Following the thread of LXxxx pier design that is current, I wanted to
add my 2 cents worth. There is an article on my observatory design on
the website for the RASC Victoria Centre.It can be found at:
http://victoria.tc.ca/~rasc/
On the home page it is under "Articles" and then "Observatory Plans".
The design is is one I came up with and is a bit unusual but after two
years it has worked very well. The original description doesn't mention
the addition of counterbalances for the roof and an insulated computer
enclosure. Both are described in the drawings. Housed are a 12" LX200
and I'm using a Pictor 416XT.
As to the "thread", here is a brief description of the pier. It stands
buried 52" in a narrow hand dug hole in clay. The bottom of the hole
acted as a form for the concrete poured around it to about 3' deep.
There is a flat 1"x10"x14" plate welded to the bottom end and helps
secure this end with a minimum of concrete. The pier started life as a
support in an electric power station and is a galvanized, 1/2" walled 8"
diameter pipe which weighs 343 lbs. and is 8' long. The flat plate on
the top is 1"x14"x14" and all very beautifully welded. It was only 8
cents a pound as salvage.
The floor is relieved around the pier with 1" clearance that is then
filled with a soft foam to keep anything from falling through. The
building is simply resting on ready made concrete tapered blocks which
are placed on the leveled sod. The pier is filled with 200 lbs of sand
and is solid with no noticed problems with vibration or stability.
There is a Zip file for those interested in conceptual plans as well as
a brief description of the order in which the pier height, roof height
and top plate heights were arrived at. Don't laugh at the hand drawings
as I'm no draftsman, they are there simply to add to the description.
It has a removable pitched roof that does'nt need a larger footprint
than the building to do this. For security reasons it looks like a
garden shed.
It may be a pre-existing design but I've never seen it anywhere else.
I would be happy if it encourages someone to consider building their own
permanent site as it simply means far more time for observing.
Regards,
Eric S

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