DaveS's Obsy Build Thread

[DaveS]

OK, work has commenced (Well, sort of...)

After making some trial cuts in odd pieces of wood I had hanging around I found the laser line is about 15 mm or so away from the true cut, and it looks to be out of square with the blade so the distance depends on the thickness of the wood being cut. Damn Chinese rubbish. Guess you get what you pay for. Oh, and the dust extraction vac is either equally rubbish or the extraction duct isn't clear as I had more sawdust on the floor and machine than went into the vac. More bother. At least the ear defenders cut the noise to an acceptable level.

Never mind, onwards and upwards, managed to cut the four base plates out of the 120 x 45 mm C24 stock. going to have lunch now, will think about cutting the uprights later.

The platform is now delayed AGAIN, scheduled for the 25th, due to the weather causing delays in other scheduled work. Will this obsy ever get built? Watch this space.

[Davey-T]

I've had a few chop saws and never bothered to use the laser guide and they generally pack up after a while anyway, dust extraction is also a bit useless unless you invest in a professional one the size of you're average dustbin, usually try to do it outdoors and hope for a gentle breeze to blow it away.

The best thing about the saw is being able to shave small cuts of to get things all the same length, practically impossible using a hand saw.

Nightmare relying on other folk Dave, better off with D.I.Y 

Dave

 

[DaveS]

16 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Nightmare relying on other folk Dave, better off with D.I.Y 

Dave

 

In my case that would be B.I.Y, Bodge It Yourself lol.

[Davey-T]

3 minutes ago, DaveS said:

In my case that would be B.I.Y, Bodge It Yourself lol.

Is it just concrete Dave ?

Dave

[DaveS]

No, it's a stone facing / containment (To fit in with the area) with concrete infill. As it's on a diagonal relative to the rest of the garden the small triangles of grass that would have been left will be replaced with paving slabs.

I'm making the sole plate ahead of time so it can be used as a template for the build, to make sure the top is level and the size is as spec'd, 2.2 m square x 0.5m high. It will then get bolted down and the rest of the structure assembled on it.

If it had just been a stark concrete block I might have done it myself, but my bricklaying "skills" are pretty meagre, and certainly not up to stonework.

Edit: This is the platform that was built earlier, the obsy platform will be similar, but stone all round

Edited November 6, 2019 by DaveS
Add photo.

[Davey-T]

You can paint those stones with yogurt Dave to encourage a nice aging algae to grow 

Dave

[DaveS]

I may just do that Dave. Done it before with "Hypertufa" on a sink to make a little alpine trough.

 

*Reminds self: There's a sink outside the conservatory that I could turn into an alpine trough.

Edited November 6, 2019 by DaveS
Reminder

[DaveS]

As soon as we get a dry spell during the day (Yeah, right) I'll slap a couple of coats of "Creocoat" on the timbers. Put down some cardboard to protect the ground first though.

[Gina]

Have a nice swim Dave 🤣

[DaveS]

Fortunately I have a large area of stone patio just outside the side door of the garage, but I don't want to get gunk on it. Still have a few boxes left from my move that I can put down. Forecast looks reasonable for Friday. Will give me time to cut some of the uprights as well.

I can see another order for timber coming up.

[Davey-T]

37 minutes ago, DaveS said:

I can see another order for timber coming up

Measure twice cut once 😂

Dave

[DaveS]

And I can *still* get it wrong 😆, Buy twice more like.

[Gina]

Wanna buy a ready made ROR observatory???  I might give up astro!!!!

[DaveS]

The stuff I've got in the conservatory would buy quite a few years of remote hosting. I think that would have been a wiser use of the money  

[Gina]

Possibly but not as much fun.

[DaveS]

True. For a given value of "fun".

[carastro]

Quote

I might give up astro!!!!

WHAT?!!!!! 

 

[MarsG76]

15 hours ago, Gina said:

I might give up astro!!!!

It wouldn't be long before you miss it....

[DaveS]

I'm taking the long view of this, a telescope's for life, not just Christmas. So if I cannot complete an image this year, I'll wait for next. In fact I've got a few targets lined up for next year when I'll have the ODK / 16200 up and running.

Now just off to just some uprights for the build.

[Gina]

15 minutes ago, carastro said:

WHAT?!!!!! 

 

Not yet though but I will give it a rest until the weather looks more promising.  I think the chances of getting a period of high atmospheric pressure, with frost and clear skies, sometime in the next 6 months are fairly good.

[DaveS]

I cut the last of this batch of uprights, to 1490 mm, just short of the 1500 mm I had planned, but it means that I was able to be sure of the length, instead of just cutting nominally 3m lengths in half. Now have 12 lengths standing up in the garage.

Bit (Actually quite a lot) annoyed with Wickes and their website. Bought tsome "85 x 85 x 25 mm" angle brackets to hold the corners of the bottom square together while being screwed, but reading the label "25mm" (Which I took to be the width) should be "2.5mm" ie. the metal thickness. They actually look to be 50+mm, and too wide to fit within the 45mm thickness of the bottom timbers. If that makes sense.

Bother.

[DaveS]

Well just a very quick update with the (Non)-progress of this build.

After having the 25th Sept given as a start, this was pushed back to 6th Nov, then to the 25th of Nov by over-running work for the landscape contractors. Then they put it back to an undefined date as they didn't want to commit, now I have a confirmed date of the 13th Jan, which they've promised won't be changed again. This means the groundworks will be done in the cold, possibly wet, certainly short days. And the obsy build itself won't happen 'till late Jan at the earliest, allowing the concrete to go off before drilling.

Seriously fed up.

If it wasn't for the fact that I want the base to be in keeping with the rest of the area I could probably have done it myself as a concrete slab without pretty stone edging.

I also want to re-configure the small platform rig to allow for a remote imaging box to cover the whole lot, but since this will mean completely dismantling the whole shebang, putting it out of action for a month or so, I can't realistically start until I have *something* up and running on the obsy platform.

Bother

[Danjc]

Nearly 4 months delay by the contractors, no wonder you are fed up 😬

Is there a reason you have persevered with them and not gone to another company ?

[DaveS]

Not sure. Pig-headedness? They are also going to take down a huge Dawn Redwood that is dominating the garden (And only getting bigger), which will be replaced by a small fruit-growing area, barely worth calling an orchard. Because they put in the planning application, they might well have to be the one to carry it out.

Part of the delay was due to the boss having a nasty accident and breaking 6 ribs. The unremitting rain put all their plans back as they couldn't do any of the work for their other contracts.

[Danjc]

Ah fair play, loads of factors.
Ouch 6 ribs I remember doing 1 and that was bad enough.... hopefully the boss is all on the mend now. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Danjc