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Obsy Build....... Episode IV A New Hope.........


Perkil8r

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So............ I have a plan to build a sort of observatory that is removable leaving a deck for use in the summer months. More will follow but here is the start of the gathering of bits to build it with.


 


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They are made of 316 stainless steel. The plates are 3/4 inch thick x 4" dia with CNC machined dimples for the legs of the tripod. They are tig welded onto the end of 2" dia 316 stainless 26" long. They will be sunk into concrete 18" deep. There will the be a deck surrounding them that does not touch them but finishes 3/8" away in radius but flush in height. The rest will follow as I progress and reveal the rest of my cunning plan.


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They look like the business, and set in concrete won't be going anywhere!

We wait with bated breath for the next enlightenment - I will be following your progress with great interest Mike. Cheers!

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Good one Mike. With the colouring of the pins I thought they were brass to begin with, now that would be nice :D Hmmm brass :D  :D


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So last week the handbrake was applied, so while she was in bed I went to Wickes this morning and bought some paving slabs to redo the edge of the path so I can start and prepare the ground.


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So this is the issue as you can see. The garden is the last thing to do to the house from when I bought it as a bit of a wreck. The obsy deck thing is going next to the shed/warm room that I built 2 years ago now! First job here is to remove the block pavers and replace them with slabs and back fill and scrape to make it more level for the bench area and then slope under where the decking will go.


 


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I've made a start by placing and securing 2 of the slabs. These two are the ones that will be protruding the most and are full slabs 400mm x 400mm with 200mm or so now below the level of the path. The rest will be cut in half or so. Not much to look at I know but I thought I would post it up anyway so I can look back later if nothing else.


 


Once leveled off I will put membrane down and then approx a ton of pea shingle. Where the bench is I'll lay some slabs for it to sit on and a couple for a table maybe or planters. The pond will be edged with deck too but that is an aside really, although I will then have somewhere to mount the sundial properly. The plan is that now I have the slabs I can do a couple at a time as time allows and hopefully be ready for the shingle at half term. Before I'm ready to lay that I need to get the deck frame in place and the tripod stands,


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A lot to do there Mike! But you will get there I'm sure.

I was in a similar place last year - Before I could build my Obs i had to move the missus' greenhouse, renew the fencing, re level the garden and re-turf it, do the kitchen..... Then, I could get on with my base and dome etc 😗 then I had to build a fence in front of it etc...

Reaping the benefits now though.

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Finished work early today so got a couple of hours in. Still not much to look at yet though but it's coming along. Casualty so far is one broken spade. They don't make 'em like they used to! :angry:


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Nice to see some progress after last seeing your garden nearly 3 years ago. Before you got paid for doing science and astronomy in your dream job  :)


 


Looking forward to seeing more photos :2thumbsup:


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Nice to see some progress after last seeing your garden nearly 3 years ago. Before you got paid for doing science and astronomy in your dream job  :)

 

Looking forward to seeing more photos :2thumbsup:

 

I was thinking about that earlier, it seems like longer :lol: It has been a bit of a wild ride to get to this point. I hope to have the edging finished this week so I have a level to work to. Then lots of digging and raking to get it flat(ish) and start digging out footings.

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Phase one is now complete after a couple of hours this afternoon.


 


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I now have a whole heap of shoveling and leveling to do before starting on the deck frame stage of the project. First job now is go buy a new spade!


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It's gonna be awesome when you're finished mike will be so much better for those "quick sessions" [emoji4]

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The stones have been moved, there were a lot more of them than I imagined I must say and I have started the digging, raking and leveling of the seating area this morning. Taken a break to watch Star Wars Episode I before I go out and clear the top end where the deck and obsy are going and start digging that lot over too. It hes become apparent that it will be a lot of work but easier to do it as one big area.


 


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Removing the piles that I used before for the NEQ6 took a bit of effort as they were in 18" deep but that is nothing in comparison to the next incarnation!


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It's coming on Mike - I was just thinking... you could 'ASTRO turf' it! ☺ï¸ðŸ˜—

No need to reply to my suggestion... Lol.

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It's coming on Mike - I was just thinking... you could 'ASTRO turf' it! ☺

No need to reply to my suggestion... Lol.

 

That's my plan for the other side!

 

Dug a bit more this afternoon until old age stopped me from doing any more.

 

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Not sure when I will get chance to do more, unlikely before the weekend as unfortunately I have to work full hours this week :o

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Watching with great interest!


 


A few days ago our neighbour had a tree chopped down which made a part of our patio area more open.


I jokingly said "Hmmm I could get a roll off roof shed observatory in there now!"


 


Earlier today my Commander in Chief Home Command saw an advert for a company who make bespoke sheds and said she wondered if they could make an observatory shed.  


 


I of course played it calm .... my outward appearance was just   :dontknow:  Dunno! ..... inside it was more like   :frantic:  :clap:  :strut:


 


I may of course just happen to let here see me reading this thread ...... but not this particular post!


 


Al

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Looking great mike, interested to what the rest of your cunning plan entails.

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Well the weather has been pretty poor to say the least. I have not quite got round to phase 2 but I have just managed to finish the leveling off. I had hoped to get the wood for the deck and start building the frame today but I haven't done so. The ground is saturated so leveling off has taken a lot of effort today but now it is actually ready. The next step is to build and erect the outer deck frame to get a level for the tripod piles. The aim is to have them flush with the surface of the deck +/- 1mm or so. Once the frame is in and tripod piles I can then put the other cross pieces in and then lay the decking boards on cutting out around the pile tops.


 


After a lot of searching around etc I have decided to get pretty much everything else I need from Wickes.


Shopping list as follows:


7 x Deck joists


3 x 1.8m wooden fence posts (to chop into 9 x legs of 600mm long)


20 x Deck Boards


6 x joist hangers


1 x big bag of 4" screws


1 x very big bag of deck screws


200 kg of postcrete


1 x tin wood preserver


 


not from wickes:


1 ton of pea shingle


40mweed control / landscape fabric


 


I have not decided how to finish the deck edges yet, the jury is out considering either log rolls or deck boards.


 


After this phase I then need some slabs for the seating area which will also form the visual area for the bino's and at some point the dob when I have made a base for the 200p.


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