Pier Thoughts

[groberts]

I am toying with the idea of erecting a pier on my patio to take the AX-EQ6 Mount but am concerned about (a) costs and ( ease of installation.

(i) came across this approach which I like the look of http://practicalastronomy.com/diy-low-cost-telescope-pier/

Any comments + where can I get a suitable mounting plate from?

(ii) is there a more conventional maybe off-the-shelf solution, bearing in mind my initial points?

Thanks.

[DaveS]

Having such long bolts isn't a good idea. I think there are posts in the DIY Astronomer section, but Pulsar do some nice piers / pillars.

http://www.pulsarobservatories.com/products.php?category=piers

[red dwalf]

i personally wouldn`t go for a timber pier but that doesn`t mean that a home built pier has to cost a lot, pier adapters are very useful and i bought mine from altair astro, they are about £80 new but fit a treat and i think it`s worth spending the money on.

i`ve built a pier which the most expensive part was the adapter, everything else i had lying around or scrounged, all in all it couldn`t have cost more than £150 tops.

if your interested in some ideas my build can be found here,

http://www.robslack1.webspace.virginmedia.com/Pier%20Build.htm

good luck with it.

[michael8554]

I have a wooden pier.

It's made from four 6ft 4x4's glued and bolted together with M8 studding. Using four post evens out any shrinking and expanding somewhat.

Took the legs off my tripod and bolted the head to the top of the pier, being Meade it didn't require access from underneath to mount the wedge.

No concrete required, pea shingle keeps it very firmly in place in the post hole, if you change your mind it's easily removed.

It probably does move with the weather, but if you're guiding perfection helps, but isn't essential.

Michael

[Bizibilder]

I had a pier made up by my local steel fabricator (the people who make fire escapes and metal gates etc).  The metal came fron their offcuts and I did the cutting and finishing.  they then welded the bits together for me.  The total cost was around £75 and I have a bespoke pier to my design and dimensions (actually I have two - one in the observatory as well!).

[groberts]

I had a pier made up by my local steel fabricator (the people who make fire escapes and metal gates etc).  The metal came fron their offcuts and I did the cutting and finishing.  they then welded the bits together for me.  The total cost was around £75 and I have a bespoke pier to my design and dimensions (actually I have two - one in the observatory as well!).

Pier-Movie.gif

I like the look of that:

(i) do you have any plans?

(ii) is it stable enough just sitting on the patio?

(iii)  what did you use / where did you get the top mounting plate?

[Peter Drew]

Recipe for a pier.

Ingredients:-  2 x 200mm square hollow building blocks

                      1 x 600mm x 600mm x 50mm paving slab

                      1 x length M12 steel studding, nuts and repair washers

                      1 x 12mm masonry drill

Method.

                       Drill central hole in paving slab or offset if mounting a GEM, plus three spaced holes for levelling. Bolt first building block to the slab with a piece of the  

                       studding, bolt the second block to the first and bolt the mount to the second. Make 3 levellers from the remains of the studding to fit to the slab. That's it, a 

                       free standing pillar for your patio for about £30 and a couple of hours work.   

[Bizibilder]

I don't have plans but the following should be enough to build one:

Main pier is a length of 5.5" diameter steel pipe - wall thickness about 4-5mm.  Length to suit your situation, mine is around 1.25m.

Horizontal "legs" are 50mm x 25mm steel box section and are about 37cm long.  The ends are 60mm lengths of 1.25" steel round bar, drilled 12mm (which is not strictly necessary).

The bracing pieces are 50mm x 8mm steel strip cut at the appropriate angles.

The top plates are roughly 8" square, with the corners rounded to prevent any cables snagging. All parts are welded together except the top plate which is held in place with four lengths of 12mm studding and nuts (stainless). 

The whole thing is painted with hammerite smooth  paint.

The top plate carries an aluminium pier adapter (40mm thick with a 12mm central hole and a bored 60mm diameter by 30mm deep "pocket" to take the base of the mount.  This is not essential as the pier top provided with the mount can be adapted to do the job easily enough.

The feet are aluminium cone shapes (well rounded) and are inserted into the holes in the leg and pieces.

The whole thing is quite heavy and is very stable on my patio.  It is quite well polar aligned and has kept alignment for over a year, this includes me taking the scope on and off quite regularly.  I must admit to having a lathe which i used to make some of the parts but his is not necessary.  I would, however, recommend having the use of a decent drill press as drilling holes in steel plate is not easy with hand held tools!  I made all the parts of mine and took them to the fabricators for welding.

Hope this helps - if you need more information please ask.

[groberts]

Thank you Roger & Peter, lots of food for thought and very helpful.  

[groberts]

Can anyone recommend a suitable adapter plate & supplier for an AZ-EQ6GT that would work on a pier?

[fondofchips]

Whatever you decide to do it will be much more stable & solid than a tripod, well worth it for that improvement alone.

[red dwalf]

altair astro supply nice pier, mount adapters