Need a little bit of knopwledge from wood "savey" guys and gals!


I am planning to build a Dome in which to house my telescope and I
need to remove a 60-70 foot tall Silver Maple tree in the back yard
anyway...

So this morning I went out and measured the trunk at a point about 3
foot off the ground and it measured 141 inches in daimeter... !!! Big
Tree !

Normally with a Dome you would dig a hole 3 to 4 foot deep and 2-3
foot square and pour in a concrete base ..A pier would then be bolted
to the concrete base and a telescope bolted to the pier... This gives
enough stability to the scope that when takling 2-3 hour exposures
or longer of a Planet/ Galazey etc is possible using a good motorized
scope mount....

Ok to the point..... Silver Maple tree trunk !

IF i cut this tree and leave the trunk about 3 foot off the ground
and then build an observatory around it...with the floor of the
obsevatory being a few inches above the tree trunk (say 4 oot off the
ground)... What would you woodworkers think the stability be of the
trunk as a base on which to bolt a metal telescope pier...

Shrinkage rate? etc... the metal pier has adjustments etc to keep it
level.. but the tree/pier bolts have to stay tight

I am in my 60's and lets face it I do not think the trunk would Rot
away before I die... and the trunk would be enclosed and out of the
weather (think of it like being in the basement of your house..)

Grinding the trunk even with the ground, or having the entire root
system removed is expensive...? and if I could use it as my base
for the telescope it would also save me from digging a big hole and
pouring in a concrete base...?

What do you woodworkers think ?

Thanks
Bob