Hey all,
I decided to add a 2nd pier to the property next to my observatory that already has a large pier and all that inside it. But I didn't want to do the back breaking effort my original pier was (1300lbs of concrete...). This time I wanted to keep it simple, minimal hardware, minimal material, inexpensive stuff, but still an imaging class pier if I ever wanted it to be. Also important is the ability to remove the pier should I change my mind later or simply need it gone. My original pier is forever, I can't move that thing ever, and breaking it down would take a lot of work and a tractor and a jack hammer probably. This pier, well, can be taken down with a sledge hammer to the grass line in two swings probably. So, like many folk, I looked to the wooden pier idea with a bunch of 4x4's but didn't want to fool with leveling plates. Then I looked to steel piers and that was too costly for this project. Finally, there's plenty of images out there of block piers, large and small. I saw a few rather simple cinder block piers that were bolted to an anchor block of concrete and all this other stuff. I wanted to go even more simple. So, cinder blocks was a go! But, I didn't want to do a bunch of work and drilling, so I didn't want to bolt the blocks together, when construction adhesive will bond it and be stronger than the concrete itself. I used paper and traced my mount head's base and where the threaded screw holes are and drilled appropriate holes in the block to allow it to be secured. Overall, it was a very easy project. I documented the whole thing. It's inexpensive and really sturdy. It may not look classy, but it's functional and can be removed. Also, no warping like timber will.
I took about 3 days to complete the project, each day was a day of something curing for 24 hours basically until the 3rd day which was painting and then it was ready for use.
Back story: My Twilight 1 mount has been great for small scopes, but my 120mm F8.3 refractor crippled it to its knees. Couldn't handle the scope. I tried other mods, didn't really do the job. Ultimately, it was the tripod and the connection to the tripod mostly and then a little bracing of the arm that made the difference. I wanted to use my Twilight 1 head if I could on this cinder block pier to see if I could get very last drop of use out of the mount head, before having to buy another mount (I have too many as it is) to be able to handle 120mm class refractors that are longer. I had nothing to go off, other than just doing it and see the results. But, ultimately, it worked out. So this is the result. Any mount head could be used, it doesn't change how it's attached to the cinder block really, I just happened to use a Twilight 1 alt-az head here. I wanted to use an EQ5 head, but didn't want to buy that either.
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Time: 3 days to complete
Labor: You can do it yourself without help most likely
Cost: Around $100 USD from Lowes for all the stuff and mounting hardware and things needed (could obviously be cheaper if you already have some stuff)
Materials and tools:
Quickcrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (50lb bag) No mixing needed! I used 4 of these for a 200lb footer. $7 per bag. Why this stuff? again, no mixing needed. No pouring. Nada. Just dump this stuff in a hole, pour some water on it and walk away. It's that simple. It's meant for fast post-hole setting. A pier is a big post, so... I about died doing my last pier mixing and pouring 1300lbs by hand... not again!
Cinder Blocks, they were $1.22 each. I used 4 and a half of them for this project for the height I wanted. They're standard 8x8x16 blocks.
Stainless steel 1/4" threaded bolts and some large 1/4" washers for securement, ran me around $10 total in hardware for these. I took my mount head's base to the store and just tried a few different types, turned out standard 1/4" with typical threading worked fine, it wasn't some fancy metric thing.
5/16" Masonry drill bit (and I already had a drill, most of you do too) which was about $7 or so. I wanted the bit to be a little larger than the bolts so that the holes had wiggle room in case they're not straight so that nothing binds up. It worked well this way, no fuss, no messing up.
Construction Adhesive, just some basic Loctite for just under $5. I already had a hand pump tool to use it, they're cheap too though if you need one. I only needed one tube, even though I bought two just in case. It doesn't take much of this stuff. I had built some cinder block steps in the past using this stuff with toppers and they're solid years later without any bolts, with several hundred pound people walking on them on the edge and nothing budgets. So this stuff should handle the small weights of telescope stuff. And it does. This adhesive bonds to the concrete and is really strong, it will not let go. If your concrete was going to break, it won't be where this stuff is. I decided against drilling and more bolts because frankly you're just adding stress to the concrete when this adhesive (which you would use anyways with it) already does the job many times over. Drilling bolts may put one's mind at ease, but the adhesive is not going to let go and anywhere the concrete would break would not be saved by the bolts anyways.
A shovel or similar to dig your hole. I already had one.
A level to get it kind of level. I already had one.
White paint (flat white paint just to make it look nicer, cooler to the touch in the sun, and just something to act as a barrier to the elements in general, but mainly just to look nicer than just ordinary cinder blocks in the yard). I already had some paint and a brush, but if you bought it, it would be a sample can's size, so less than $10 even for good stuff.
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Results:
Build Log to Follow....
Very best,
