Been messing with wood again

[geppetto]

Nice day today so got the tools on the yard to make a new bigger alt/az mount head

for my pier with bigger setting circles.

All a bit rough and needs painting etc but it's going to be quite an accurate push to

with a 16" az circle and 6" alt.

The small divisions on the az circle are 2 degrees.

Borrowed the saddle off my now redundant EQ5 to make a nice mount for my WO66 and

my ST102.

Just the right height to sit at on my 3 legged camping stool.

Modded the pier last week by putting shuttering round the wooden post and filling it with

4cwt of concrete I had going spare

The corner bolts on the pier head were swapped for 24" long threaded rod so that 18"

of rod is in the concrete. Very solid 8)

Will try it out tonight if it's clear...

[GordonCopestake]

Blimy Phil, I must have missed a few posts! Your pier has grown a lot bigger than I last saw it hehe. Looks great though. I do love the little AltAz mount for the 66mm. Nothing better than quick and simple!

[Doc]

Looks good.

Should be very accurate as well.

Well done.

[jonifive]

Excellent Phil. Glad to see you back to work with the timber. The 66 must be rock solid on that new structure.

Just a small point....make sure you seal the top of the concrete, because as you well know any water ingress will swell the original timber post and crack your lovely concrete work....just like the Egyptians used to do to break bolders.

Well done.

JV

[geppetto]

make sure you seal the top of the concrete

Yes JF, that's next on the list.

The wooden post was wrapped with damp proof course material

to isolate it from the concrete but best to be safe.

Love this setting circle stuff, very simple but extremely accurate and

much quicker than goto.

Just the job when I can't be bothered to get the EQ head out..

[jonifive]

Knew you would have is sorted my friend but I can't help pointing stuff out , sorry!

Did you copy a plan or is it all your own design?

JV

[Andrew*]

that is a beautiful piece of work! I bet it works a treat.

Andrew

[barkis]

Nice to see the creative side coming out of people. What better material to work with Than wood.

Thats a nice well made little alt. az. mount Phil, and of course it works. You will derive as much pleasure from

That little baby, as any other assembly you have in your arsenal.

Nice indeed.

Ron.

[geppetto]

Cheers folks

Did you copy a plan or is it all your own design

No plan JF just make it up as I go along, bit like my life in general

Don't mind you pointing stuff out at all mate, shared experience is a great commodity 8)

[Cloudwatcher]

That is a very,very neat piece of work. Don't suppose it could be applied to a tripod could it?

I only ask because I've just checked and unlike you I don't seem to have a spare 4cwt of concrete tucked away anywhere!

CW

[beamish]

V impressed, like it alot. Can I ask was the original pier giving you any problems re the upgrade?

karlo

[geppetto]

Can I ask was the original pier giving you any problems re the upgrade

Not really Karlo, I just thought the more mass the better and I had the spare concrete

to hand.

To be honest it hasn't made a dramatic difference, the 4x4 post pier worked fine.

If I was to go for a wooden pier again, I would probably get a length of 6x6 gate post.

Wood is a good material in that it doesn't have the resonances that metal tube has.

I set the circles up using Vega and have just done a hop round five stars using data from

Starry Night and pleased to say they all were in the eyepiece first time 8)

Very pleased with it

[beamish]

fantastic! I'm sure I've mentioned this before but I do like the idea of the wooden pier

cheers Phil.

karlo