Alistair, this is fantastic! I have very similar plans for a scope I recently obtained, but I don't have the space for either a roll-away observatory, or a roll-off-roof. I don't want to side-track your build diary, so I'll post a separate thread elsewhere on this forum. Just know that I'll be following this thread for updates and inspiration!
Chris Todd
Maryland, USA

Thanks @chris_todd. That's a beast of a scope in your profile picture!

Here's a couple of the sign-boxes in glue-up:


Also, hopefully this link goes to a short time-lapse of the roof going on (though it might be the whole TARDIS folder):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PzYWLpkB8vo9VWuY6

Slight issue now: putting the roof on has revealed that, after my earlier snafu with the pillar height and my subsequent workarounds, the opening that the signboxes are supposed to cover turn out to be higher than the signboxes! However, I think I have a workaround for that as well.

Quote from: alistair on Apr 14, 2024, 08:42 pmThanks @chris_todd. That's a beast of a scope in your profile picture!

If only that were mine! That's Larry Mitchell's 25" Obsession at the Texas Star Party back in 2009. The Sombrero galaxy through that thing felt like it was 3D, but climbing a 12 foot ladder to get to the eyepiece was no fun for me.
(Saying "Sombrero Galaxy", and being a fan of #11, I think I need to find a galaxy I can start calling the Fez galaxy. Because Fezzes are cool. And there's already a Bowtie nebula, NGC2440)
P.S. Sorry for hijacking thread, feel free to delete this post if I've broken rules.

One sign-box ready to paint...



Except when I put it up to the opening and discovered that it didn't quite cover the gap. So I added an extra strip on top:



And here are all 4 painted and ready to go on:

Sign boxes are fitted. Here's a link to a timelapse



Since the signs are off the old Tardis and so are proportionally smaller than they should be, it looks a little wrong, but I don't think it would be obvious to most people. I will look into getting full-sized ones made up and if I do that, I'll build new sign boxes which should also solve the issue where the current sign-boxes needed an extra strip on top to fill the gap in the main body.

Remaining task list:

• Widen the slot in the base so it can fit around the telescope pier
• Seal the gap between the sign boxes and the roof
• Make the dummy phone-box door & its sign
• Make the top light
• Make the floor
• Fit an interior light
• fit door bolts and lock
• Extra coat of blue on various parts
• Add shelving inside
• ...

I can imagine that being a very nice place to sit and make observations of the heavens...I suppose you will have your star charts on the walls inside? Brilliant to see the time lapse.

All the best
 Andrew

The old TARDIS has dematerialised and some of its walls have been used to make a desk in the new one. The new one is in position and houses the scope nicely.



It's also much more spacious for me inside.


The sign for the door arrived a few days ago so I need to make the frame for that, and I still need to do the top lamp.

But it is now finally in a state where I can use it as an observatory

The old Tardis, and a load of other stuff, on its final journey to the tip.


Thinking about it, I should have put the 2 better walls and the roof on Freecycle. Someone may have been able to clean them up and use them in a child's playroom or something. Too late now.

The door sign in various stages of framing:






What did I do wrong here?

• I should have cut a rebate instead of a groove for the sign. Cutting a groove meant I had to glue 3 sides together, then paint before slotting the sign in and gluing the 4th side on
• Gluing the sign in also means I'll have to cut the frame extremely carefully to get it out if I need to redo it
• This is the first time I've done this kind of frame and I widened the groove in the wrong direction on 2 sides

You live and learn. I'll do it better next time.

Looks like you are doing pretty good to me!
Russ

And finally it has a top light and a door sign.
- The top light doesn't actually work, but I'm not too bothered by that.
- The door sign is a hinged door but has just has a blank panel behind it. I'm tempted to cut that panel out and put a power socket behind it. That would be useful
- And most of it needs one more coat of blue.

But essentially we are pretty much done.

Just realised there are no pictures of the inside, so here's one from shortly after it was 'finished' (actually, yes there are, they are just further up the thread. silly me!). It seems to be holding up ok but it does need another coat of blue and the existing paint is of course coming away from everywhere that I had stupidly used silicone sealant. And the door sticks so I have to lean on the right pillar to open it.

What *is* new is that I now have networking to the Tardis from the house so I can RDP to the laptop and run the telescope from the warm but it's still nice to be able to sit in the Tardis for the bits I have to do out there.