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Home Observatory UK


gnomus

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Bizarrely, I was notified of this post right in the middle of writing a post to ask how your own build was coming along :)

James

Lol, thanks for asking James, very kind of you.  A lot of stuff going on in Steve-world at the moment and observatory building, regrettably, is not particularly high on the list of pressing priorities being the single dad to two girls that I am. I have built the base and run in all cables.  Like Steve, the OP on this thread, I simply do not have the time to build an obs from scratch but the lack of an obs is spoiling my enjoyment of this fascinating pursuit!  So I'm getting the guys at Home Observatory UK to do it for me.

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Lol, thanks for asking James, very kind of you.  A lot of stuff going on in Steve-world at the moment and observatory building, regrettably, is not particularly high on the list of pressing priorities being the single dad to two girls that I am. I have built the base and run in all cables.  Like Steve, the OP on this thread, I simply do not have the time to build an obs from scratch but the lack of an obs is spoiling my enjoyment of this fascinating pursuit!  So I'm getting the guys at Home Observatory UK to do it for me.

Where young children get a look in there is never enough time for anything in my experience.

James

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I am sorry I have no new photographs.  Work continued yesterday, but I had to go to work for a chunk of the day.  The roof is on and it appears to be rolling back and forth smoothly.  There was a lot of stuff done inside too.  Electric cable was run all over the place and most of the walls were lined.  There were a couple of roof tiles still to go down, so the chaps put the tarpaulin back over everything, which means it looks a little like the last photo on Thursday's pictures.  They are coming back Monday to finish off - by which time I will be out of the country!  My son is going to be about and I'll ask him to take and send some pictures to me, which I will then try to post.

It isn't finished yet and I don't want to get too ahead of myself.  I do have to say, however, that the photographs on the Home Observatory website do not really do justice to the delivered product.  This is a significantly more substantial structure than I was anticipating.  I live in a slightly exposed area, and I did wonder whether I needed to think about bolting the 'shed' down.  I am fairly sure that that will not be necessary.  So far I am very impressed with the building and with the workmanship.  Final verdict will have to wait until I am back from holiday, however.

Steve: I am very impressed (and a little envious) that you have gone for a shiplapped interior.  I have gone for plain old ply.  Your interior will look pretty smart I think.

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A while back I was asking about ways of attaching my mount to the pier adapter plate.  I think I may have found the solution.  It is called a lobe knob.  I found mine at an outfit called Boneham and Turner - http://www.boneham.co.uk/  They do various sizes - this is the M12 x 70mm (it may be a bit on the large side - I am thinking of getting a shorter one).

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Now .. who is going to be so puerile as to make with the 'big kn*b' gags?  "Boneham and Turner"?  You couldn't make this up....

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I would put some silicone bath/kitchen type sealer on the lobe knob threads to keep out the moisture, and it will still unscrew fairly easily.  If it rusts then it would become stuck in time.

Cheers,

Fondofchips.

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If it is galvanised then it will last as long as the mount. If you're really, really keen, then a tiny drop of a light machine like 3-in-1, or a short burst of WD-40 will protect it further.

Silicon isn't a great idea as most of it out-gasses acetic acid (hence the vinegar smell) as it cures which would encourage corrosion. Plus silicon will gunk up and seize threads.

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If it is galvanised then it will last as long as the mount. If you're really, really keen, then a tiny drop of a light machine like 3-in-1, or a short burst of WD-40 will protect it further.

Silicon isn't a great idea as most of it out-gasses acetic acid (hence the vinegar smell) as it cures which would encourage corrosion. Plus silicon will gunk up and seize threads.

Yes... when I look at the base of the CGEM, it doesn't look like stainless steel either.  I'll break out the 3-in-1.  Have you decided about your mount yet?

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Itching for a progress report Steve....... :)

Currently in Germany Steve.  The build has run into a third day.  Also there was some problem with the powder coating on the pier so this has had to be redone.  I may have some photos in a day or so...

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I live in a slightly exposed area, and I did wonder whether I needed to think about bolting the 'shed' down.  I am fairly sure that that will not be necessary.

Please tell me you're going to anchor the obsy in some manner. Securing a stucture to its foundation is one of the most basic concepts of building construction and in your case some drill-in anchors securing wood to concrete should do the trick. If you don't, you're tempting fate as high winds could push it around on the pad or flip it completely in a worse-case scenario. The roof should have some means of tie-down as well (open and closed position) for the same reason. Certainily the UK Home Obsy folks are aware of this but if not, you may want to inquire about terms like wind loading and uplift. A building may be able to resist incredible down forces but that alone doesn't offer any real protection against the invisible power of the wind. For wood frame construction, the only effective way to design against these forces of nature is to anchor the framing to its foundation otherwise, you're relying soley on the building's weight to keep it in place. Certainly your shed doesn't weigh nearly as much as a mobile home and when those aren't tied down - they routinely get flipped like pancakes in US coastal regions when the occasional Nor'easter or hurricane blows through.

Looking awesome so far and I really like the log cabin appearance. I'd be starting to get very excited but you're showing a great deal of restraint so far... :)

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We are very close.  Day 3 of the build is now done.  Estimated 1.5 hours to go.  

Only one image  ...  sorry about poor quality..  it's just an iPad shot through a bedroom window.

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Agreed, that's a cracking roof!!

The roof is a plastic tile that comes in sheets.  There is a waterproof membrane underneath that is carried into the guttering.  The roof is light.  Indeed, the Home Observatory UK folk state that the 'tiled' roof ends up being lighter than one constructed with roofing felt.  It is also available in a variety of colours.  The red ones most closely matched what I have on my house.

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The roof won't blow off with all those tiles on it......just couldn't resist that one, looks very good indeed, first light will be very special.

Cheers,

Fondofchips.

As previously stated, widely adopted construction techniques dictate that a structure and its various components (such as roofs) be anchored to terra firma either by direct connection or via other components which are directly or indirectly connected themselves - and this is not dependent on how much the structure or its individual components weigh. Just think of the Wizard of Oz – a fantasy flic we’re all familiar with – however, at the beginning it was the true life phenomena of uplift that sent Dorothy on the ride of her life.

I may not know much about astronomy but work as a building inspector and can assure you what I’m saying is correct. However, if you don’t believe me – just ask a structural engineer. If that roof does blow off just think about the potential damage not only to the obsy itself but all the expensive equipment inside.

What was it Dorothy told Toto when she woke up in Oz? Don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore...  :shocked:

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