Michael Shaffer wrote:

Ok, I have this 10' diameter mesh satellite dish that I would like to
anchor. The only problem is 4" diameter poles cost about $170 from the
local metal yard. I want to save a little money and use a tree trunk.
The only thing I would have to worry about then is rotting. I have a
lot of unused deck sealant, would that work? Also, any tips for making
the end of the pole straight? I don't have a lathe unfortunately. It has
to be 4" diameter..

Thanks

Anchor a short section of 4" steel pipe to the tree trunk and use that for
the mast of the dish.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

In article 6nkqd.53735$GN4.29888@okepread02, Michael Shaffer wrote:
Ok, I have this 10' diameter mesh satellite dish that I would like to
anchor. The only problem is 4" diameter poles cost about $170 from the
local metal yard. I want to save a little money and use a tree trunk.
The only thing I would have to worry about then is rotting. I have a
lot of unused deck sealant, would that work? Also, any tips for making
the end of the pole straight? I don't have a lathe unfortunately. It has
to be 4" diameter..

Maybe I'm missing something... but is there a reason you can't use treated
4x4s from Home Depot? Even if your setup has mounting brackets to fit a 4"
round post, there must be some way to adapt the mount to a square post.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

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Michael Shaffer wrote:

Ok, I have this 10' diameter mesh satellite dish that I would like to
anchor. The only problem is 4" diameter poles cost about $170 from the
local metal yard. I want to save a little money and use a tree trunk.
The only thing I would have to worry about then is rotting. I have a
lot of unused deck sealant, would that work? Also, any tips for making
the end of the pole straight? I don't have a lathe unfortunately. It has
to be 4" diameter..

I don't know anything about mounting a 10' satellite dish so take
this with a grain of salt.I also don't think that you included enough
specifics in your question. How long is the post/pole that you're
talking about?

Not knowing anything about proven methods of building a dish mount,
I'd be inclined to pour a concrete base, probably using a Sonotube, to
a depth below the frost line.

If you need to use a wood post, with a 4" cylindrical end, why not
start with a 6x6 PT post (or PT landscape timber)? If you only need
one, shaping the end by hand shouldn't be too hard. What is the length
of the portion of the post that needs to be a 4" cylinder? You could
do it with a:

1. Spokeshave
2. Drawknife
3. Knife (preferably large - Ka-Bar or similar)
4. Hatchet
5. Busted Coke bottle or anything else sharp - we're not talking
brain surgery here.
6. You could also mount a cutter in a fixture to turn the piece more
precisely, but that seems like overkill for your purposes.

If you want to use an existing tree trunk for your post, that will
probably work, too. Use black locust or something equally
rot-resistant. Inquire further of the group for other approprate
trees.

If you want to use the trunk of a non-rot-resistant tree, it gets a
little trickier. I've heard of people doing their own "PT" treatment,
but I've never tried it myself.

I suppose I don't really know what you're asking - how to mount a
satelitte dish, how to turn a round tenon on a log/timber, or ?

Can you describe the fitting with will clamp (?) on the pole?

Have you checked with the local scrapyard?

R,
Tom Q.

Ok, I have this 10' diameter mesh satellite dish that I would like to
anchor. The only problem is 4" diameter poles cost about $170 from the
local metal yard. I want to save a little money and use a tree trunk.
The only thing I would have to worry about then is rotting. I have a
lot of unused deck sealant, would that work? Also, any tips for making
the end of the pole straight? I don't have a lathe unfortunately. It has
to be 4" diameter..


Thanks

think about the wind load of a 10' diameter dish. the reason the pipe is
used is that it is strong. it also has to be buried to a large depth in a
large cube of concrete.

"Tom Quackenbush" wrote in message
...
Michael Shaffer wrote:

Ok, I have this 10' diameter mesh satellite dish that I would like to
anchor. The only problem is 4" diameter poles cost about $170 from the
local metal yard. I want to save a little money and use a tree trunk.
The only thing I would have to worry about then is rotting. I have a
lot of unused deck sealant, would that work? Also, any tips for making
the end of the pole straight? I don't have a lathe unfortunately. It has
to be 4" diameter..

I don't know anything about mounting a 10' satellite dish so take
this with a grain of salt.I also don't think that you included enough
specifics in your question. How long is the post/pole that you're
talking about?

Not knowing anything about proven methods of building a dish mount,
I'd be inclined to pour a concrete base, probably using a Sonotube, to
a depth below the frost line.

If you need to use a wood post, with a 4" cylindrical end, why not
start with a 6x6 PT post (or PT landscape timber)? If you only need
one, shaping the end by hand shouldn't be too hard. What is the length
of the portion of the post that needs to be a 4" cylinder? You could
do it with a:

1. Spokeshave
2. Drawknife
3. Knife (preferably large - Ka-Bar or similar)
4. Hatchet
5. Busted Coke bottle or anything else sharp - we're not talking
brain surgery here.
6. You could also mount a cutter in a fixture to turn the piece more
precisely, but that seems like overkill for your purposes.

If you want to use an existing tree trunk for your post, that will
probably work, too. Use black locust or something equally
rot-resistant. Inquire further of the group for other approprate
trees.

If you want to use the trunk of a non-rot-resistant tree, it gets a
little trickier. I've heard of people doing their own "PT" treatment,
but I've never tried it myself.

I suppose I don't really know what you're asking - how to mount a
satelitte dish, how to turn a round tenon on a log/timber, or ?

Can you describe the fitting with will clamp (?) on the pole?

Have you checked with the local scrapyard?

R,
Tom Q.