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DaveS's Obsy Build. First thoughts.


DaveS

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Been doing a lot more thinking (Over-thinking?)

Looking at @Astrokev and @JamesF's build threads I'm seriously wondering if my (Non-existent) DIY skills are up to building a RoR. OK my requirements are simpler in that I can get away with a 2x2m "box" with a sliding roof as I'll only be imaging and controlling the rig from the house after staring things going, and only need to accommodate one mount / 'scope. I think it's constructing a suitable roof that's a) double-pitched (For planning hoops), b) robust enough to stand up to West Country gales, and c) can be automated. This last point is especially head-scratching, as if I have a double pitched roof and it rolls off along its axis (To clear the 'scope) then i'm left with an awkward triangular gable affair.

Might chicken-out and order one of These From Astrograph.

Edited by DaveS
Added link after site freeze.
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A few photos, showing a 2x2m square aligned N/S/E/W in the likely area

IMG_20190305_125900.thumb.jpg.d9490a96d3c4cf92c16cb81e4d2ee7a7.jpg

IMG_20190305_130028.thumb.jpg.08805833e7ec30a8d158576eef759202.jpg

IMG_20190305_130043.thumb.jpg.5b0e47b1b4ef7ab8fff0ebc27d4a5f24.jpg

Just a thought. If I put the roof E/W and roll it off west then the gable is pointed to an obscured area anyway.

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Probably not, which is why It'd be a chicken-out. If I can work out a way of simplifying to roof construction so I can do it without making a total pig's ear of it then a double-pitch roof oriented east-west might be a better option. 

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I think it's the neighbour's unfortunately. The ivy's on my side I think. I've positioned the north east corner 2m from the boundary to satisfy permitted development. The plank is on the south face.

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My skills are insufficient to even attempt a roof like James'. I couldn't weld for toffee, but if it's in wood I can tackle most things requiring just a saw and screwdriver!

The basic design of my roof is actually quite simple. It may look more complicated than it actually is. A single pitch pent style may be easier to make if a double pitch feels a challenge?

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Unfortunately the double pitch is the only roof that I can put on above 3m, which is why the dome was scuppered.

A double pitch also clears a scope pointing up.

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Thanks for the link Dave. On my phone at the mo, will have a look when I boot up the main computer.

John, yes that was my thought, which is why it would be a cop-out. If I can't put in a dome then a roll off double pitch roof is the next best option.

Just got to get it as fool-proof as possible.

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34 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Thanks for the link Dave. On my phone at the mo, will have a look when I boot up the main computer.

John, yes that was my thought, which is why it would be a cop-out. If I can't put in a dome then a roll off double pitch roof is the next best option. 

Just got to get it as fool-proof as possible.

Morning Dave,

On what grounds have the council rejected a dome, its a temporary building easily removable, so it confuses me a little.

I'm still waiting until after the PAS to have a chat with some companies this weekend, I may even evaluate building a wooden structure with a dome, but my preference is a octagonal summer house with a sliding roof, have you thought of anything like that?

I'm no carpenter, but I'm fairly certain I could build the structure and then work on the roof design.

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They haven't rejected it per se, but it has to be under 3m total height to comply with permitted development rules. The rules say that provided it's more than 2m from a boundary then an outbuilding can be 2.5m to the eaves and 4m overall if it has a double pitch roof, and 3m in ALL other cases, which catches a dome.

So I could put in a dome but I'd have to lose a metre in height, which is significant for seeing over the boundaries.

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13 minutes ago, Jkulin said:

On what grounds have the council rejected a dome, its a temporary building easily removable, so it confuses me a little.

What constitutes "a temporary building" is a bit messy, unfortunately, and there's case law that allows councils to interpret the phrase pretty much as they wish.  Many reasonable people probably wouldn't interpret a dome or a shed as a building at all, but there's no guarantee the council won't for now.  And even temporary buildings aren't meant to stay in place more than 28 days if they would otherwise require planning consent.

James

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Actually, thinking about the dome, Dave, and ignoring the planning issues for the moment, if you want a pier to be 2.5m off the ground wouldn't that mean the dome would have to sit on quite a high pad?  Dome walls aren't generally very high, are they?

James

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My cunning plan was / is to have the local landscape company put in a 2.5m square pad 0.5m high. On top of this I was going to construct a wooden box shed affair with approx 2m high walls (that is probably 10 cm thick base plates, 1.8m high frame and 10cm thick top plates). A Pulsar short-wall dome to go on an existing structure is 1.4m roughly which, by my arithmetic gives 3.9m overall.

The mount would sit on a 1400 mm high pier, which, with the approx 600mm height to the rotation point, gives 2.5m overall.

 

Changing my plans, I'm keeping the 0.5m high platform, 1.4m high pier, and about 600mm high mount, but now enclosing it in a 2m square box with a roll off double-pitch roof to clear the 'scope when pointed at the zenith (The ASA default park position). I could set an alternative park position with the dec axis horizontal, and the 'scope west side also horizontal. This would come in at just under 3m (I think), it's just a question of what constitutes "eaves" in the planning regs. The diagrams on the Planning Portal are not clear on the matter, so I may need yet another trip to the clinic. Bother.

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Ok, a Google search found this PDF

170405_Householder_Technical_Guidance__-April_2017_FINAL.pdf170405_Householder_Technical_Guidance__-April_2017_FINAL.pdf170405_Householder_Technical_Guidance__-April_2017_FINAL.pdf

Reading it gives me some hope that I may be able to get away with a single pitched roof, as I think it can be made to cover the 'scope and still roll off.

 

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Remember it's not the apex that can be presumed the highest point to clear the scope as some sort of cross bracing will be needed for strength, when I was considering building an obs'y I toyed with the idea of an external brace at one end to make all the apex available. In the end I made a steel pier with an electric ram in it to raise it.

I think it would need to be a steel section construction as per James roof, I can lend you a Mig welder if you fancy a bit of DIY :grin:

Dave

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Haha. I don't do "Do-It-Yourself", I do "Bodge-It-Yourself". Seriously, if you'd ever seen me trying to knock nails in you'd know why my confidence is about zero.

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9 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Haha. I don't do "Do-It-Yourself", I do "Bodge-It-Yourself". Seriously, if you'd ever seen me trying to knock nails in you'd know why my confidence is about zero.

:D

I have a friend who swears that DIY stands for "Don't Involve Yourself"

James

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5 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Or, Destroy it Yourself :grin:

Dave

Yep, pretty much.

I think the single pitch design might be within my compass. Wedge shape east-west, roll it off to the west. Alternatively, have rails sloping north-south so a flat roof can roll down. It would need counter balancing, I'm thinking a bit like a drawing board. Like the roof on the Astro booth I linked to on the Astrograph site, but with a single-piece roof. 

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Have you actually drawn out your 360 degree horizon and seen how much height you need to reach the usual suspects ? bearing in mind that trees have a habit of getting taller so not much point having the height if you need it to be even higher in a couple of years.

As I mentioned I've got a pier that can be raised up a foot but rarely need to, but then I try to only image stuff when it's straight up through the murk :grin:

Dave

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