How To Build A Pier For better Astrophotography

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Wow, Glenn, It's obvious that there is more to astronomy than astronomy! That is shaping up to be a world class observatory. I am looking forward to seeing your next video on the actual build of the observatory. Your new location appears to be a great spot for observations.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Pat and thank you. I hope the image in my head can be realised in the flesh. I am more builder than Astronomer these days lol. Our new garden is amazing, I know my wife will be working hard to bring out all its beauty like you do in your wonderful space mate,

[@FrootyRecords]

One of the best pier construction videos Ive seen. Great Idea with the cable tube. I'm def gonna do it like this for my future dome observatory. Thanks for sharing Glenn!. Dave, London UK.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Dave and thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. They are working really well and if you have any questions please just let me know. Good lick and clear skies

[@jeremyhigginson9307]

Thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you, that's very kind

[@LogansAstro]

How exciting to see the two piers in place. It's going to be quite the obsy when it's finished.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Logan, hope you are well mate. I need to sit and catch up on your dual setup videos. I hope that is all working well. Always fancied 2 piers so very happy to be able to build it. Lots still to do but coming along nicely.

[@astrojourneyuk]

Wow! Looks like things are coming on nicely!!! Good luck with the rest of the build.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you mate. I really do feel like things are progressing if not as fast as I would like. Thanks for dropping by. Just watching you comet video. Clear skies

[@DavesAstrophotography]

Coming along nicely Glenn! Look forward to see the final setup!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Dave. Its definitely feeling like some progress now after a lot of work just digging and leveling. Clear skies mate

[@steveg4iwr]

The piers look good. I had similar problems getting north and in the end I set a post in the garden and used it as a sight line to get my alignment.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Steve. At one point I had a compass and 2 iphones lol. Its as near as and I am confident the mounts have enough adjustment to align even if a little off. Thanks for commenting, clear skies

[@bobcoats4907]

Nice one Glenn. Look forward to future episodes! 👍

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Bob, clear skies mate

[@edjones3390]

The pier's look great! I wish I'd thought about a cable conduit when I built mine!

[@Astrobloke]

you could attach it to the outside say at the back of the pier as an idea.

[@markbayfield6381]

Those 2 piers look very sturdy indeed. Can’t wait to see your build Glenn, looking superb 👍

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Mark your support is greatly apprecited

[@secretstill]

Looks amazing! You have definitely moved to a great place. Look forward to seeing the rest of the build.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. It really is a great location and the build a real dream. Thanks for the support. will share more content soon.

[@petesastrophotography]

Awesome video, looking forward to seeing the rest of the build take shape. I plan on building two piers this year (EQ6 and EQ8 as well) so this video was particularly useful🙂

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Pete and thank you for commenting. That's excellent that you have the same plans for the same mounts that I had. Definitely the best thing you can do for your mount. I really miss my permanent set up. Look forward to sharing the rest of my project. clear skies

[@poolsidestargeezer9338]

Congratz on your new piers! I love watching how you build everything. I feel like I’m about 6 months to a year behind you and it’s great because I can see how you build everything before I get to it! Your setup looks great, and I can’t wait to see your final product.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you.Glad you enjoy them, I love building stuff. best of luck with your builds, any questions I can help with please ask, happy to help.

[@user-pi5xu7qs7n]

Great video. Always enjoy your content. My next step is a pier and this will help the process greatly.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you that's kind to say. Good luck with your build and glad the video is helpful. If you have any questions I can help with please ask.

[@AstroCrescent]

Nice informative video. Thinking of a small observatory coming summer...Thanks for sharing the details.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. My first Obsy build at my last house was a small budget one based on a Keter shed. Thereare a few videos on my channel on that build if you haven't seen them, may help. Good luck and clear skies

[@SimonsAstro]

Great work Glenn, it’s coming along nicely mate👍 Looking forward to the completed build and many visits to your new obsey😀 Clear skies!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Simon and of course all your help is making this a reality which I cannot thank you enough. You are welcome anytime and I am sure we will have some great nights imaging in the future

[@fnowat]

Very surprised not to see reinforcement bars for your base/floor. I understand the aggregate of broken bricks, tile, and such.

[@Astrobloke]

You need to watch the full build videos. That was just the hardcore base, on top was placed type one and then compacted, then plastic for damp proofing followed by reinforced grid and then 4-5 inch of concrete.

[@qzorn4440]

Such an enjoyable step-by-step telescope project to watch. 😎 Bloke, you do while others just think about it. 🥳 Thank you so much.

[@Astrobloke]

Glad you enjoyed it. Really appreciate you taking the time to share feedback. clear skies

[@petertravis7297]

Cracker Glenn👍 Looking forward to your obs build vids. Hopefully I will be doing one next year👍

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Peter. Hope to release videos soon. Good luck with your project, well worth doing

[@davidthompson9879]

More is better where base dimensions are considered. Nice job

[@Astrobloke]

It was a big job in the end but well worth it. Over a year later and as solid as a rock and working perfectly. Thanks for watching

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Looking good mate that obsy's gonna be huge, looking forward to the next instalment. Seeing how you guys build these piers makes me wish I'd done the same with mine as it's just a steel tube bolted to threaded bar sunk in concrete. It's still solid but could have done with being a bigger diameter really especially when I get round to swapping mounts.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Tich. I was lucky to have made a good solid pier before and just done the same but scale it up. At the end of the day mate if it works and once aligned holds your rig stable that's all you need. Problem with mine is if I change my mind and want to move it I'll need some dynamite lol

[@TexAstrophotos]

Congrats on the new piers .. amazing "Go for it !" attitude on your part. i look forward to seeing the entire slab complete and the telescopes active. great job. 😀🔭☄

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for the kind comments. I do love a project to keep me busy, although this is a large one for me. Its all going well though and am excited to complete my dream build. More videos to follow, glad you are enjoying them

[@woody5109]

Very nice, consider using your smart phone to find north. It’s not magnetically influenced, it find direction through tower triangulation. Looking forward to the next video.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Woody. I actually used 2 iphones and a magnetic compass. Even the iphone compass would sometimes appear to change its North posiition. It all seems good though and has worked out as I checked them last night with a laser and Polaris. Hope to follow with more videos soon.

[@eerkunt]

Incredibly good timing mate! I was planning to do this next month 😅

[@Astrobloke]

Brilliant. Hope the video is helpful and please ask if I can help further.

[@AstroOnBudget]

Excellent stuff! Thanks mate

[@Astrobloke]

You are welcome, thank you for dropping by. Clear skies

[@astrophotonics9470]

2 banger this time, i see a large Refactor or RASA in your future, great vid!

[@Astrobloke]

Never say never. Always fancied an Edge HD actually.

[@92mrkite]

Great job, Glenn, though I recommend 3 thicker rods on the top instead of 4. That way the actual mechanical stability and adjustment are easily achieved.

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Jean. The pier adapter is pre drilled for 4 and this is the same build design as my previous pier which worked perfectly. This should be even better as the foundation block and pier diameter are a lot larger.

[@92mrkite]

@@Astrobloke The FabFour instead of Cream. I agree to that bid…

[@arnsteindale5531]

Glenn, I`ve ordered the same pier adapter from AltairAstro for my EQ6 R PRO. I couldn`t find the exact diameter for the pier adapter on their webside. Could you help me here?

[@Astrobloke]

Of course mate, will measure it later when home and send you the dimensions

[@AstroQuest1]

Awesome Glenn - Using the heat ducts as the mold is great idea. You are going to have the most professional looking home built observatory out there. One question, I know you leveled the tops but ids there still a way to do small adjustments in case you have a small amount of settling over time or an an earthquake 🙂? Cheers

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Kurt and thank you. Should be ok for earthquakes but never say never. The 4 bolts beneath the top plate allow for adjustments for any levelling that may be needed. Thanks for dropping in, clear skies

[@AstroQuest1]

@@Astrobloke Yeah, that's what I thought. You are up pretty late. Must be clear. Cheers

[@Astrobloke]

@@AstroQuest1 I was hoping but no. I wanted to try and shoot the comet. Been working nights so this is my routine, off to bed in a bit though

[@anthonyexmouth]

If you ever do this again get yourself a hockey stick pvc conduit. It's what they use for meter boxes. A nice really slow bend and makes threading cable easier. I did a similar build years ago but with 300mm conduit with 900mm cube under the ground. My back didn't thank me.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. I cannot imagine ever doing it again lol. Thats a good tip with the Hockey stick pipe, not heard of that. Thanks for watching and commenting, clear skies

[@anthonyexmouth]

@@Astrobloke if you Google electrical hockey stick you'll see what I mean. It's a single moulded pipe so nothing to cause cable to hang on. Mine is an open garden pier but I leave the complete setup there all year under BBQ covers. I ran 240v/12v/cat6 through mine from a workshop at the end of the garden.

[@DallyAck]

Great job! Love the channel... What are the dimensions of the observatory, how far apart are the piers?

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you so much, sorry it has taken a while to reply, I kept forgetting to take my tape measure down with me. The obsy internally is 2.8m x 3.3m or 9’2” x 10’10”. The piers are 1.5m apart 4’11” and offset from the centre line about 1’ either side. Hope that helps

[@DallyAck]

@@Astrobloke Thanks so much, I'm planning mine now and I really like how yours came out! Clear Skies!

[@bond3348]

Brilliant effort mate, especially since you're in a new place. I'm amazed you get permission from the gaffer to crack on so soon, I've had 101 other things to do so my project is a slow burner 😆 Great video, can't wait to watch it develop Glenn 👍 Clear skies 🪐🔭✨️

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Mark and thank you mate. I am very blessed to have a lovely wife that supports me in following my hobby. Still lots to do but feel like good progress being made. Clear skies

[@Tony-Elliott]

Great video Glenn your new observatory looks massive mate any chance of seeing the floor plan with the dimensions, also how did you work out the height of the piers, really looking forward to seeing the rest of the build

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Tony and thank you. The office is 14’ x 11’ and the obsy will be approx 8’ x 11’ with a gap of 1’-2’ between the buildings so only the obsy roof rolls off. I will join them both together so I can walk between the 2. The dimensions are not exact as I will adapt them to fit the space I have. Will update with more videos soon. Clear skies

[@Tony-Elliott]

@@Astrobloke brilliant Glenn thanks for sharing your build mate

[@Astrobloke]

@@Tony-Elliott no problem at all. Will be making some videos covering the whole build also

[@AsKyOdA]

You mentioned using a compass.. compass will give you magnetic north, what you need is true north so that you can match earth inclination. They are close but slightly different angle.

[@Astrobloke]

I know and the compass was just to get the general direction set. Once I got the mounts on I was able to accurately Polar align to true North.

[@WilliamBlakers]

If there is a potential that your determination of north might be off a bit is there a way to adjust the mounting ?

[@Astrobloke]

Hi William. I have since checked them at night with a laser and they are looking very good. The mounts are easily within the adjustment parameters of the mounts so will have no issues Polar aligning. That is the only downside to building a pier like this in that once set it cannot be changed (well not easily)

[@jeremyhigginson9307]

Please can you tell me where you purchased the metal tube for the pillar as I'm about to do the same as you!! Thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Jeremy. I ordered from www.ducting-online.co.uk 01628529122. I called them and ordered over the phone. Online I was ordering 1 x 3m length and was going to cut it in half. I called them as I inquired about getting a pipe with no dents. They said the best way was to buy 2 x 1.5M lengths as these come boxed and so better protected so that is what I did. Good luck and any questions please ask, happy to help.

[@siegfriednoet]

Great work Glenn, are your cables be running under or above the floor in the observatory ? As I can see where the holes are I suppose above floorlevel ?

[@Astrobloke]

yes I decided above as they will be run from one building to the other and they are to be joined so will not be exposed to the outside at all. Will most probably run a conduit for them

[@siegfriednoet]

@@Astrobloke Thanks Glenn

[@sammyairlines9307]

Great video Glenn. Question I have is how thick of metal plates are you using? I changed my build to follow more along what you are doing as yours is much easier.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi and thanks for watching and commenting. The metal plates are 3mm thick. They don’t even need to be that thick to be honest as all the weight is taken on the 4 threaded bars set into the concrete. I could have just used the new acrylic discs which are 5mm as these are just to cap off the pier top. I was just going to use the metal plates but because of the larger tubes there would have been a gap hence the larger acrylic ones. All for finished look rather than structure. Hope this helps

[@sammyairlines9307]

@@Astrobloke Thanks for the rapid response Glenn. Just found your channel and look forward to watching the build.

[@tadassiksnius3402]

Great content bloke! Im in process of building my pier too, however i only one rebar 14mm, wacked rebar around 2 feet, would it be sufficient? my footing will be 500x500 and 600mm deep. I'm using 200mm pipe. I hope this would take eq8 in future. Please let me know if you think i need more rebars or one would work too. Many thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Tadas. Thank you for you nice comment. Any rebar is better than none. The size you have gone for is more than adequate. My first pier was only 150mm and held the EQ8 no problem. I would say that ideally you need 3 rebar to give the concrete more reinforcement. Hope thats helpful, regards Glenn

[@tadassiksnius3402]

@@Astrobloke thanks for such prompt response man. I will grab couple more rebars from work, just to be safe i guess. Keep the lovely content coming! Clear skies!

[@jeremyhigginson9307]

Just a question! What height should a concrete pillar be usind a HEq5 or EQ6-R in a roll off shed with a shed height of about 210cm after the roof has been rolled off

[@chrismcgrew4692]

Where did you get the north pins?

[@Astrobloke]

www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/rvo-north-locating-pin.html that link is to where I got mine from RVO

[@AZ4RunnersRealm]

WOW Glenn, looks like it is coming along nicely!! you and Simon are gonna have the best Observatories in the UK!! What do the nieghbours say? have they asked what you are doing or have you gave them the info? Clear skies!

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Jason, having Simon help me I stand a good chance of a quality build for sure. The neighbours all know whats going up but I still get questions. Its not a normal build and must look weird to a non Astronomer. Thanks again for that lovely data you shared and hope you are well and had a successful trip to Alpha Scorpii. Clear skies

[@OliErskine-h8g]

Im avidly following this while building my own pier - how are you securing the EQ6 to the pier top? Ive bought the same parts but cant see how you've threaded the mount through? Keep up the good work 👍

[@Astrobloke]

Hi and thank you for watching and commenting and hope the video helps. I used a short length of M12 threaded bar and using 2 nuts and a large washer was able to secure the mount to the Altair mount adapter.

[@dettie1948]

You must have smaller hands than me Glenn, the clearance to tighten the mount to the pier would be to small for me.

[@Astrobloke]

Its very tight but I can get my fingers in to start a nut on the thread and then I use a spanner.

[@Astrospacegeek]

Looking good mate, one criticism do you think its big enough? I mean if you skip to 15.58 i guesstimated you could fit about 30 glenn's in there 🤣

[@Astrobloke]

I’m thinking of banging on some weight lol

[@Astrospacegeek]

@@Astrobloke not too much, cable management might become tricky 😂

[@pompeymonkey3271]

To get a very good idea of where North is, use Google Earth to draw a line due north from your obsy, and see what local landmarks/features/buildings etc fall along (or close to) that line. Presto! you nave a geographically based North line :)

[@Astrobloke]

Thats a great tip and should I ever do this again I will try that out. I have this evening checked the pier alignments with a laser and Polaris and all looks good so it seems I managed to get them where I needed. Looking forward to testing them out once they have had some good cure time.

[@poolsidestargeezer9338]

I’ve been planning my pier for a bit, and I’m marking north before I lay rebar, and orienting the edges of the pier forms N-S. About 6 months till I break ground. Maybe sooner if I get permission from the Mrs 😜

[@Astrobloke]

@@poolsidestargeezer9338 That's a good idea and will help a lot.

[@pompeymonkey3271]

@@Astrobloke I had no doubt that you'd get it pretty close... lol

[@DavidCwynar]

Is a concrete pier like this more stable that the metal tube piers that many astronomy shops sell? Also, you mentioned having issues with your compass to find North. Did you make adjustment for your location taking into account True north vs Magnetic north. I believe it would be true north that you want to reference and not magnetic north, correct?

[@Astrobloke]

Hi David. I would not say they are more stable but as a more affordable option well worth considering and going to the effort of making. The steel piers sold are very expensive yet they come with design features to make them resistant to any vibrations. For me I felt the cost was too high and you would still need a large concrete base to mount the pier on. As I mentioned its difficult finding north albeit magnetic or true. Both my piers are Polar aligned so all is good but it was a challenge. Thank you for watching and commenting on the video. Clear skies

[@2badger2]

Too bad you didn't have a cement vibrator to get any air out, but it should be fine.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi and thanks for your comments. I didn’t think it really needed that. It doesn’t show it clearly in the timelapse but it was poured in slowly and carefully and poked with a stick vigorously to remove any large air pockets that may have formed.

[@kakugan]

i suggest dropping the too-loud too-dramatic music and just keeping the spoken commentary, which is excellent

[@Astrobloke]

It works for Trevor Jones so thought I'd have a go.

[@jeremyhigginson9307]

Got it, just read your list of what you used! Stupid me!!

[@Astrobloke]

No worries, Give them a call is best, very helpful