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| Roller Beams |
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| Each roof support/roller beam has 10 caster per side. |
An inexpensive roller was selected for the rails. The capacity of
each roller was 50 pounds. That's 500 pounds per rail. The roof is only 150 lbs total. I had to come back
and add side panels to protect the rollers and to keep rain from blowing in through the crack.
| Interior |
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| The interior of the observatory is quite roomy. |
| Shared First Light |
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| Andrea and Victoria share first light in the unfinished shed. |
Listening to the "Oh, wow!" comments from my grandaughters made the entire project well worth it. The walls were
the only things finished when we saw first light but we did it together.
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| I got tired of almost dropping the hand control so I modified a chrome steel basket as a holder. |
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| The Finished Rail System |
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| The rails are also pressure treated and the ground anchors are steel. |
Since the bracing will prevent the rails from twisting, steel drive in pockets for the rail base are adequate.
They will probably last longer than the owner!
| Astronomer's Chair |
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| Homebuilt out of seasoned red oak. |
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| A side shot of the observing chair. |
A TeleGizmo cover was purchased from ScopeStuff as an extra layer of protection from the summer heat. My concrete
floor drew criticism from some as a heat source after dark but I actually wound up having to wear shoes at night because it
was so cold on the feet. The chair was based on a pattern I found on the internet.
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| Steel Toggles |
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| A set of 4 steel toggles holds the closed roof down, one on each corner. |
Purlin details and the security toggles are visible here. Although I would not crawl out onto the polycarbonate,
I am secure in knowing that a single 2X4 rafter is able to support my weight. There are 10 rafters.
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| Close up shot of the tightened toggle. There are 4, one on each corner. |
| Eye Piece Cabinet |
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| I bought a rolling plastic cabinet to hold my eye pieces when not in use. |
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