Tips For Concrete Pier

[freelander86]

Hi all,

Im moving into a new house soon and intend to build a pier for my 130 Newtonian that could last me into the future. I already have a nice solid metal box section with bolt holes at each end (actually an old combine trolley draw bar extension!)

I intend to get 4 pieces of threaded bar and concrete them into the ground...

But I was wondering if anyone had any useful tips before I start?

I had thought about having the threaded bar below ground level so that I can always remove the pier but then it would fill with water!!!

[Bizibilder]

Standard practice is to make a hole and fill with concrete, embedding bolts as required. If you also have an observatory its base should not be in contact with your pier block - to avoid the transmission of vibrations. (I know you don't mention an obsy - but you never know, you know ).

Back to the problem - the pier block should be above ground level so that it does not become a pond (or puddle) as this would lead to problems with rusting etc around the base of the pier. Should you build a base around the pier then the pier block could be below the level of the base - should you want to move again then all you have to do is saw off the bolts and make the "hole" good with a skim of concrete. You then have a "seating area", "bar-b-q", "greenhouse base" or whatever to maximise the sale value of your home!!

[ollypenrice]

You are dead sure you want a concrete pier? I use imaging scopes up to 14 inches (2.4 metres focal length/30 minute sub exposures) on free standing steel piers or free standing steel piers then bolted down. I have never had any issues at all. I just feel that the net is full of manic thousand tonne piers, deeper , fatter, more mighty than the last and for no very clear reason!

Another tip is not to fret about getting the mount perfectly level. It is is not necessary in order to have perfect polar alignment, so don't compromise the stiffness of you pier in order to get it adjustable for levelling.

Olly

[freelander86]

Hi Olly,

Any chance of a picture? It does sounds like an idea but id want to be convinced it would be solid?

[ollypenrice]

Hi Olly,

Any chance of a picture? It does sounds like an idea but id want to be convinced it would be solid?

Sure. Here's Yves with his mount in my observatory. You can't see the feet of the pier but it is a bog standard Mesu pier as seen on the Mesu Optics Mesu-Mount 200 website. The mount-pier is just standing on the floor and we do 20 to 30 hour images with it. Next image is one taken with that setup. Then there's my home made pier for the Tak FSQ. I only have a picture of the top I'm afraid. Again I do very long subs on that including stuff done with the fairly large TEC140 with thirty minute subs.

Sorry but I can't control the new SGL osftware and the images are ending up where they want to go!!

Olly

[nytecam]

Hi all,

Im moving into a new house soon and intend to build a pier for my 130 Newtonian that could last me into the future. I already have a nice solid metal box section with bolt holes at each end (actually an old combine trolley draw bar extension!) I intend to get 4 pieces of threaded bar and concrete them into the ground...But I was wondering if anyone had any useful tips before I start? I had thought about having the threaded bar below ground level so that I can always remove the pier but then it would fill with water!!!

Try my http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/mydome.htm - pier link top left next Home icon

[freelander86]

Thanks for the pics Olly... Given me something to think about! I saw in another thread somebody using a wooden post driven into the ground... another idea that wont spoil the garden!

[nytecam]

Thanks for the pics Olly... Given me something to think about! I saw in another thread somebody using a wooden post driven into the ground... another idea that wont spoil the garden!

Please don't whittle it into a gnome

[Daniel-K]

to be fair if your paying £4k for a mount you dont expect to be building a pier for it. i would love to run a mount of a tripod but me being very accidental i would be knocking stuff left right and center. i agree with you olly about pier's getting to be abit obsessive on the pier making. hummmm i have i become one of these obsessive people? probably but i want to make sure if i ever go back to a newt i have no issues

[RogerTheDodger]

I'm more than happy with my brick pier, solid as a rock and no digging.