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John Fitzgerald
In Focus
Reged: 01/04/04
Posts: 1254
Loc: AR
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Well, our advice WAS asked for. Thanks Mike. Please, Tom, take our advice and just use the crusher grit for a base for concrete. If you use it as a floor IMO you will regret it. It's NASTY when wet, and will get moldy under carpet. It works well as a concrete base when wet down and compacted. I'm done here.
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?
Observing since 1966
Messier Cert #898
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Alleline
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 583
Loc: Farmington, New Mexico
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No, no, I really do want advice. I have done enough DIY projects to learn that nothing ever works quite right the first time. I've listened to the earlier posters - added 2' to the ceiling height, and while I'm stuck with green roofing, I will insulate and vent. I am more than open to thoughts on flooring. I would rather not have volcanic grit gumming up my machinery, if that is the risk with the crusher dust. I have to say, it seems more like sand than dust (it arrived yesterday).
When I said "sheet of vinyl," I meant patterned flooring like for a kitchen. I've had some sitting on my damp cellar floor for four years without it molding up - any reason it would not do as well in an observatory shack? Or should I lay down the crusher dust and put pavers over it? Or just throw it out and go buy gravel? I am reluctant to pour concrete because there's a 50/50 chance I will move in the next year and I want to be able to put my 8x12 shed on a truck, and seed grass in the hole left behind. If I don't move, there's a chance I will buy a spare lot from my neighbor up the hill, and move the shack up there. So, I would prefer not to pour concrete. If the current site becomes permanent, I can always pour a pad right next to it and move it 10'.
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Tom
Meade DS-16 (F4.5), C-8, Synta 120mm F8.3 refractor.
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tim53
sage
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 323
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Pavers would work better than vinyl flooring, which would probably crack due to uneven support underneath. Another possibility might be plastic garage floor tiles, which have some thickness to them. But I still think you'd want a firmer subfloor, like with pavers.
-Tim.
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"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
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Alleline
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 583
Loc: Farmington, New Mexico
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Reading Widow Maker's thread in this forum, I saw the frost line map - I'm between the 1.75 and 2.00 meter lines. Feeling better about the decision not to start with a concrete pier.
Anyway, I got started on the layout - when I make a little more progress I'll post some pics in a new thread. The plan is to build a roll-off with exterior dimensions of 11'10" by 8'4". I'll split the walls at about 4', so the top 2' roll off with the roof.
The crusher dust doesn't seem as awful as was suggested. I get the impression it was sifted for uniform size. There's no dust when I shovel it. It's slightly coarser than beach sand, and compacts very quickly to a hard surface. It is quite rough to the touch. I'm still trying to figure out what to put on top of it, which probably isn't too bright.
What do you think about astroturf or similar? Mold proof, not prone to crack, cheap. I'm thinking about cutting out rectangles for three 6x18x2 concrete blocks, as the footing for my tripod. I do understand that this is not the regulation way to build an observatory, but mine is more like a snow shelter for a scope.
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Tom
Meade DS-16 (F4.5), C-8, Synta 120mm F8.3 refractor.
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Macro
super member
Reged: 03/07/08
Posts: 184
Loc: Ky
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Post deleted by Macro
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John Fitzgerald
In Focus
Reged: 01/04/04
Posts: 1254
Loc: AR
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Did you contact Backyard Observatories?
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?
Observing since 1966
Messier Cert #898
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Pedestal
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/11/06
Posts: 3071
Loc: Smoggy Bottom, Baytown,Texas
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If you are capable of using drafting tools, you should be able to draw up detailed enough plans that any good construction company can follow. At worst, hire an architect to draw up the plans, and bid the job out.
Hubert
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www.smoggybottom.org
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Macro
super member
Reged: 03/07/08
Posts: 184
Loc: Ky
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I solved my problem
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tim53
sage
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 323
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Quote:
The crusher dust doesn't seem as awful as was suggested. I get the impression it was sifted for uniform size. There's no dust when I shovel it. It's slightly coarser than beach sand, and compacts very quickly to a hard surface. It is quite rough to the touch. I'm still trying to figure out what to put on top of it, which probably isn't too bright.
"not too bright" as in albedo? Or not such a good idea?
I live in a Victorian home with walkways "paved" with crushed stone. They apparently used this quite a bit in those days. It does make a hard surface, but I wouldn't call it quite "clean" - particularly when wet - and certainly wouldn't use it as my working floor in an observatory.
Quote:
What do you think about astroturf or similar? Mold proof, not prone to crack, cheap.
Such things might resist mold, but not indefinitely. And since they'll tend to absorb water and hold on to it, you'll likely have a rather musty observatory after a while.
Why not bricks? They can be pretty cheap, and if you move the observatory later, you can probably find someone to give the bricks to for an outdoor barbeque or something.
If you're dead set on the soft floor concept, be sure to ventilate the observatory so it dries quickly inside, otherwise you'll have rusty shafts and stuff.
Quote:
I'm thinking about cutting out rectangles for three 6x18x2 concrete blocks, as the footing for my tripod. I do understand that this is not the regulation way to build an observatory, but mine is more like a snow shelter for a scope.
People certainly have used tripods in their observatories with good results.
-Tim.
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"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
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Alleline
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 583
Loc: Farmington, New Mexico
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Thanks very much for the thoughts. I am not dead set on a soft floor, but might tolerate it for a few months. I expect to finish the building in late October. I am planning to tweak it after the spring thaw, by which time I will have learned a lot from a few months use. I may need to adjust roof height and orientation or even location of the building. Then, I can dig a pier and surround it with a plywood floor over pressure-treated joists on the ground. I will look into bricks/pavers in the meantime, but if they cost 3x the cost of surplus astroturf, I'll hope it doesn't get moldy between Halloween and Memorial Day.
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Tom
Meade DS-16 (F4.5), C-8, Synta 120mm F8.3 refractor.
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