure it the location it rolls to does not block any los, it doubles as a nice shelter to have a table etc.

[fwm891]

More thoughts on detail...

[Gina]

Looks fine to me Francis - I like the track arrangement

[fwm891]

Thanks Gina, been looking at the stiffness between the walls - each wall is braced enough to keep them square. What I need are some brace timbers between the walls to keep them at rightangles especially when push/pulling the obsy along the track. So I'm thinking of using timbers at high and low level to tie adjacent walls together and a mid level shelf to tie the whole end together (essentially a large gusset panel) which will provide an area to keep power supplies etc on and keep them off the ground.

I'm keeping an eye on Daniel-K's thread: in the DIY section regarding pipe-for-pier queries and like the idea of the spiral wound ducting as a former for a pier. I'm also reading Olly's suggestions about top plates (get the feeling he knows a thing or two!)

[pete_l]

What I need are some brace timbers between the walls to keep them at rightangles especially when push/pulling the obsy along the track. So I'm thinking of using timbers at high and low level to tie adjacent walls together ...

Good idea with the shelf. Provided nobody requires access to the obs while it's "shut", those diagonals at the bottom could extend a long way across - and overlap each other. Just so long as they don't get as far as the pier.

For providing the traction to open & close the shed, how about a product from these guys?

http://www.gardentra...getestindex.htm

I especially like this one

[fwm891]

Hi Pete-I, No the timber braces and shelf will be well away from touching the pier/scope when the building is rolled into its closed position. Stops at either end of the track will prevent the obsy from overshooting either the opening or closed positions. Once open the obsy is well back from the scope/pier with only the control cables bridging the gap.

If you look back at the sketch on the original post the dotted outline (lower sketch) shows where the obsy travels back to leaving the scope open to the whole sky E, S & W and N down to the pole.

(May have to re-think my idea of the opening door being wind breaks as the may obstruct the views if looking low east or west - or make the doors so they will swing farther back...)

[fwm891]

Hi Pete-I,

Like your sense of humour on that - Thomas would be proud!

What I was thinking was more on this line.....

[fwm891]

Click on the above it runs a short animation...

[Odd Thomas]

Very nice idea & I love the animation!

[fwm891]

Thanks OT, I find doing little things like that help solve all sorts of issues before starting any big projects.

Good luck with the babies....

[fwm891]

Well I've decided on an Astrotec pier for the new obsy so that gave me a basis for some further thinking... I started by mocking up (in PS) the new pier, NEQ6 scope and MN190 scope as an assembly including any add-ons like dew shield, and seeing just what I needed to house them given that I don't want a warm room, I'm working remotely (12 metres away in the warm )....

Essentially I'm looking at splitting the obsy so that the north wall and roof pivot as one assembly, with the East, South and West walls forming the second and pivoting from the base of the south wall.

I've attached an animation (removed for editing) showing a side view of (Obsy-2), what's not shown are any support structures for the two halves when they are pivoted outwards. These would be part of the wall structure (like attached trestles) and would fold out as the two sections are opened so that each is supported off the ground (this would also make it easier to lift each half from a higher position).

Comments welcome...