Considering building a concrete pier to hold an astronomy telescope about 1M
out of the ground and a foot or so diameter.
Most folk pour concrete into some Sonotube former with rebar support rods in
the concrete.

Question is, could I walk into a builders merchants and get rebar and
sonotube of the
shelf so to speak...

Thanks

"Philip Thompson" wrote in message
...
Considering building a concrete pier to hold an astronomy telescope about
1M
out of the ground and a foot or so diameter.
Most folk pour concrete into some Sonotube former with rebar support rods
in
the concrete.

Question is, could I walk into a builders merchants and get rebar and
sonotube of the
shelf so to speak...

Thanks


Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want, then a few
metal rods, that have been prepared to prevent rust, would do this job.
I've just finished something similar in the garden to fit a statue on top.
(don't ask).

The method I used is simple and has turned out very strong indeed.

Dig hole in ground to form solid footing when back filled. This will depend
on the height of the structure you want.

Cut rigid ends off two small sheets of bendy MDF panels to form circular
tower, leaving the cut outs on the inside to make pretty score pattern in
the tower.

Wrapped the MDF and held it place with small pins in the ground, and tied
with wire to keep circular shape.

Poured a little of the concrete mix in the form, and then hammered through
the rods into the ground a little. Filled the form to the top with the rest
of the mix.

Positioned the next sheet of MDF up to the next level, tying in a couple of
places to keep the shape, and continued with the mix pour and tamping to
remove the air bubbles.
Whole thing damped down every two or three hours to prevent surface cracking
and keep it nice and polished.

Placed carved stone top cap on it, then placed the small statue on top of
that. Looks pretty. The MDF has left the surface fluted like a Greek
column. :-) Simple and cheap method, but very strong.

.................Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you
want, then a few
metal rods, that have been prepared to prevent rust, would do this job.
I've just finished something similar in the garden to fit a statue on top.
.........................

Never thought of bendy MDF
Great idea.... thanks

So whats the statue of?

"Philip Thompson" wrote in message
...
.................Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you
want, then a few
metal rods, that have been prepared to prevent rust, would do this job.
I've just finished something similar in the garden to fit a statue on top.
........................

Never thought of bendy MDF
Great idea.... thanks

So whats the statue of?


It's a thing the missus picked up in a salvage yard. Yucky looking thing
with a small basin in its hands that is to be used by the little birdies
that visit us. :-) She wanted it high enough off the ground to stop the
cats attacking, but it had to be strong enough to take the weight of the
bloody statue. LOL

BigWallop wrote:
It's a thing the missus picked up in a salvage yard. Yucky looking thing
with a small basin in its hands that is to be used by the little birdies
that visit us. :-) She wanted it high enough off the ground to stop the
cats attacking, but it had to be strong enough to take the weight of the
bloody statue. LOL

Mmm lovely.

Did you inset colour-changing LED lights into the stone cap to
illuminate the objet d'art and provide a night-time focal point?

Oh well, that's next weekend taken care of then. :-)

Owain

In article ,
"BigWallop" says...

"Philip Thompson" wrote in message
...
Considering building a concrete pier to hold an astronomy telescope about
1M
out of the ground and a foot or so diameter.
Most folk pour concrete into some Sonotube former with rebar support rods
in
the concrete.

Question is, could I walk into a builders merchants and get rebar and
sonotube of the
shelf so to speak...

Thanks


Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want

I'd have thought it would go soggy and fall apart.

Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want

I'd have thought it would go soggy and fall apart.

LOL. I think maybe you're supposed to fill with concrete and then remove the
MDF!

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:
Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want

I'd have thought it would go soggy and fall apart.

LOL. I think maybe you're supposed to fill with concrete and then
remove the MDF!


In that case make sure you have the slitted side *outwards* or you'll have
an interesting heatsink-like column!

In that case make sure you have the slitted side *outwards* or you'll have
an interesting heatsink-like column!

You could call it a fluted column.

Christian.

In article ,
"Christian McArdle" says...
Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want

I'd have thought it would go soggy and fall apart.

LOL. I think maybe you're supposed to fill with concrete and then remove the
MDF!

I meant it might disintegrate before the concrete had set.

LOL. I think maybe you're supposed to fill with concrete and then remove
the
MDF!

I meant it might disintegrate before the concrete had set.

I doubt that you could dissolve MDF that quickly. Even chipboard would
probably last that long.

Christian.

Some bendy MDF to form a circular post to the size you want, then a few
metal rods, that have been prepared to prevent rust, would do this job.
I've just finished something similar in the garden to fit a statue on top.
(don't ask).

Oh c'mon. you cant leave it like that, tell more......

Dave

On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 14:31:25 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:


I've just finished something similar in the garden to fit a statue on top.
(don't ask).

I would never have guessed you thought so much of the IMM that you
would place him in concrete.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 14:52:25 +0100, "Philip Thompson"
wrote:

Question is, could I walk into a builders merchants and get rebar and
sonotube of the shelf so to speak...

Probably not, unless it's a biggie, but you can order it and have it a
couple of days later.

Don't do what a friend did and pressure wash the semi-cured concrete to
expose the aggregate. It looks great, in a '60s brutalist kind of way,
but it's not the sort of surface you want to be bumping around in the
dark. Bit hard on the kneecaps and elbows.

Philip Thompson wrote:

Considering building a concrete pier to hold an astronomy telescope about 1M
out of the ground and a foot or so diameter.
Most folk pour concrete into some Sonotube former with rebar support rods in
the concrete.

My house came with one of those ;-) (Took some taking down I can say!)

Looks like he started with a concrete (or possibly even asbestos) pipe
section set on end into a hole in the floor slab which was then filled
with concrete. It was then shuttered arround to give a square and
slightly tapering cross section and the outside of the pipe filled with
concrete.

Question is, could I walk into a builders merchants and get rebar and
sonotube of the
shelf so to speak...

Rebar, certainly. Sonotube maybe. Some form of pipe almost certainly.

--
Cheers,

John.

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