As reported in my previous blog, I have been having problems with moles digging in under my telescope pier. I finally found the time to make the repairs.
I decided to do the construction in the same location as the original mount to keep from having to redo the Lat/Lon data used in all my software. Each footing was dug in about a foot into the ground at each tripod leg location.
Once the holes were dug, I removed the layer of grass completely around the pads.
Then, paver base was poured into each hole and tamped down. I ended up using sufficient base to go to a depth of 10"-12"; a bit overkill, but I had the material.
Next, paver sand was placed at a depth of 1".
The plan was to use 12"x12"x1.5" paver stone to support the tripod pier. I needed three at the southern point and two at the other locations to handle the ground grade. I was concerned that the stones would slide on each other, so I cemented them together with stone mortar. Paver sand was tamped in around each set of stones.
Finally, ground cover to prevent grass and weeds from growing and ornamental marble gravel was spread around the entire area.
The pier was placed on the pads and adjusted to line up true north. The first section of the telescope mount was attached and alignment was double-checked. I needed to move the legs slightly, so they are not perfectly centered on the stone pads, but this is not a problem.
Next, the wiring needs to be installed and the second section of the mount connected. But that is for another day.
A lot of work. We need a No Moles sign.
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