Planning My Observatory - Feedback Wanted!

That pillar doesn't look galvonised, are you going to treat it with something like hammerite ???

I did say that the drilling was a real pain, thats why I got the guys in the workshop to drill my 1 inch plates.

I won't bother galvanising it. Not exposed to any significant amount of moisture. I might just paint it instead just to improve the appearance more so than anything else.
As for the drilling, I was in serious agony yesterday trying to drill the holes through the 12mm thick plates. However today I went into a proper hardware store (the ones that have staff who know how to do more than stack shelves and charge rip-off prices!). Anyway, the guy there was really helpful. He recommended I get 2no. 6mm drill bits, 2no.12mm bits and a bottle of this cutting/drilling fluid. OMG, what a difference that fluid makes! Absolutely no comparison with my progress last night. I'm now flying through the holes. I've one plate completely done and 3/4 of the second plate done. I'll have all the holes in the steel finished off tomorrow night.
One thing I have learned in all this is to use a local hardware store rather than the likes of Woodies/Atlantic etc. I have found that my local hardware stores were SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper and were able to give practical advice. All Woodies staff/children can do is tell me what shelf it's on.

Interesting, I've never heard of this fluid.
I do have one hole to drill, its a mod recommended by the lx200 yahoo group that came up only in the last 3 weeks.

If you are using the superwedge, drill a hole in the wedge where the scope base altaz thread bar hole is located, and get some thread bar and secure the scope there, it increases stability and reduces vibration significantly. I cant remember if that hole is already used in the equatorial setup of your wedge Michael.
If its not, then now the time to do the drilling there.

Mike,
its really coming along! Is all this going into your lecture in January?

Yep, I'll be using all these images for the talk in January - live and exclusive to TAS

Today, I finished drilling the hoels in the pillar and bolted it into the ground. Then I mounted the wedge and put the scope on also.

Michael - that really looks the business.

So when we come over for the warming party, how many of us do you reckon could swing off it?

:lol:

Cheers

Dave