EQ6 Pillar

[Astrokev]

Hi All

I'm slowly pulling together the bits I need to allow me to start building a roll-off roof observatory when my garden stops resembling a swamp, and would appreciate some help with the mount.

I have an NEQ6 on a tripod, but would like to mount the head on a concrete pillar. I have the tube, which I intend to fix in a concrete block. My difficulty is knowing how best to fix the head onto the top of the pillar. I don't have access to machine tools other than basic hand tools and drills, so would be interested in any guidance for how I could do this.

Has anyone managed to achieve this? Any tips or ideas would be very much appreciated.

thanks

Kevin

[Peter Drew]

If you make the pier by bolting together 2 or 3 standard 8"x8"x171/4" hollow concrete building blocks through the 8"x8" faces you can easily bolt through the top face into the underside of the EQ6 base.

[ollypenrice]

The first thing to remember is that you do not need to level the head of the mount. Forgive me if you know this already but many people assume you need a level mount for polar alignment and you absolutely do not.

Perhaps the easiest way would be to buy the Skywatcher tripod height extender and bolt that onto the top on a concrete pier. Alternatively I think that there are a few proprietory mount to pier adapters on the market though some are addicted to the myth of mount levelling.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Best-of-Les-Granges/22435624_WLMPTM#!i=2277139556&k=FGgG233

[Bizibilder]

The usual way is to embed three or four lengths of studding (steel rod with a screwthread along its whole length - sorry if you knew) into the top of the wet concrete. If you put a bend in the embedded end of the studding it will not shift when the concrete sets. You can then bolt a mount plate to that - or even bolt your tripod head onto the pier, but you may need to make up some sort of fitting for that. You may find a local steel fabricator who can supply the metal needed from his offcuts bin. Or try these: http://www.mkmetals.co.uk/ who are local(ish) to you.

[Astrokev]

The first thing to remember is that you do not need to level the head of the mount. Forgive me if you know this already but many people assume you need a level mount for polar alignment and you absolutely do not.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.s...39556&k=FGgG233

Hi Olly. Yes, I agree there's no need to have the head level - a myth indeed. I'm often surprised at some of the mount designs to achieve levelling - the pier being fixed into a mass of submerged concrete so big you could moor a cruise ship, with a few spindly bolts at the top to provide levelling adjustment!

You make some good suggestions, but would ideally like to make something myself, rather than having to buy adapters and the like. Maybe I'm asking the impossible!

[Astrokev]

You can then bolt a mount plate to that - or even bolt your tripod head onto the pier, but you may need to make up some sort of fitting for that. You may find a local steel fabricator who can supply the metal needed from his offcuts bin. Or try these: http://www.mkmetals.co.uk/ who are local(ish) to you.

Hi Roger. Thanks. It's the "some sort of fitting" bit that I'm struggling with! Making the pier with studding (or whatever other design I may come up with) is not a problem. Trying a local fabricator may be worth a try, but in my limited experience bespoke designs can be quite pricey. Worth a try though I guess. Thanks.