Download Building an Observatory: A presentation by Daniel R. Blais

Building an Observatory
The building
Of Rose Mountain Observatory
By
Daniel R. Blais
Picking The Site
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If you own plenty of high open space in an isolated area
than skip on to the next slide.
The ideal location is a flat piece of land with little or no
obstruction at a decent elevation.
Calculate the costs, maintenance of property ease of
access, taxes…ect. Ensure it is within your budget or
your clubs budget. Take all precautions as you would for
buying any real estate, research for liens and other legal
binds that may consume your time in areas you would
rather not get involved with.
Be flexible and have vision. A scrappy piece of land can
turn into a swan of a location.
Breaking Ground
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Be sure to calculate the size of the structure and that it will meet the needs
for space, and comfort for yourself and other potential visitors.
Once staked out, order a 16’ X 14’ X 20” slab of “REINFORCED” concrete
to be poured into a “sturdy” frame over a bed of gravel about 9” deep. We
didn’t think the frame the foundation pouring folk put up was sturdy enough,
but they said it was fine, well, it did bow out at the sides and this made for a
nasty turn of events as we had to chisel the foundation back to square
which is critical for the frame of the structure you will be building! Also ask
the cement company about their types and qualities of reinforced concrete.
This concrete was made with special fibers to enhance the strength of
material.
Note: a 16” slab or less will do fine if you are in an area that is not rocky with
no frost heaving's. Ensure slab has proper drainage.
Beginning The Dream!
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Once the slab is squared, framing can begin.
If you are not a skilled carpenter (like me) it is best to have this done by
professionals who have a reputation of quality workmanship.
It may cost you more to build initially, but it will save you much money and
embarrassment from mistakes or oversights in the long run.
I chose “L & L” construction who’s slogan was “The Finnishing Touch”. Leo
and Linda (Pictured in top right photo) a young couple recently married.
Leo chose ¾” plywood for the walls with standard 2X4 framing. He was
infatuated with everything being perfectly square! I took this as a good sign.
Note: The concrete foundation is chiseled square along the upper edge. This
was done so the plywood would not touch the concrete and wick the
moisture from it thus preventing rot.
Take The Time
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Take your time when building
the frame or having a frame
built. If you rush things
mistakes are made, or
builders will overlook quality
of work for time constraints
you place on them! This
phase took months patience.
A good idea would be to
document it by taking photos.
Also, in determining wall
height think about your
observable horizon. My walls
are less than 6’. This gives a
view just above the tree tops.
I used a 2X4 with one end
held up at varying heights
against the treetops to
determine this height.
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L & L construction wisely chose to build the roof frame onto the casters so
no crane or A frame was needed to hoist a heavy roof onto the walls.
Note: that the roof tracks rest on the casters in upper left of photo.
Casters And Rails
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Note: upper picture shows casters on
“roll off” posts. The choice of casters is
critical and I highly recommend one inch
wide casters that use Bearings! Stay
away from sleeved casters which where
originally installed (shown upper left
photo). These cheap sleeved casters
made the roof a real work out to roll
back and almost impossible for one man
to do. Bottom left photo and next slide
show the “better” wheel.
The steel rails are of 1/8” steel angle the
length of the buildings roof and placed on
the roof portion of the structure allowing
gravity to lend a hand. The roof was built
upon this frame making it less of a
project to complete. I would also
recommend deeper tracks, than shown,
but these are suffice and lessen the
potential friction against the sides of the
wheels when rolling the roof back onto
the posted portion of the observatory.
Changing out the casters was a simple
feat, just roll the roof back replace
casters, roll it the other way and replace
casters.
Rails Attached Under Roof
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Top right photo shows the steel angle iron
“track” that is attached to roof assembly.
These are 1” Heavy duty polyurethane
wheels with bearings and it is the way to go
here, if you want to be able to roll the roof
back by yourself. (Less friction the better).
The black bar at the bottom right of this
photo is a heavy duty plastic teflon material
that acts as a flap to seal and also give way
when rolling the roof.
See The Red Christmas Rope Lights? They
wrap around the whole inside of the structure
and used for lighting the observatory at night
when the need to move around at night in
the observatory to recheck charts, or change
out eyepieces. This will save your night
vision.
Bottom right photo shows solid soffits with a
white teflon trim against the wall, creating a
decent seal. This will help keep birds and
insects out. Note The cut away area or
caster groove. A black flap extends along
the front and rear of the building to enhance
the sealing effect to keep creepy critters out.
Exterior Finishing Touches
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I chose cedar slats for looks and durability. I also
chose to paint the observatory with a light color and
placed a white corrugated roof, to keep the
observatory from collecting to much heat in the
summer months. Too much collected heat, equates to
waiting a longer period of time for stabilized air
currents at night. This is critical for large reflectors.
Other Ideas To Note
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(upper left photo): I think it’s a good idea to keep the external
casters protected when I am not using the observatory. A length of
plastic gutter material was purchased and cut away on one side to
allow sliding the whole length over the exposed wheels.
(upper left photo): You may create roof dead bolt locks such as
shown above (in several spots preferably). Also cable harnesses
connecting the roof to walls through eyebolts is a good idea! If you
live in a hurricane zone or storm ridden area, this is a must! All can
be undone when you prepare for the nights viewing session, which
will be done on clear calm nights of course.
Little odd and ends…..
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Upper Left Photo: Note the bulb holder (15 watt
bulb) hooked onto the rear of the reflector mirror…
this prevents condensation or (acid) dew from
deteriorating the mirror during temperature
change condensation. Remember the building is
not air tight. Note the platform ladder on wheels to
the right. I bought and assembled this so I could
sit in comfort while observing the zenith where the
skies are the clearest. A desk and chair along with
wastepaper basket and small file cabinet is always
good to have near at hand.
When all is ready you have an awesome place to
enjoy hours at your hobby in observing the most
magnificent manifestations in nature known to
man. You can always add and enhance your
structure as time and money allow. My wife did not
like the look of this “shed” without windows, so I
have commissioned four stained glass windows
over the winter, and plan to have them installed
latter this spring. I think these windows will add to
the beauty of my 2nd home! Three that are
completed are shown on next slide.
Keep Enhancing Your Work Area
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These are three of the four and a half windows that I have
completed. Mars and a narrow moon window are presently being
worked on. When the snow thaws I will install them.
Speaking of Snow THAW! ONE MORE POINT!........
A final note!
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Always ensure you or your club members are prepared to keep up
with maintenance and accessibility of the observatory. I must really
love this hobby or maybe I am just crazy as my wife believes! Either
way… I am having fun at it… good luck in your endeavors!