My second pier and current observation site is a steel pier behind my home in North Grafton, Massachusetts. As I needed to leave the pier plate at my last house, I slightly modified the design for a new pier plate and again asked a fiend with a machine shop to fabricate it.

For this pier I chose to use steel in case I want to relocate the pier or if I move in the future. I dug a 4 foot deep hole and used 14" sonotube to build a base. Three 5/8" threaded rods were put in the concrete. These rods will attach to the steel pier and are located below grade so they can be buried if the pier is moved.

		The first step was to select a location. I chose in front of the bird feeder near the trees. This location is close to the bulkhead for moving anything in or out of the house. Cables from the telescope and camera are run down the bulkhead to a notebook PC that I control via remote desktop from anywhere in the house. The trees block and stray light from the house below which is due North from the pier.
		The hole is dug 4 feet deep, and the 14" Sonotube is placed with the top below grade. Next to the hole is a wood template that matches the bolt pattern on the bottom of the pier. The template will ensure the bolts are set in the concrete in the correct position.
		The Sonotube has been filled with concrete and the threaded rods are set in place. Next to the hole is the 1/2" steel plate that will be the bottom of the pier.
		The pier has been welded together and placed on the concrete so north can be marked on the top. Three 5/8" bolts to mount the pier plate will be welded to the top once it is north marked. The pier is made from 1/2" steel plates on the bottom and top with 1/2" gussets. The tube is a 39" high steel pipe with 3/8" walls.
		The pier has been primed and the aluminum pier plate is sitting on the top. The wood fixture with guide scope is used to accurately point the pier plate north. The guide scope is set on Polaris.
		The pier has been painted green and the bolts to mount the pier plate have been welded on.
		The pier plate is now bolted to the top of the pier. The plate is adjusted level by the height of the three nuts. The plate has east-west adjustment with the slotted holes. The super wedge has additional east west adjustment.
		The Meade super wedge is now mounted to the top of the pier. The pier pier ready for the 12" LX200.
		The 12" Meade LX200 has been mounted to the pier. After a polar alignment, the scope is ready for imaging.
		The scope stays outside under a cover. I don't park the scope due to the orientation I position it in to get the cover on. Before using the scope at night, the cover is removed and after a quick one star sync, I am ready to go.