simple pier question

[nightfisher]

When and if i get new house im after, i would be planning to put a wooden pier at end of garden to hold my 8SE celestron mount, im thinking a 4x4 " fence post set firmly in the ground, i feel this would be a lot more sturdy than the tripod, and help with damping vibration, bear in mind this would just be for Luna and planet avi imaging with 8se mount/150 mak combo......am i on the right track with this or would it be a waste of time?

[fondofchips]

It should be more solid than a tripod, it depends on how deep you are going to set it in the ground.  When you buy the post hold one end up & roll it round to check that the post is straight. 

[nightfisher]

Cheers, good point to check for straightness i plan to concrete it in fairly deep and have it relatively low down 

[wxsatuser]

It should be more solid than a tripod, it depends on how deep you are going to set it in the ground.  When you buy the post hold one end up & roll it round to check that the post is straight. 

and make sure there are no large knots in it as they bend round these knots after a period of drying.

[Owmuchonomy]

For planetary it sounds fine. If you were to rely on a wooden pier for permanent polar alignment though I would think again.

[Tinker1947]

I use a wooden pier  its 6" x 6" dried Oak, it sits 4' in the ground kept in place by pea shingle, this allow the wood to breath, it is housed in a Obby so it doesn't get wet, it does get a bit of dampness, it does move with the climate PA requires a little tweak from time to time. If your going to use a softwood post outside it will move as the wood gets wet the grain will swell and while its getting wet on all 4 sides when the sun comes out it will dry quicker on the sunny side and there for bend a bit if your PA doesn't matter then go for it, i would use pea shingle to hold it in place, this helps with drainage and should you want to remove the post simple suck the shingle out with a industrial hoover and left the post out, fixing the mount to the top of the post i inserted 4 X 16mm lengths of studding these are screwed into pre drilled hole around 9" then they pass through another piece of Prime Oak machined to hold the NEQ6 base. give your piece of wood a good soaking with Creacote substitute, then repeat quite often.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p80210?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=9TRB1E9d&pcrid=46330371383&gclid=Cj0KEQiAuremBRCbtr-1qJnKi-4BEiQA

[Bizibilder]

You can buy standard fence posts at 75 x 75 mm or 100 x 100 mm - and you may be able to get 125 x 125 mm  Go for the largest.  Rather than a DIY shop fence post see if you can find a proper timber merchant who can cut a post to size for you and should allow you to pick a decent straight knot free piece.  Then make sure that you treat it properly for rot etc - soak it if you can, especially the ends and give it as many coats of treatment as you can - letting each one soak in.  This is easier if the timber is NOT planed - get it as sawn with a rough surface.

[Starlight 1]

The 4x4 fence posts are really not that good as they are green wood, within 6 months out in the sun they twist,warp, crack and rotten at the bottom in 6 months.  I would suggest as Tinker said oak post, better still if you can get one from a reclamation yard, the older the post the better it will be.

[Zakalwe]

It'll be fine for planetary. I'd expect the PA to drift a bit with the seasons, as the wood will absorb moisture from the air, and dry out in summer.

[nightfisher]

thanks for the replies but had a change of mind so wont be doing this or any other project come to that 

[Gina]

An old railway sleeper could be a good bet though their prices have soared recently - everyone is using them in their gardens

[nightfisher]

As i have had news that i will be buying the new house, this project should happen at some time, but might go for the tube and concrete proper version to avoid all the issues that wood will cause

[spaceboy]

When's the house warming mate