Over the last few weeks, I have been working on a small observatory project. I decided to photograph the various stages and present them here for anyone who is interested. At this point I have to say that the final result would probably still be a pipe dream if not for my father. He is to carpentry what Professor Stephen Hawking is to mathematics.

Stage 1 - The Pier assembly

This is constructed from a 7 foot length of gas pipe. The pipe is sunk into a 3 feet deep hole and filled with concrete. A threaded bar is sunk into the pipe whilst the concrete is still wet. The hole is then packed with concrete. I expected not to get the top of the pipe dead level, so I had two plates manufactured. The first has a single offset hole for the threaded bar within the pier. The second plate also has the offset hole, but also has thread threaded holes with bolts. I use these to adjusted the level of the top plate. The wedge then bolts to the threaded bar and sandwiches them all together. The whole pier assembly is then left for a week to allow the concrete to fully cure.

Pipe (1)  Pipe (2)  Leveling Plates  Completed Pier  Close up view of plates

Stage 2 - The observatory base

In order to please "she who must be obeyed", a hexagonal design was derived. A base is constructed around the now fully set pier. We were careful to ensure that the base woodwork does not touch the pier assembly at all. This also allows me to feed up the electrical conduit to power the LX90 and associated accessories. The base structure is constructed out of 3"x3" weather treated timber. The base is 3/4" OSD.

Base

Stage 3 - The frame based sides

Each individual side is constructed around a 2"x2" wooden frame. Shiplap (similar to tongue and groove) is used to clad each of the frames. Each frame is then screwed to the base, then screwed to each other

Sides

Stage 4 - Roof

The roof is manufactured from 1/2" OSD. It is light enough for a single person to lift up to allow access to the sky. In the first picture we can see the roof in place awaiting the final roofing felt. Also, a surprise appearance by my three year old astronomer in training. In the second picture we can see on side of the roof opened, whilst the "carpentry master" hangs the door. Both sides of the roof open, and the central crossbar can be removed giving a totally unobstructed view of the sky. The whole procedure takes around 30 seconds.

Observatory (1)    Observatory (2)

Completed

Here we can now the LX90 mounted on the wedge and then the wedge bolted to the pier. People keep telling me that the roof is quote low, and I keep pointing out that I can't see too much when the roof is closed. Overall, the whole project took 3 weeks. The first weekend was the construction of the pier. Then the next two weekends (including a British Bank Holiday) was the construction of the observatory itself.

LX90 on wedge  Outside view