I have decided to build a wooden pier for my Mach1GTO. Wood is much easier for me to work with (as opposed to concrete) and is a natural extension for me from a wooden tripod. I have tested wooden piers (by pushing on them) and they can be REALLY solid. The wood will be Radiata pine.
The question is: How to mount the ADATRI Tripod Adapter to the pier? The ADATRI has three holes and I can screw it into the wood. But is that secure enough? How long should the screws be? Should I use a second metal plate and use more screws / bolts and attach the ADATRI to that?
How large should the pier be? The ADATRI is 16cm in diameter. If I use a circular pier what diameter? If I use a square pier what diameter? I like 19 x 19 cm piers. Is that large enough? I don't want the wood to split.
Why don't people like wood? Presumably because it can warp with time. I don't mind redoing polar alignment every so often.
It expands and contracts significantly with changes in humidity. With clear, tight grain, the changes should be linear, so you may not lose alignment. With more figure, wood can twist. Driving screws into end grain won’t be very secure, unless really long. I would make a metal cap that goes down two opposite sides a few inches, and put bolts through. Then drill and tap the top for the ADATRI. Depending on how big the post is, you may be able to get U-channel from Online Metals to fit. They have some 8” wide aluminum U, with 3.75” legs, for example.
