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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 7, 2022 10:44:50 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 20 2012, 01:02 PM For those of you who are engineers out there, this is what the dome will look like.  One of 74 pages in the "Structural Engineering Calculations" book required to get the permit. |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 7, 2022 10:45:30 GMT -7
Posted by: Ken Miller Jan 20 2012, 01:19 PM
Ron
I have to comment on a few things.
1. At our age "skinny" is not the norm, and is not expected or required. Losing some weight would be nice, but probably just isn't going to happen at this point for most of us.
2. Even if you don't consider yourself legendary, there are several of us that would disagree. If you finish the planetarium, your legend will be established once and for all.
3. The plan for the planetarium is an engineering masterpiece.
Ken
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 7, 2022 10:46:28 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 20 2012, 04:33 PM
QUOTE(Ken Miller @ Jan 20 2012, 01:19 PM) *
Ron
I have to comment on a few things.
1. At our age "skinny" is not the norm, and is not expected or required. Losing some weight would be nice, but probably just isn't going to happen at this point for most of us.
2. Even if you don't consider yourself legendary, there are several of us that would disagree. If you finish the planetarium, your legend will be established once and for all.
3. The plan for the planetarium is an engineering masterpiece.
Ken
1. Well, I doubt I'll ever attain "skinny" ever again, but "pleasingly plump" would be nice. rolleyes.gif Right now I'm at the "fat slob" classification.
2. Your very kind to say so, probably wouldn't if you knew me better. blink.gif I will finish the planetarium. Other then falling off of the scaffolding I can't see any reason why I wouldn't.
3. It should be for what it cost.
I just received the results from my nuclear stress test. "Negative" which is good. The doctor will go over it with me at my next check up which is in November. Almost a year before he talks to me so I guess I can go forward with this without worry.
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 7, 2022 10:49:11 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 05:48 PM Well now that I have the permit, I had better start doing what it says. The first step is to make sure I don't damage any native vegetation, or any more then I need. Also to do a lay out and line up the set backs per the building code.  Yellow string is hard to see but I ran into trouble on another project when I used neon purple. It stood out great against the green background but was not the required building color which is yellow. Everything was fine except I needed to also lay a maximum building envelope yellow heavy rope at a three foot height to limit how far any work can go. I added this and was passed to move on to actual construction.  I was also required to place some protection in front of the Saguaro plants as they are a protected native plant.  You can also see the new heavy yellow rope that limits the "disturbance" area. |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 7, 2022 10:50:34 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 05:51 PM Thus was the morning and the evening of the first day. I was rewarded with a beautiful sunset.  |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:19:27 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 06:02 PM The placement of the planetarium is such that a new road is required to get to it. Since it will be "doubling" as a barn/tack room, it needed to be near the horse stables. This will luckily place it fairly close to the "proposed" observatory making interconnection between the two a simple process. Also the larger "barn" will shield the OB from the rather large light dome which is Phoenix. You would think this was planned!  The new road is placed between the two smaller yellow strings and you can see the "do not disturb" limit larger rope. I also laid out this entire project so that there would be no problem with protected plants. |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:27:32 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 06:16 PM A view of the base of the building which is ten sided can be seen from the outside of the pool fence. The proximity of the horse stalls is evident in this picture.  |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:30:16 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 06:26 PM Another view of the building layout. The exact center of the dome will be at the corner post of the existing fence. Once finished, the fence will terminate into the sides of the "barn".  The original pool fence area was made extra large to provide running room for our dog at the time. She has since passed on some time ago so I don't feel like I'm taking room away. |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:31:44 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 06:38 PM
Another reason for using this point as the center of the dome is that the property slopes off into a small wash. The slope gets steeper and steeper as the wash is approached which would require a substantial cut of the ground. Placing the center of the dome at the fence post will hold the cut to about eighteen inches. That will hold problems with rain water runoff to a minimum. Also one cannot build within twenty feet of a wash bank, and moving the building totally outside the fence area would encroach on this restriction as well as some native plants. I did not want to open this "kettle of fish" so the reason for the planned placement.
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:33:21 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 22 2012, 06:46 PM  My next step will be to place a temporary fence within the building area and remove the existing one for working room. Then it will be time to star moving dirt.  Another sunset reward for my work so far.  There is talk of rain for the next couple of days so who knows what will happen next. I will add some information soon about why I picked the company I did for the dome kit. |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:36:45 GMT -7
I will add some information soon about why I picked the company I did for the dome kit.
Posted by: mrgare5050 Jan 23 2012, 12:52 AM
How many acres do you have there RW, way bigger looks like than I thought! gare, tennessee land baron
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:37:17 GMT -7
QUOTE(mrgare5050 @ Jan 23 2012, 12:52 AM) *
How many acres do you have there RW, way bigger looks like than I thought! gare, tennessee land baron
2.5 acres. About 300 ft. sq.
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:41:54 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 23 2012, 12:14 PM A bit about building the dome. I am no stranger to a hammer and nails but building a dome is an entirely different matter. My first thought was to build a "normal" building and then place a dome inside. This idea died when the need for a 30 ft. dome was born with the arrival of the Minolta projector. While the projector would probably work in a dome a foot or two smaller or bigger, it would have problems in a 20 ft. one which was my plan with the A3P. At that time I even planned to place it in another structure and have it do double duty. The need for 30 ft. generated several problems, one of which was height. Any normal structure needs a roof and a roof (even flat) eats up two to four feet in height. This is especially true if you need a clear span of 30 ft. which is required for this use. The beauty of a dome structure is it is thin even at the top and thus the normally lost space in a conventional roof structure is reclaimed. Also with a dome in a normal square building, a lot of space is lost and this space still needs heating and cooling to make the presentation comfortable to the viewer. I will be the first to admit that the structure I am building will not be perfect. Perfection costs money and this folly needs to happen for the least amount of dollars spent. That means that I need to do as much of it myself as I can. While I cannot fault someone requesting a living wage, I don't think contractors realize there is a depression happening right now. Actually I guess I've found this to be true every time I've built something so I guess I'm just cheap. Since the largest structure member is a 2X4 about five feet long, I still should be able to construct this. When I first looked at domes the prices were well out of my league. Everything was designed as a living space and required their people for the main construction phase. I did find some kit manufactures and lost some money with plans. Rather then belittling any of these folks I will support the designer/builder that actually helped me get through the quagmire of requirements which I will not repeat here. He stuck with me for two years as I inched along trying to get this project underway. He also sells you only what you want and requires no presence at the building sight, yet, is open for any question any time. He makes a garage kit (that usually goes with a house) and the 30ft. diameter one is as close to perfect as I can get without pre-building costs exceeding my entire budget for this project. If anyone else out there wishes to build an inexpensive as possible planetarium dome, this is the way to do it. His name is Wil Fidroeff and he runs a company called Faze Change Produx. The main product is the Econodome. You can get a better idea of his work at his web site. www.econodome.comYou can get the idea of how it all goes together here. www.one-eleven.net/~domekits/stepsin.htm |
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:42:46 GMT -7
Posted by: moonmagic Jan 23 2012, 01:35 PM
Ron- This is all very exciting. As usual thanks for posting the pictures which tell the story well. You have put a lot of time and thought into this which shows in just the layout process. I am so glad to see that you are moving forward right away. I know it sounds a bit silly, but even seeing just a rope and string layout of the area shows that this IS going to happen now. Thank you for sharing this guys website, I know that I will not be the only one looking it over! This is one of those times that I wish I lived nearer to you, as how I would enjoy being able to lend a hand (or certainly add to the confusion). I am better at the latter than the former, you know.
For lack of anything better, your Minolta is now truly a "II-B" as opposed to a "not-II-B." Ok, Ok, Gare is much better at this. mmPosted by: moonmagic Jan 23 2012, 01:35 PM
Ron- This is all very exciting. As usual thanks for posting the pictures which tell the story well. You have put a lot of time and thought into this which shows in just the layout process. I am so glad to see that you are moving forward right away. I know it sounds a bit silly, but even seeing just a rope and string layout of the area shows that this IS going to happen now. Thank you for sharing this guys website, I know that I will not be the only one looking it over! This is one of those times that I wish I lived nearer to you, as how I would enjoy being able to lend a hand (or certainly add to the confusion). I am better at the latter than the former, you know.
For lack of anything better, your Minolta is now truly a "II-B" as opposed to a "not-II-B." Ok, Ok, Gare is much better at this. mm
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Post by Ron Walker on Sept 8, 2022 18:43:46 GMT -7
Posted by: Ron Walker Jan 23 2012, 02:11 PM
QUOTE(moonmagic @ Jan 23 2012, 01:35 PM) *
Ron- This is all very exciting. As usual thanks for posting the pictures which tell the story well. You have put a lot of time and thought into this which shows in just the layout process. I am so glad to see that you are moving forward right away. I know it sounds a bit silly, but even seeing just a rope and string layout of the area shows that this IS going to happen now. Thank you for sharing this guys website, I know that I will not be the only one looking it over! This is one of those times that I wish I lived nearer to you, as how I would enjoy being able to lend a hand (or certainly add to the confusion). I am better at the latter than the former, you know.
For lack of anything better, your Minolta is now truly a "II-B" as opposed to a "not-II-B." Ok, Ok, Gare is much better at this. mm
I know what you mean. I have been set back more times then I can remember and now the reality is just setting in that I can go forward with this. I still am having trouble believing that it is actually real and moving forward. Like anything astronomical, as soon as I can push forward the rains come in. I can do prep work however and things will continue to move forward. I have ordered the frame kit which is totally put together at his shop, then marked and disassembled for shipping. This makes it kind of hard to screw up.
For you and everyone who wants to help, my appreciation. However, I know how far away everyone is and if you can only make one trip I would much rather you come out when the building is operational. That means lay back chairs with a refrigerator between them. I believe that was your idea mm, one I have not forgotten.
Hay, I like "II-B" or "not II-B" for it is no longer a question.
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