From Micro Obsy to Dual Pier Observatory - via Hard Work, RSI, Back Ache & Melting Credit Card!

[ArmyAirForce]

The membrane was then carefully carried over the piers and lowered into place. The hole positions were spot on! The petals cut from the sheet were folded up each pier and several layers of duct tape wrapped around the pier bases to seal any gaps and to prevent fraying. Leaving some slack in the membrane, I then started bolting down the legs along the front of the observatory.

Around this point, Lynne said I had to get a photo of her work - clearing the weeds to the side of the observatory for the grass ramp up to where the new lawn will be.

[ArmyAirForce]

It didn't take too long to get all the legs bolted down. I think all the rawle bolts were plated and some must have had a thicker plating than others. They all fitted the open ended spanner, but only a small number fitted the ratchet on the other end.

With the legs all in place, the perimeter floor joists were lifted back into place, but this time, the screws were driven all the way in for the last time. I then went around screwing through the joists into the additional legs and also adding some 'L' shaped brackets to hold the joists to the corner legs.

[ArmyAirForce]

When assembling the joists with the six inch long screws, I used the tip my dad taught me decades ago. Each screw was coated in soap to lubricate the threads so it was less effort for the screwdriver.

There was time before the day was done to cut another two intermediate floor joists, for the one third and two thirds positions. After cutting, the ends and bottoms were painted in bitumen paint.

[ArmyAirForce]

Both joists were drilled and screwed in place and then the remainder was painted in bitumen. The right side joist has been fitted slightly to the left of the two thirds position to allow it to clear the solar system pier. There's more joists to go in between these and then some noggins between those, to give the shed base a firm support.

So here's the end of day shot showing what I feel has been real progress. I've lost count of the number of times the frame has been together and apart for test fitting and measuring, so it's nice that it has finally gone together for good. It's also great to be finally moving out of the earth and mud and to be building upwards.

[callisto]

Excellent progress... good tip for the screw & soap 

[ArmyAirForce]

May 22nd - We took a break from the observatory today, to deal with the shed. As previously mentioned, I wanted the shed moving to give me space next to the garage for my trailer. It took some emptying, quite a bit of it being rubbish or stuff that we hadn't found a home for when we moved house.

A rope around a tree stump, on the other side of the garden, formed an anchor for a ratchet winch and then several ratchet straps were wrapped around the base of the shed. The winch then slowly dragged the shed sideways and forwards by about 8 feet each. While closer to the observatory, I gambled that being further forwards wasn't going to impact on my field of view.

Once all the shed was tidied up, I took one of the mounts out to work out some fields of view. Here's a wide view of the site, with the altitude of obstructions, when measured from the left side, deepsky pier.

Edited May 22, 2022 by ArmyAirForce
Date added

[ArmyAirForce]

To the East, for targets rising, things come into view at around 10 degrees altitude. I pointed the mount in the right direction and levelled the head with a spirit level. The setting circle was set to 0 degrees and then the head and level raised until pointing at the first patch of clear sky. The angle was then measured from the setting circle.

There's one tree to the North, with its top at 16 degrees, but the horizon is pretty low to the NNE~NE. There's a small low horizon to the left and then a small woodland.

[ArmyAirForce]

The woodland still only blocks 14 degrees and below to the North North West, so not a major obstruction.

To the West, over the neighbour's house and playhouse, I can see down to 6 degrees. So overall, I have a pretty good all round view of the sky and where it is obstructed, generally the sky quality is poorer at that height anyway. My old house blocked everything below 25 degrees altitude, so I haven't imaged Saturn since 2014!!

[ArmyAirForce]

May 23rd - Monday was an odd jobs day. I gathered up all the junk we no longer wanted from the shed and loaded the car, along with two half ton dumpy bags of garden waste and set off for the tip. After that, we dropped by one of wifey's offices to collect some post, then on to B&Q. Despite a search around the net, they still came up cheapest for the timber I was after and two money off vouchers helped on top of that.

We came back with nineteen, three metre planks, to box in around the obsy legs and also extend the front face to the left to meet the concrete. This would support the earth where the raised bed veggie patch would be. I got ten of them painted in bitumen on the rear ( inside ) face before the rain came. The front will be painted in medium oak shed paint, along with the garden shed after it's had a wash and scrub.

May 24th - Today was forecast for showers on and off all day. I went out to start attaching the intermediate joists. It was slow progress, measuring, cutting, painting the underside and ends in bitumen paint and then screwing them in place. All the while, having to quickly pack everything into the shed as each heavy rain shower passed through.

[ArmyAirForce]

Each one was painted on the sides and top after fitting, to give it some protection before the next shower hit, but all of the joists will receive another coat before the floor goes down. I clamped a piece of scrap wood to the top of each joist to allow it to sit at the correct height, while it was drilled and screwed in place.

By 3.30pm, all the main joists were in place, but for two short sections to box in the piers. All the 6 x 2 inch timber was gone, but I wanted some smaller timbers to go between the main ones. Another quick B&Q trip, picking my daughter up from school on the way, got me some 3 x 2 and some more long screws. That's tomorrow's job, followed by starting to box in the plinth.

[ArmyAirForce]

May 25th - It took a lot longer than I thought it would, to cut the fifteen intermediate joists today. They were cut from three pieces of three metre lengths, with virtually no waste left over. Everything was cut first, followed by painting the ends and bottom in bitumen. I had a coffee break to let them dry a little before fitting.

They were fitted approximately in the centre of the span in the first third of the floor space. This brought one close to the pier to support the floor where the hole will be cut out. The planks on the shed floor may need some additional strengthening, depending on where the hole falls in relation to the structure of the floor.

[ArmyAirForce]

Again, it took a while to clamp, drill and screw four screws into each joist. I only had one "Rain stops play" moment today, hiding in the shed for ten minutes until it passed. Eventually they were all fitted by mid afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent painting the new joists and then painting the whole frame another coat. The original main joists were painted from an old tin which was absorbed by the wood and left quite a matt finish compared to the new tin. The second coat gave a much better coverage. Tomorrow, I'll start painting the facia planks in shed paint and then start fitting those.

[M40]

I'm not sure which is most impressive, your build or the amount of progress that you carry out each day 👌 Looking forward to the next update 

[ArmyAirForce]

May 26th - The weather changed my plans today. I started out getting the plinth planks out and started painting them. About 75% through painting, it started raining lightly. I finished off then hid in the shed again, waiting for the rain to ease. Instead, it got heavier and heavier. I didn't want to be kneeling on the soaking grass, trying to cut and screw the planks in place, so switched my interest to the garden shed instead. That needed painting, as I'm not sure it has ever been painted and the wood needed some protection.

Firstly, it needed cleaning. Before moving it, it was next to the garage and a hawthorn hedge. Both of those sides were covered in green algae. The window side, facing the observatory wasn't quite so bad, but the door side to the North West was very bad. I figured the best way to clean it was the power washer. I started cleaning, with the wild wind blowing the spray everywhere, but I was already wet from the rain. Then it rained again, harder and I got wetter!

This continued on and off all day. The slimy green/grey life form that covered the shed, put up a really stubborn fight and but the time I got the whole shed properly clean, six and a half hours had passed! I was soaking wet, freezing cold and borderline on having hyperthermia, but at least the shed was completely clean and ready for painting. If the ground is dry tomorrow, I may look back at fitting the plinth planks, otherwise, I'll be painting the shed.

[Swoop1]

Will it be dry enough to paint today?

[ArmyAirForce]

@Swoop1 The way the wind is blowing today, I'm surprised the shed is still there!! Yes, it's been blow dried!!! I've just come in from giving it a first coat of "One Coat" shed paint. Since the wood is fairly old and dry, it soaked straight in and will require at the minimum a second coat. I'm about to have lunch, then start on the second coat on the side facing the garage. When that side is done, I want to move my trailer into its new parking spot before finishing the second coat. Wifey is going away for the weekend, so I need to move it while she's around to help. After that, I'll see how dry the grass is and if there's time, contemplate starting to attach the plinth planks.

[ArmyAirForce]

As previously mentioned, on the 26th, I got rained on and cleaned the shed instead. It was a monumental task that took way longer than I anticipated, but eventually it came up nice and clean. The following day I began painting it, which took an equally long time to do two coats.

I also got the big trailer tucked away in its new hiding place. At some point, it will have a lean-to car/trailerport over it, sloping down towards the shed so they can share a rain gutter between them. By the time I'd painted the shed twice and moved the trailer, most of the day was gone and I didn't have the energy for anything else.

[ArmyAirForce]

May 28th - About 9:30 this morning, out I went again to an overcast by dry looking day. More importantly, the ground was dry enough to crawl around on. So out came the clamps, screws and planks and I got to work. It was another of those jobs that took ages. The top planks were fitted first, flush with the top of the floor joists and extending over to the concrete shed base. This will hold back the earth for wifey's raised bed vegetable patch. Once screwed in place, the next layer of planks were clamped up against the first and screwed on.

It took quite a bit of the day, just to get the front cut and attached, especially where the bottom planks had to be tapered to match the fall in the ground. By the time this was done, I was starting to get low on painted planks, so stopped to give the other nine a coat of shed paint on the outer surface.

[ArmyAirForce]

Once they were dry, which didn't take too long as the sun came out, I turned them over and did the bitumen coat on the inside. One plank was quite warped, so this has been left, weighted down by some lumps of concrete in the hope the heat from the sun and weight will reduce the twist. Failing that, it will be used for some of the short tapered sections on the end.

By about 6:15pm, I was done for the day, with most of the first end also planked. All the tools were cleared away and I came indoors to share the joy here!

[AstroNebulee]

3 minutes ago, ArmyAirForce said:

Once they were dry, which didn't take too long as the sun came out, I turned them over and did the bitumen coat on the inside. One plank was quite warped, so this has been left, weighted down by some lumps of concrete in the hope the heat from the sun and weight will reduce the twist. Failing that, it will be used for some of the short tapered sections on the end.

By about 6:15pm, I was done for the day, with most of the first end also planked. All the tools were cleared away and I came indoors to share the joy here!

It's looking great, loving your thread 👍

[andy fearn]

1 hour ago, ArmyAirForce said:

Once they were dry, which didn't take too long as the sun came out, I turned them over and did the bitumen coat on the inside. One plank was quite warped, so this has been left, weighted down by some lumps of concrete in the hope the heat from the sun and weight will reduce the twist. Failing that, it will be used for some of the short tapered sections on the end.

By about 6:15pm, I was done for the day, with most of the first end also planked. All the tools were cleared away and I came indoors to share the joy here!

it's starting to come together nicely now. looking really good.

[Xsubmariner]

Reading this thread brings back many memories . Great to see the observatory taking shape, I always feel slightly cheated when all the back breaking foundation work is lost beneath the buildings fabric. Your attention to detail is impressive and I am keen to read your approach to services and systems commissioning.

[malc-c]

Excellent progress, and a very solid foundation.  If you are going to lay in any ducting for power (low voltage) and coms (USB) from the piers to whatever location the PSU and computer will be then it's easier to do it before you lay the flooring.  Also include a draw string with the cables, as sods law says you will always need an extra cable when the floors in place and the ducting is secure.

[ArmyAirForce]

Rain has stopped play this morning. It may clear up after lunch.

@malc-c I'll be keeping all the wiring above floor level. I don't like buried wires. Certainly for planetary, I sit with the scope to change filters and barlows etc, so I move around with the scope as the night progresses. I don't want to be tied to one operating position by fixed cables, if through use, I find it's better to be in a different location.

[malc-c]

2 minutes ago, ArmyAirForce said:

Rain has stopped play this morning. It may clear up after lunch.

@malc-c I'll be keeping all the wiring above floor level. I don't like buried wires. Certainly for planetary, I sit with the scope to change filters and barlows etc, so I move around with the scope as the night progresses. I don't want to be tied to one operating position by fixed cables, if through use, I find it's better to be in a different location.

Fare enough.  That gives you flexibility,  but whatever method you follow ensure the cabling is tidy as it is a trip hazard in the confines of a building