Permanent custompier installation has begun

[Jonk]

Since the pier was bolted down, I struck it lucky.

I managed to save a 6'x4' Keter shed being eaten by a skip!

Bonus!

It's all fixed together, so still a shed, not an observatory yet, but this is far beyond what I had planned to do.

I now need to scour the threads for roll off ideas. I was thinking of sliding left to right as I look at it but am open to suggestions?

[Davey-T]

Same as mine except mines 6 X 6 there's a thread in the DIY obsy section with a Keter shed side rolling roof.

Dave

[Davey-T]

Dave

[Jonk]

Cheers Dave, I have read through the plastic pig thread!

It looks fairly simple to do, I'm going to take some tips from your shed too.

[ACross]

That looks great!  I like the finish.   Looks very similar design to a second hand pier that I have just picked up, I see your source of inspiration.  Is yours open sided at the top?  

[Jonk]

Thanks, it was powder coated then weather resistant gloss applied over the top.

It was modelled on a commercial design, and mine does have an owl's nest yes, so it is 1 complete tube.

[Jonk]

My custom pier adaptor is ready!

I'm going to test it first, then polish and anodise.

I've also bought some sliders for the roof conversion.

These are from GSF Promounts and were £93 including VAT and delivery.

These are 1200mm long, and extend to 2400mm long, and are able to hold 100kg plus when full extended.

The shed is 1200mm wide, so a good fit - just need to measure up for some 2x2 or 3x3 to make a sliding frame.

I may also have to secure the shed down to prevent it tipping over, but will test that when I come to it in a couple of weeks.

[Jonk]

Well, my measurements were correct, it fits!

[Jonk]

I've secured some recycled 4" x 2" battens (96mm x 47mm in today's money), enough for 2 laps of the shed perimeter.

Using these measurements, I've drawn up what I think is going to work well, to see if there's anything I haven't thought of.

The GSF Promount runners I chose can handle 50kg per pair when fully extended.

The roof and wood shouldn't weigh this much in total (a 6' length of wood is less than 4kg), but I'm thinking I may need to bolt down the opposite side of the shed so when it's fully open, it doesn't tip over.

This idea should work as long as I can get everything square, and to do that I need to change the base.

Currently it is just sat on the patio slabs, but these slope downhill so I am going to lay the shed on a level 4:1 sand:cement base on top of the slabs, of about an inch, with a 6'x4' 10mm thick rubber base (£20 ebay) between that and the shed, to stop damp rising and give the shed base a softer feel underfoot. This way, when I move house, the whole thing can come with me and I can restore the patio to a patio with minimal effort.

The base would be broken up and disposed of.

This is planned for next week as I'm on leave, so hopefully I can complete this, it works without fuss, and I can get the power installed and start on the computer setup and final polar alignment very soon!

[Jonk]

With some basic walls drawn, this is how it'll look.

[Astrokev]

Looking good. This design seems to defy the laws of physics!

[Adam J]

I would be a little worried that the weight of the shed itself is insufficient not to allow that weight to be offset without the whole thing ending up on its side. Even bolting it down I would worry about the walls distorting without any additional internal frame work to stiffen the whole thing up. 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Adam J

[souls33k3r]

This thread has given me a few neat ideas. Can't wait to see the final build  Good luck

[Alan White]

Looking good for a pier build, it's tickling my interest so will watching  developments.

 

[ACross]

On 16/08/2017 at 17:12, Jonk said:

With some basic walls drawn, this is how it'll look.

If your fixed side runners are extended out and a 45° return made to the shed sides this would assist hugely - the more you are prepared to run out the more stable it will make the roof when open. Larger slide off roofs often have a full runner with vertical touch down posts at the end. The runners are designed to take a fair load but this is usually measured in ideal conditions without warping timber. 

[RayD]

A very novel approach with the sliders.

With this type of design you would need to be careful with dew/rain/snow dripping on your kit as your roof opens and closes.  The run off will be going in to the obsy, and after a night of imaging with dew build up, or even a nice clear sky after a heavy shower, you'd be surprised just how much water there is on a roof.

Perhaps factor in some guttering or a drip dam of some sort so the run off is diverted to the sides instead of dripping all over your kit, or even consider swinging the apex to the other elevation.

Edited August 25, 2017 by RayD

[Jonk]

It's mostly all together now, and the roof slides off 100% without the thing tipping over or feeling unstable. It's all very stiff and physically wobbling it around feels ok.

I've added guttering to each long side to catch the rain, and we've had plenty of that recently! So far everything is fairly dry inside, but the real test will be dew when it's open.

I was thinking of a flat roof over the PC etc, as the scope will look over that anyway.

Just a couple of modifications to the gutter down pipe at the front, as at the moment, it moves with the roof and blocks the door!

I've put a power and network connection in there and will slowly start to put the IT in, before I set it all up and start aligning / testing. Main problem is it will all come out in a couple of weeks for SGL SP2017, so the next couple of weeks will be testing only.

I'll post a video of the roof sliding open when I can.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Jonk

[Jonk]

I never did add a video of the roof working, so here it is!

[Gina]

That's clever

[Jonk]

11 minutes ago, Gina said:

That's clever

Thanks, I got the idea from my dishwasher!

[Gina]

I thought it might have been from drawer runners.  Saves having extra support structure   Like it!

Edited October 4, 2018 by Gina

[Jonk]

Well they kind of are but much bigger!

Glad you like it, it's a shame to lose it but I'm going full dome so this isn't needed any more and too good to bin.

[Gina]

With two observatories you could image two things at the same time (or the same with different wavelengths) OR one for night and the other for day.

[Jonk]

Yes very true but why not a second dome in the future?! ?

[ACross]

Two domes, with a link between...