StaceStar

A bit more progress by the end of play today, two walls done. One including an air vent for airflow. I’ve got another 2 vents to fit too!

Honestly I can’t wait. It’s going to do me the world of good. I was on the verge of selling my kit because after a session carrying things about or being stuck in the mud with the tuff truck, my neck was just so painful Also just installed the flashband whilst it’s a bit warmer to help it stick down!

I’ll get some of that if the flashband doesn’t do the job 😁

Definitely, I remember my dad using this on our flat roof. He also used a silver paint at some point. Sadly he’s not around anymore for me to ask advice, but I’m giving it the best go I can 😁 and learning lots

I’ve ordered some flashband, it’s arriving today . So even though my overlap is quite large , it should ensure I’m 1000% watertight

That’s exactly my next move now! I was also looking at flashband too. They’re quite significant overlaps, so I’m hoping the water wouldn’t actually reach the wood. But you can never be too careful. So I’ll remedy that when I can

Ah I never knew that! Nevermind, I will remember that for when I inevitably end up refelting it

I’ve booked a few days off work so I can hopefully get my obsy mostly done. today was spent building a pent roof, cutting and securing OSB board and then felting and tacking it down. I’ve started adding some of the roof framing too to tidy it up, but again another trip to wickes is in order! I also added some noggins and more brackets to help support the floor, when that goes in. also had all my cladding delivered 😃

Yep! Checked multiple times and enough clearance when the scope is parked horizontally 😃

And the roof shell is made, I just need to reinforce it and add a slope so that rain runs off also had an electrician pop around to talk about getting some mains power and an Ethernet connection to my observatory! IMG_1496.mov

A bit more progress today! Need a few more bricks to support the joists and I’m going to add a few cross beams, but next up is attempting to build the roof!

Well we used my late Dad's sledgehammer (he was a builder)...so maybe he gave us a hand In reality, we just let the hammer do the work, the ground was nice and soft after all that rain, and we didn't absolutely whack them in. Just more less powerful hits, until they were in exactly the position we wanted.

Today’s small update, I added a few brackets to reinforce cross bars and corners and got myself a new impact driver! I think my drill is going to thank me 🤣

So work has begun, my better half helped me knock the posts in as the neck is giving me a bit of grief at the moment. frame isn’t quite finished, things need straightening up a bit, and my drill started smoking. Plus rain 😅 so now it’s time for a glass of wine in front of the fire !

For sure ! The wife is on fully on board, and is going to help me get the heavy / digging bits done thankfully

Hello all Not really the best time of year to do it, but i'm going to start building a mini roll off roof observatory. To be honest, if i don't build this observatory soon I won't be doing much astro over the winter season, and if i do build it then its going to be a huge help! You see i managed to herniate three neck discs in 2022, and recovery is still ongoing. Anyway you might have seen my DIY pier, which has been a lifesaver, and so that bit of work is done! So i'm going to build a mini roll off roof observatory around it! Basically i'm going to be sort of following @Domain105 fab build....so yes watch this space!! So far i've bought plenty of wood, fence posts, fence post anchors....no concrete yet, and heavy duty rollers these ones (1500mm long) : https://amzn.eu/d/8jQ8Dwm and a few other bits and pieces. We'll see how it goes, at least is the ground is a bit softer for me to dig things in! (silver linings ) I'm hoping if we get a run of a few nicer days then i can book a few days off work and get a good chunk of the frame done!🤞

have you got any written plans for your observatory? If so care to share? I'm looking and trying to get started...but need a bit of help i think! I'm not far from you at all, at the home of MG rover. Have taken the pooch for many a walk over sarehole mill . Congrats on some lovely images with our rubbish skies!

Well I couldn’t wait till the weekend…fitted and freshly collimated last night !

Arrived yesterday! But a valentines gift to myself clearly . An upgrade set consisting of a cnc spider and bobs knobs for my Altair 150mm f4 newt ! I’ll be fitting these the weekend 🙂

A slight regret maybe...I got engaged in May 2022, and part of the deal was an engagement telescope ! Of course I wanted a big newt and so I settled on an Altair 200mm F5. The minor detail is that i had slipped 3 discs in my neck in April 2022 and was completely in denial about how long my recovery was going to take. So I tried on and off to use this scope, i got great images. Modified it and loved it. However I used to suffer terribly with neck pain in the days after using it. I bought an astro tuff truk to help, and things were great for a while, until all this wet weather turned my garden into a bog! Anyway i've just sold the 200 and bought an Altair 150mm F4 newt. Instantly easier on my neck and producing lovely images. I regret not selling the 200 sooner...but we live and learn

This is brilliant! Just the thing I’m looking for . I notice you’re in Birmingham? I’m in south Birmingham myself (also very sorry for resurrecting an old thread!)

just an extra update , as mentioned in my previous review I bought a cover for my new pier truk. It’s a Clarke pop up “garage” but came with some not so great anchors. Lee and Matty at Astro Tuff Truk were kind enough to make up some really heavy duty ground pegs for me to anchor it all down. They sent me a diagram of the ideal angle and got these made up and posted to me rapidly. Really cracking service from these guys and I’m happy now that my truck is under cover !

Ok! So where to start . I suppose back at my injury in April 2022 where I herniated 3 discs in my neck. As such astronomy and astrophotography has become very difficult for me, especially when it comes to lugging around really heavy equipment down to my pier! Now I’ve been to a few astro shows and I remembered Astro Tuff Truk. This is run by Lee Richards and his business partner Matt. They have designed and fabricated a range of trolleys/trucks to carry any equipment you can imagine. Totally over engineered, I mean my pier truk has a weight limit of 544kg !! So yes, I decided on a pier truk, Lee was kind enough to fit a pier plate for me, with excellent communication to ensure the right bolt fitting for my eq6-r, and not only that, he delivered it in person all the way to Birmingham from Yorkshire! He did on the spot adjustment work to the base of my eq6-r (come on we know synta manufacturing can vary a tad !) to make sure it was absolutely snug on my pulsar pier plate . Anyway I’m over the moon with my purchase, it’s really going to help me. The help from astro tuff truk doesn’t stop there though, I’ve bought a special cover for it all, and once I’ve sent some measurements they’re going to send me some heavy duty ground pegs too, to help secure it. all in all, a five star experience. Thank you astro tuff truk!

do it! look forward to seeing your progress

Its good to see others with this pier type.