On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 22:12:27 GMT, "carl mciver"
wrote:

Jess, have you visited oil well rigging and drilling outfits? For some
places they prefer to leave some of the old rigs in place rather than tear
it down. You might fine one in the back of a yard already ready to put
together. If not, I bet someone of the older folks know what's the best way
to go about putting something like this together.
Nowadays they use portable rigs instead, so the pickings might be
getting slim, but the yards are full of old guys yearning for the glory
days...

Chevron was selling them for $150 each over in Kettleman Hills the
last I knew. You had to take em down yourself though...

Gunner


"Jess" wrote in message
.. .
| Hi all,
|
| I'm considering building a tower.
|
| The intended purpose of the tower would be two-fold:
| An observation deck just below the top, for drinking refreshing
| beverages, and taking in the view...and a mounting at the top for tv
| and radio antennas, a web cam, etc.
|
| Needed features are a fairly low challenge way of ascending the
| tower,(stairs with landings?)
| Height of the tower at its top needs to be around 60' above grade,
| with the observation deck at about 50'.
| It would be good if it looks interesting or artsy so as not to offend
| the neighbors (although except for the top 10 to 15 feet, it will be
| obscured by the trees).
|
| I have as resources:
| several hundred feet of 3" structural steel I beam S3x5.7
| around one hundred feet of 6" structural steel I beam S6x12.5
| I have some good local sources of recycled steel angles and plate for
| gusseting and bracing, etc.
| SMAW welder and electricity to run it at the site
| Oxy/Acetylene torch and the usual grinders / metal saw etc.
| Water at the site.
| Friend with a digger truck to dig piers
| Sandy soil with a heavy rock base a few feet down (rock base is within
| depth range of the digger truck).
|
| Questions I have a
| (Just looking for some broad scope suggestions / ideas here).
|
| 1. Legal issues - what should I consider as far as State, Federal and
| / or FAA regs? I'm in a rural county in north Texas, there is no
| local building code or inspection required for building a home, for
| example. If necessary to avoid regulation, I could reduce the height
| of the tower, but if I come down much from my goals stated above, the
| view and the reception go away, making it a pointless excercise.
| Some of my neighbors houses look to be 50' or more above grade - at
| their roof peaks (very steep pitches are popular around here right
| now).
|
| 2. Design - any good examples or ideas come to the fertile minds of
| the metal butchers here? Would something with a tapered triangle as a
| cross section work well? Like a first stage with three legs of the
| S6, or? Maybe a scaled down version of some historic American tower?
|
| Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Jess
|
|
|
|
|
|

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child -
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke