mich_al
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/10/09
Loc: Rural central lower Michigan ...
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5543434 - 11/28/12 09:00 AM
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Bolt source : http://www.fastenal.com Use a wood bit not a standard twist bit for drilling the holes. I assembled my pier, drilled the bolt holes then dis-assembled the pier so I could move each 6x6 individually then reassembled and bolted the pier together in place.
Al
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: mich_al]
#5550743 - 12/02/12 05:43 PM Attachment (53 downloads)
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Here is a shot of the pier with an AT12IN on it. The pier is very stable. I get .12 and .14 RMS results in PHD now.
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John Miele
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/29/05
Loc: North Alabama
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5550847 - 12/02/12 07:07 PM Attachment (38 downloads)
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Hey Dwight,
Sweet looking setup there!
Well I started my wood pier today. I am pretty much copying your design to the letter  ! I hope you don't mind  . I bought my 6x6 posts at Lowes. I thought maybe they could cut them to length for me in the store, but they cannot cut wood that thick. I got them home and used my circular saw to cut through as much as I could and finished off with a hand saw. I measured my current G11 tripod height and 36" above ground will be just about right. So with 36" in the ground, I went with 6 foot lenght too. I went to a local weld shop Friday and bought two 12 x12 x 1/4 inch steel plates. I had them drill the 3/4 inch corner holes for me since I don't have a bit that large. I can drill all the 1/2 holes myself. They charged my $30 for the steel and another $20 to do the cutting and drilling. $50 total. I am really excited now that this project is finally under way. Thanks for sharing what you did. It was the motivation I needed to finally get off the fence!
John
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John Miele
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/29/05
Loc: North Alabama
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: John Miele]
#5550852 - 12/02/12 07:07 PM Attachment (39 downloads)
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My steel plates in work!
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: John Miele]
#5551031 - 12/02/12 08:59 PM
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Great start to your pier!!! I am glad you got the steel plates cheaper than I did, with holes drilled. Now the big project digging the hole.
Before you dig the hole, make sure you call Miss Utility to check for any underground cables or gas lines.
Also make sure you can see Polaris from the pier hole location, it is just above my roof line.
Like your photo of the plates being drilled. It looks similar to my photo..
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5551036 - 12/02/12 09:00 PM
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Forgot to mention. Put the ends you cut into the ground with the factory cut ends on top.. better to work with a true flat top.
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Ranger Tim
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/25/08
Loc: SE Idaho, USA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5551221 - 12/02/12 10:54 PM
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If you buy a bucket of driveway tar/sealer you can dip the ends into it and let them dry before they go into the ground. This keeps critters from eating any of the wood in the hole. Pressure treated is good stuff, but bugs have been known to eat it. Keeps the moisture rot problem minimized as well. pour the rest out on the driveway : )
Dwight, I guess I won't be hearing about you going out to remote locations anymore! Too easy to just walk out the back door, huh? Have fun this winter shooting pics - I'm listening to the wind howl and expecting 3 inches of white stuff. Although the weather has been unseasonably warm here the skies have been clouded out most of the last 3 weeks. I thought Idaho was supposed to be dry?!!!
Nice job on the piers guys!
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: Ranger Tim]
#5551616 - 12/03/12 07:47 AM
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Sorry the clouds are from me. I needed to test my setup and sent them to you.
I will still need to go to a dark site since the mount is in a tree filled back yard. I am limited on what I can see from there. On Saturday I had time for one shot of M33 before the trees ate it.
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mich_al
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/10/09
Loc: Rural central lower Michigan ...
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5551716 - 12/03/12 09:28 AM
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Are those steel plates 'meaty' enough? It might just be the picture but it looks like there's an opportunity to flex.
Al
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: mich_al]
#5551724 - 12/03/12 09:36 AM
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If his plates are like mine, you can put several hundred pounds on them and there would be no flex. I was surprised how tough they are.
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dandabson
super member
Reged: 10/15/08
Loc: Dover, DE
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5551778 - 12/03/12 10:24 AM
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Quote:
If his plates are like mine, you can put several hundred pounds on them and there would be no flex. I was surprised how tough they are.
What is the thickness of steel used for the plates? I will probably doing something similar in the near future.
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: dandabson]
#5552036 - 12/03/12 01:12 PM
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He stated his were 1/4 inch. I think mine were the same.
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John Miele
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/29/05
Loc: North Alabama
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5552533 - 12/03/12 06:16 PM
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Using a simple finite element model of the top plate, 90 lbs of load will flex the top plate downward by 0.0011 inch and the first natural frequency (up-down "bouncing" mode) is over 300 hz.(i.e., it's stiff). Should be pretty stable. If the entire system were modeled, the deflection would be a little higher and the frequency a little lower, but I don't think it would be enough to cause any issue. I guess if you want you could go with 3/8" thick plates, and I'll certainly change out mine if I find I need to, but it's more cost and harder to drill through...John
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Phillip Easton
super member
Reged: 12/24/10
Loc: DFW
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5552764 - 12/03/12 08:27 PM
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Quote:
Here is a shot of the pier with an AT12IN on it. The pier is very stable. I get .12 and .14 RMS results in PHD now.
Very nice! I can see my Orion 190mm Mak-Newt on it. I will have to copy it too.
Cheers!
Phillip
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dandabson
super member
Reged: 10/15/08
Loc: Dover, DE
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: Jeff Smith]
#5601193 - 01/02/13 12:43 PM
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I am about to undertake a similar project. I will be mounting a cg5 on top. I am using 4 4x4s bolted and glued together. They are 6 feet long and I plan on setting them 3 feet in the ground with cement. My question is will a 8" auger suffice or will I need a 12" auger. The pier measures 7" square right now. Any idea of how much cement to buy? Thanks in advance.
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Raginar
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/19/10
Loc: Rapid CIty, SD
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: dandabson]
#5601376 - 01/02/13 02:46 PM
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Dan, you can use an 8" auger and just make multiple holes if that makes sense. The 4 4x4s is a good idea; another option is just a single 6x6 for a light mount like that. I used a single 6x6 with my CGEM and it worked really well.
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Loc: Richmond VA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: dandabson]
#5601422 - 01/02/13 03:21 PM
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Quote:
I am about to undertake a similar project. I will be mounting a cg5 on top. I am using 4 4x4s bolted and glued together. They are 6 feet long and I plan on setting them 3 feet in the ground with cement. My question is will a 8" auger suffice or will I need a 12" auger. The pier measures 7" square right now. Any idea of how much cement to buy? Thanks in advance.
I would just use an 8 inch auger to dig the hole. The 8 inch is easer to use than the 12 inch. Then follow up with a post hole digger to enlarge it just enough to make sure you have enough room for the concrete.
I only needed two bags of concrete for my pier. I wanted to be able to remove it later.
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dandabson
super member
Reged: 10/15/08
Loc: Dover, DE
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: D_talley]
#5601424 - 01/02/13 03:22 PM
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Will not mixing meathod work well on a project of this size?
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Raginar
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/19/10
Loc: Rapid CIty, SD
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: dandabson]
#5601514 - 01/02/13 04:12 PM
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That's what I did on mine. Bought some fence post 'crete. Poured into the hole, balanced it out and leveled it, then dumped the water in.
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CharlesW
sage
Reged: 11/02/12
Loc: Chula Vista & Indio, CA
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Re: Backyard wood Pier
[Re: Raginar]
#5601612 - 01/02/13 05:12 PM
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You might find that using an auger drill bit with a screw tip will make boring through all that wood much easier.
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