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As the observatory nears completion the straight line of vital progress begins to branch into many minor jobs.
Before I woke up fully I found myself rehearsing a wooden handrail to go around the veranda fence. The remaining lengths of larch flooring could be ripped in half and then grooved underneath to fit snugly over the top of the fence. This would provide much greater stiffness than merely letting it sit on top with a few screws holding it in place.
The devil is in the detail. The corner posts do not readily lend themselves to a direct connection between the straight lengths of wooden handrail. The entire fence also needs to be lifted slightly. So that it does not continue to rest on the veranda floor. This will help to avoid rust forming where dampness is likely to remain.
The tubular steel fence posts can then be bolted to the main structure for even greater rigidity. At present they merely pass through tight holes cut in the "corners" of the veranda flooring. Even so, the octagon geometry greatly favours the fencing. Any outward pressure on one panel tries to pull the next two inwards. The fence has provided a greatly improved sense of security when moving around on the veranda to work on the dome. It deserves to be properly finished off with an attractive handrail.
I should probably oil the larch flooring to extend its life. It has already had a "mineral" treatment which turned it dark grey. There is no obvious sign of rot or decay. However, being fully exposed may require a more waterproof finish to shed the rain more quickly.Which reminds me: I should make new rubber flashings for the base of the obs. walls to replace the stiff and narrower plastic strip. This will help to throw run-off outside the lower, octagon walls. Though there has been little sign of ingress so far and the ground floor gravel remains satisfactorily dry.
My wife and I had another discussion on painting the octagon building. With the dome now painted dull green the supporting building has safely retired into the background. With a fairly even, oak-like appearance from the "Safe-Way" mineral treatment. There is no great hurry to paint it so I'll see how it looks and how we feel about it after the winter.
The grooved, plywood boarding I have used to clad the building has shown remarkable resilience. Even after 15 years of weathering on the shed next door without any surface treatment at all. The natural, dull grey-brown of the plywood surface seems to suit the semi-wooded, rural situation. Painting it would only draw attention to it now and require repeated re-painting into the future.
The aged look gives the buildings a sense of permanence which I rather like. It is, after all, a matter of personal taste. One, over which, I thankfully, retain control. I enjoy the slightly melancholy appearance. As if the buildings had just been discovered after languishing somewhere untouched by time or vandalism. Old buildings should never be tarted up by New Money. Let them tart up a modern building and leave the gently aging for those who still enjoy them as they are.
You couldn't make it up! There was short, sharp shower before normal sunshine and clear blue sky returned. I had power tools and power saws outside. Along with a stack of larch boards from which I was selecting the clearest [of knots] for the handrails. Everything had to go back under cover before it was soaked. Grr! After that I had to drag everything back out to continue rounding over the shoulders and sawing slots. The little Makita router is a revelation compared with the full sized machines. I have used the Makita for all sorts of jobs since I bought it. One handed working even at arm's length is very easy.
I discovered the fences can only be lifted as one unit. The position of the three clamps on the tubular posts means the fencing is locked into one position on the posts. I wish I'd noticed this before I brought out a ladder and went round loosening every clamping screw! Only to have to re-tighten them all over again. Am I having fun yet?
The one handrail I dropped into position looks a bit insignificant from my computer window. Hopefully a "full set" will look rather more imposing. The rain strip might dry out again in the sunshine. It was wet from overnight rain this morning. Then it rained again just as I was going to take a break from the woodwork to paint it. Nevertheless, I did manage to paint the rain strip in the mid-afternoon.
I also made four out of seven handrails and fixed them with three bolts each. First I ripped the larch planks into two halves on the table saw. Then rounded all four corners and deeply grooved the undersides to fit the fence tightly. Then cut them to exact length with different miters at each end. Finally they were centrally drilled including down between the two top wires of the fence. Before finally being screwed down firmly onto the top of the fence.
I ought to get some stainless steel screws for this job. The zinc flashed screws will rust very quickly. As expected, the U-formed, wooden handrails increased the stiffness of the fence quite dramatically. The front rail is visible in the image above just behind the ladders and a further two on the left.
The dome is now pointed towards the west where tomorrow's storm is supposed to come from. Gusts to over 40mph are forecast with 12 hours of rain. This will be a good test of the dome's waterproofing! A second coat of paint is suggested by Gori but that will have to wait for another fine day.
It's a shame those who patiently followed my build on Cloudy Nights forum can't see my latest progress. The moderators were blinded by my insubordination regarding my mentioning affordable, large aperture, solar, H-alpha telescopes.
Click on any image for an enlargement.
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