DIY pier for Eq6 and my home built 10inch newt

[solarboy]

Hi guys 

The skywatcher pier tube rings and losmandy plate  is the best part of £500 plus now retired it's to expensive for me now. 

Tried to get a portable pier on the wanted adds on SGL to no avail. 

So had a look around the shed racked out a load of bits and bobs that I have been lying around for a few years and started building one this results so far. 

 

 

[lenscap]

That looks great. What is the column made of?

[solarboy]

Hi

3 inch ally tube the legs are made thickish racking struts and the top is an old ally piston machined

Up to fit  in the top of the tube...

I have made  a set of homemade rollers and rolled a pair of tube rings 

I also rolled all the rings on the original build.

Will post more photos when I have made the ring's 

In another life before retirement I was welder so I'm lucky enough  to have a welding machine angle grinder and other kit in my shed.

I have a mate who lives down road with a lathe and a milling machine in his man cave.

I can appreciate not everybodys got all this stuff.

This is the  scope i built that will go on the mount. 

Solarboy 

 

[Rusted]

I think you'll ind you need to triangulate the legs rather like my welded steel pier.

7" steel pipe with heavy section legs and diagonal braces.

 

[solarboy]

Hi

Yes I agree now done I have welded some 45% struts on I will have to rub down and respray part of the pier

Solarboy 

[solarboy]

Coming on

[solarboy]

Done a bit more today 

[Rusted]

It certainly looks the part. 

I always worry about the geometry of three legged stands compared with four legged.

I only discovered this after I added wheels to my massive pier to cope with constant movement across the lawn to avoid trees and hedges.

A three legged anything of exactly the same radius out to the feet will easily tip compared with a four legged stand of the same radius.

The reason is easy to see if you draw both geometries inside a circle. Compare the distance from the center out to a line joining two feet.

Despite my pier being far too heavy to lift off the ground and having such long legs it tips easily when being moved about on my uneven ground. 

I let in some small round paving slabs just below lawn level. Then had screw down feet resting on them. The grass soon grew over them.

Let's be careful out there!

 

 

[Horwig]

3 hours ago, Rusted said:

I always worry about the geometry of three legged stands compared with four legged.

This would explain why all restaurant tables have four legs, and why you always need a folded napkin under one leg on uneven floors?

[solarboy]

Hi 

The stand that I have made seems very steady at minute but I have seen a lot of factory made piers and some very expensive mounts newts and dobs wobble when being used  but we carry on 

Solarboy 

 

[JamesF]

I think it's a smart design and does what it needs to.  Hats off to solarboy for getting it done.  There are always improvements that can be made, but if if achieves the intended goal then it has to be considered a success.  Once my obsy is built I might have a go and making something very similar for a quick grab'n'go pier close to the house.

James