Telescope Reviews: Gold Mtn Observatory

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Equipment Discussions >> Observatories

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778918 - 04/30/10 11:17 PM Attachment (68 downloads)

The floor lumber arrived today so after work I got to work building the floor. I squared it up and then set the corners and started laying the 2x10 joists.

Here is my begining. I'm doing this by myself..cuz my help got another job....

N0 problem...I know my way around construction.

Rob

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778922 - 04/30/10 11:20 PM Attachment (52 downloads)

Another from the North side. I'm just getting the central joist hung. I bolted 2 4x4 to the concrete pier so I could suport the center of the floor.

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778932 - 04/30/10 11:24 PM Attachment (55 downloads)

A bit more done. I'm moving pretty good...even huffing those 18ft 2x10 by myself......

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778943 - 04/30/10 11:29 PM Attachment (49 downloads)

Getting dark...so I'm quiting for the night. I put in about 3 hours...and tomorrow my sweetheart will help me set another subfloor 4x4 on the south side. We decided to add an 18x18 deck off the South side so she can have a nice place to entertain as well.

More pics tomorrow. I plan on finishing up by laying all the joist hangers...set all the inner bracing and lay the 3/4" floor I'll order the wall lumber next so it will arrive on Monday/Tuesday. I can't have a huge pile of lumber laying around my office...so one stage at a time.

Rob

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RobVG
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 01/09/06

Loc: Seattle Washington

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778946 - 04/30/10 11:31 PM

Looking good

Hope this weather clears up for ya.

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David Johns
sage

Reged: 03/26/07

Loc: Queensland, Australia

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3778953 - 04/30/10 11:33 PM

Looking good, Rob... and great habitat for an observatory.

One question... are you using only 4 concrete supports? If so, and I may have this wrong, will the floor be a bit bouncy?

Cheers
David

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: RobVG]
#3778958 - 04/30/10 11:42 PM

Quote:

Looking good
Hope this weather clears up for ya.

Yeah..I can work in drizzle....Not much more to go on the joists. I think I have 2..maybe 3 left to hang...then placing all the joist hangers. I have my air gun to nail down the floor. It should be exactly the hight of the concrete footer when done. I don't want there to be a concrete pier in the OB..just the steel black pier. Everything will be at floor level. I happen to have a used door from my office and a used window from my house...so I don;t have to buy these items. Just the 2x4's and T-111 siding. I also have the headers for both on hand as well.

I'm hardly believing that I'm gonna have a large 18x18 ROR OB...

Rob

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: David Johns]
#3778978 - 05/01/10 12:00 AM Attachment (60 downloads)

Quote:

Looking good, Rob... and great habitat for an observatory.

One question... are you using only 4 concrete supports? If so, and I may have this wrong, will the floor be a bit bouncy?

Cheers
David

Oh..your're only seeing the four corner piers..there are many and the center is suported by 4x4's bolted to the central concrete pier. Here is a drawing of the subfloor framing design Dark brown is treated wood.. light represent the 2x10's (Not all are present)...just some to show the design.

Rob

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Chris Schroeder
Postmaster

Reged: 12/11/04

Loc: N.E. WI Sky Glow

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3779350 - 05/01/10 09:38 AM

Looking good so far Rob, please keep the photos coming.

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Buhlig
sage

Reged: 12/03/07

Loc: Derby, KS

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: Chris Schroeder]
#3779510 - 05/01/10 11:25 AM

Worries about hardmounting the floor joists to the telescope peir? Vibrations? In my case, even my carpet touching the pier mounting bolts is enought to cause noticeable vibe at high mags (planetary mostly) when I walk around in the obs..then again, my peir is nowhere near the size of the one you have. What I've read is you don't want anything touching you t-scope peir..period.

Sean

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RobVG
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 01/09/06

Loc: Seattle Washington

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: Buhlig]
#3779610 - 05/01/10 12:34 PM

Quote:

In my case, even my carpet touching the pier mounting bolts is enought to cause noticeable vibe at high mags...
Sean

I'm glad you posted that Sean. I used spray foam between my concrete pier and the framing to keep critters out. I get vibs too just from walking but a few people said they used the stuff with no problems. Maybe pier size does has something to do with it.

Cheers,
Rob

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: RobVG]
#3779714 - 05/01/10 01:29 PM

Well I did think of all that but since the pier base is sunk into the ground 5ft and that it is also nearly 4ft wide/long it is an immense amount of concrete over 4 tons worth...I'm taking the gamble.

I'll finish up the floor today.....

Rob

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astrotrf
Not at all Mundane

Reged: 09/30/07

Loc: Rodeo, NM

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3779761 - 05/01/10 02:00 PM

Quote:

Well I did think of all that but since the pier base is sunk into the ground 5ft and that it is also nearly 4ft wide/long it is an immense amount of concrete over 4 tons worth...I'm taking the gamble.

Good luck with that, Rob -- but I gotta say I wouldn't take your side in the office pool. The total mass of the concrete isn't really the controlling factor here; it's transmission of vibration. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

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GShaffer
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/28/09

Loc: Bogart, Ga USA

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: astrotrf]
#3779970 - 05/01/10 04:27 PM

Have to side with Terry myself Rob..... The shear mass is not going to matter that much when it comes to transmitting vibrations.

I am so sure of that I would say its not too late at this point to rethink that design and modify it.....I am just sayin

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mikey cee
Postmaster

Reged: 01/18/07

Loc: bellevue ne.

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: GShaffer]
#3779990 - 05/01/10 04:39 PM

Rob....I think you have too much weight riding on those four pier blocks. Around here I'd have me frost line footings with severasl courses of rebar in them. Harder than heck to get to them later on.

Mike

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: mikey cee]
#3780523 - 05/01/10 11:31 PM Attachment (54 downloads)

I'v considered what everyone has said and I know afixing the floor to the pier is not a smart idea if vibration is your enemy.......so I redesigned my sub floor beams and put them all on blocks....I am also going to add support on all of the walls in mid span with blocks and 4x4's. We don't have a frost line here..we have a rain line. It way get down past 32deg 4 days out of the year. Vibration isn't a real issue for me anyway...I generally view alone and am not worried. I am more concerned with the structure suport then anything else.

Tomorrow..I will finish adding the joist blocking and the lag bolts for all the corners and support 4x4's...then I will lay the 3/4" floor.

Here are some pics of todays work.

Looking out one of my office second floor windows.

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3780532 - 05/01/10 11:36 PM Attachment (61 downloads)

My beautiful wife standing by for reference. This is before the added 4 block and 4x4 suports for each side were in place.

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andyschlei
professor emeritus

Reged: 03/05/06

Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3780651 - 05/02/10 02:07 AM

Great progress!

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astrotrf
Not at all Mundane

Reged: 09/30/07

Loc: Rodeo, NM

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory new

[Re: rwiederrich]
#3781423 - 05/02/10 01:21 PM

Quote:

Vibration isn't a real issue for me anyway...I generally view alone and am not worried.

The other vibration consideration is that wind will vibrate the building, which will get transferred through your floor supports and thus into the pier. It doesn't sound like much, but at high magnification ... well, I just don't want to see you surprised.

My house is built on a concrete slab. I can put a cup of water on the table by my chair and arrange a light so I can watch the light's reflection in the water, and then watch the vibrations from footfalls going down the hall.

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rwiederrich
Goldfinger

Reged: 11/17/05

Loc: Always Dark skies of Belfair W...

Re: Gold Mtn Observatory [Re: astrotrf]
#3781580 - 05/02/10 03:09 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Vibration isn't a real issue for me anyway...I generally view alone and am not worried.

The other vibration consideration is that wind will vibrate the building, which will get transferred through your floor supports and thus into the pier. It doesn't sound like much, but at high magnification ... well, I just don't want to see you surprised.

My house is built on a concrete slab. I can put a cup of water on the table by my chair and arrange a light so I can watch the light's reflection in the water, and then watch the vibrations from footfalls going down the hall.

I used to set up my 6"f/15 on a 6in thick concrete slab and still when you walked on it you got vibration. On a windy day the scope would act more like a sail, and that was more troublesome then any building/floor vibrations.

I don't view in windy weather anyway. It messes up the view regardless of any vibration at high mag.

Todays further mods will be done and the floor will go down.....

Thanks for everyones suggestions.

Rob

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