Open air observatory

[Guest]

With the cost of wood being stupid expensive I looked around and salvaged five 2x12s that were six feet long.  A few passes across the jointer, a few passes through the surface planner, then cut to width with a table saw and cut to length with a compound miter saw. I say that is a leveling board that can hold just about any telescope that I will ever own.  Now to head down to the big box store and get the leveling legs and something to protect the wood.  Making what we call man glitter is a good way to spend a few hours.

[Guest]

Well I was able to find everything BUT the adjustable legs.  I guess Amazon time it is.  We did decide to wrap the base in brick.  Gorilla construction adhesive is definitely the correct tool for the job.  In 30 seconds the bricks were stuck in place and by the time I was done with the last one....the first one was solid.  The little gap between the mat and the bricks will be filled with a bag of pea gravel.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Guest

[Alan White]

Nice to see it being fettled and more importantly used, nice one. 👍👍👍

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Alan White said:

Nice to see it being fettled and more importantly used, nice one. 👍👍👍

Thank you sir

[Swoop1]

A very tidy and no doubt satisfying job Mike.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Swoop1 said:

A very tidy and no doubt satisfying job Mike.

Thank you.  There are a few spots that I need to pull the pads and add a bit of gravel to level things a bit better but all in all I am not dissatisfied with the outcome.

[Guest]

And it is what it is and it is done.  They local Ironmonger...yes I am picking up the lingo here (thanks Clive), was out of pea gravel so I opted for some river rock and it filled the void between the bricks and the pads nicely.  Then the heavy duty leveling board went in place and it is definitely level.  Front to back , side to side and on the diagonals.  Spot on governor.  

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who has followed this little American Redneck Engineering project and I do appreciate all the compliments and ideas that a few of you suggested along the way.  I also appreciates the wise cracks (Clive....again) that kept a smile on my face while I was playing with dirt.  

If I decide to do the wall I will fire the thread back up and take the gang along with me on that adventure, but for now....let's hope for clear skies.  

 

Mike Q

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Guest

[cajen2]

It looks so simple but having seen all the processes involved, I know it wasn't. Great job, Mike.

Clive

[Guest]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

It looks so simple but having seen all the processes involved, I know it wasn't. Great job, Mike.

Clive

Thank you Clive.

[Swoop1]

Good stuff Mike. A very nice looking finish.

I like the gratuitous power tool accessory shot as well 👍

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Swoop1 said:

Good stuff Mike. A very nice looking finish.

I like the gratuitous power tool accessory shot as well 👍

Why I didn't take the driver off the board before I took the board out is beyond me, but I am glad you approve of my tired old Porter Cable Impact driver lol.

[Alan White]

Nice that you photographed it in UK weather conditions for us to get a full appreciation.

Nice job.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Alan White said:

Nice that you photographed it in UK weather conditions for us to get a full appreciation.

Nice job.

Just wanted to make you feel at home

[Guest]

Made a test run after work just to see how the Skylines sat on it and how it was for height.  It is a tad lower then I would like for myself but the wife likes it where it is at, so I will leave it alone for now.  I have located a place that sells birch setting circles and will order one that I will attach to the leveling board permanently.  I can find something that will work as a pointer.  

[cajen2]

Great! I'd love to see how well the setting circle works. Are you going to get an inclinometer too?

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Great! I'd love to see how well the setting circle works. Are you going to get an inclinometer too?

Will be ordering the setting circle in the next few days.  I have been looking at  different models of anglemeters.  I think it will be a wixey

[Guest]

On 28/04/2022 at 18:19, cajen2 said:

Great! I'd love to see how well the setting circle works. Are you going to get an inclinometer too?

I was reading emails with the guy making the circle.  His largest will be just large enough for my dob to sit inside of it.  It's a tight fit but the numbers will be visible all the way around the base.  

[jjohnson3803]

On 28/04/2022 at 17:34, Mike Q said:

Will be ordering the setting circle in the next few days.  I have been looking at  different models of anglemeters.  I think it will be a wixey

I can recommend a Wixey.  Inexpensive and mine has proven to be quite accurate when used with object altitudes from SkySafari.  Seems to have a long battery life also.  I did have to put a couple layers of red tape over the display though to dim it down a bit.

Edited May 3, 2022 by jjohnson3803

[Guest]

5 hours ago, jjohnson3803 said:

I can recommend a Wixey.  Inexpensive and mine has proven to be quite accurate when used with object altitudes from SkySafari.  Seems to have a long battery life also.  I did have to put a couple layers of red tape over the display though to dim it down a bit.

That is the one I am looking at actually

[Guest]

So the wife decided that the edges of the observation area needed to be marked, so she could find it easier in the dark.  So these little solar powered lights were added at the corners.  They generate just enough light to illuminate about half of a pad and shouldn't cause any issues.  

Edited May 13, 2022 by Guest

[Guest]

Well after a couple evenings out it has been decided that some sort of barrier has to be made to block the high output security lamps down the road.  I don't know what would prices are across the pond but here they it is stupid expensive.  But I have me an idea and it's so crazy it just might work.  Best of all I think I have everything I need to do it here in the shed.

Edited May 14, 2022 by Guest

[Guest]

So the light barrier is in the works.  It will be nothing more then privacy lattice sandwiched between 1x4s and screwed to posts that I will sink today.  The whole barrier will only be 8 feet long and will do a very good job (I hope) of at least breaking up the light that is annoying me.  The plan is to let the wife....she who shall be laughed at, plant climbing plants on it and turn it into something pretty.  

[Guest]

There we go.  The light will now be blocked.  Not bad for three hours work and a trip to the big box store.  There is a possibility that I will need to add one more section on the right hand side.  If so it will only be 4 feet wide and cocked in at a 45 degree angle.  The top of the grainery is my initial sight in point and I can't block that.  

Edited May 14, 2022 by Guest

[Guest]

So a bit of preplanning here.  The arrow points to my sight in point for my finder.  So I can't block that.  There isn't really much light coming off the silos but I think I will block off everything to the left of the line.  This will be done before the leaves come down in the fall.

[jjohnson3803]

One dark site AirBnb that I rent has a huge grain elevator to the SSW.  That thing creates its own light bubble out in the corn fields.  😛

Luckily, it's far enough away that it only comes up about 10* above the horizon.