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That's where we got ours from, too. I thought it looked familiar. I agree he's got some great domes. The 4.5m one is the biggest we can fit.

What are you "glazing" it with? We've got an entire polytunnel skin that my OH ripped putting it on (before we clad it with polycarbonate). We thought we'd use that. So that's free but the wood cost about £360. (We won't mention the cost of the table saw though).

I have calculated that the wood is going to cost about £250 and £88 for the polytunnel plastic.

paul

As you have seen in the previous post I have completed the first of the Hexagon panels so the next step was to complete a Pentagon panel so I could be sure they would go together before forging on and making the rest of the triangles.
There are only 6 Pentagon panels to make and now I know they work and everything fits together and my two chop saws are set to the Pentagon angles I will press on over the next week or so and make all of the pent triangles.
Here is a picture of the two jigs needed for building this dome. The tall one is for Hex triangles, the other is for Pent triangles.



Making the triangles is simple once you have the templates built and checked for accuracy. You start by cutting the correct angles on one end of each of the struts. then you clamp the struts to the template and screw the struts to each other and saw the projecting ends off.
I will add a photo of this later.
As I am finishing each triangle and before I take it off the template I mark the apex of the triangle as this makes it fool proof when assembling the panels.
Here is a picture of the finished Hex and Pent panels before putting them together to test their fit.



You wouldn’t normally make the panels up like this before covering in plastic but as this is the first dome I have built I wanted to make sure everything lined up and the two panels fitted together.
Here is a picture of the Hex and Pent panels fitted together.



To give you an idea of the hight of the finished dome there is another Hex panel to go below the Hex panel in the above picture. The picture above does illustrate the curvature nicely.
So now I have to get stuck in to making all the rest of the triangles and covering them with plastic.
Ultimately there will be a detailed step by step article on the Geodesic Dome Page of this Blog
More soon
paul

nice jeep

doofaloofa wrote:nice jeep

Yes, That is my next project

Paul

Might have found a solution to the tanalised saw dust problem. our local saw mill will tanalise the timber after I have milled the angles and sanded the wood smooth so no more deadly dust.

It is going to end up costing about £35 + VAT per dome

Too late for this dome but future domes will be less toxic to build plus I can just add tanalising as a optional extra which the customer will pay for.

Paul

£35 seems quite reasonable, plus you won't have to treat the cut ends by hand

Nearly finished all the triangles just a few more to make and that is the bulk of the woodwork done.



I ordered the plastic cover today which should be here tomorrow.

Then I need too get busy covering the triangles in plastic ready to actually build the dome next weekend if the weather is good.

paul

Not jealous at all!

Events this year have taken a weird turn, the upshot of which is that the wood we bought for the dome is now going to be used to dry-line part of the house, for my daughter to use. The dome will have to wait until next year now. Still the area we'd earmarked for it (which proved to be too small once we'd cleared it well enough to measure accurately) is now a compact and bijou veg patch.

We are having a community BBQ at the allotment on the 25th so I am hoping to get it finished by then.

I have some home brew on the go and I will set the barrel up in the dome and label it Dome Brew.

Proceeds to go to the allotment association funds

Paul

Green Aura wrote:Not jealous at all!

Events this year have taken a weird turn, the upshot of which is that the wood we bought for the dome is now going to be used to dry-line part of the house, for my daughter to use. The dome will have to wait until next year now. Still the area we'd earmarked for it (which proved to be too small once we'd cleared it well enough to measure accurately) is now a compact and bijou veg patch.

Don't worry, you will get there. I bought my plans because of a thread on this very forum. Dave said he wanted to build a dome and I did a little search and found geo-dome.co.uk.

This was the thread. Check out the date. It has only taken 6 years to get around to actually building the bloody thing.

Plus, I have learned a lot from building mine and when I do a final write up you will end up with a how to guide to go alongside the plans. So you can learn from my mistakes.

paul

Sounds like a plan.

In the last two hours I turned these



into these.



38 triangles. So that is all the triangles including the custom ones that go around the door done.

The plastic didn't arrive today but that is OK. As long as it is here by the weekend I will be happy

paul

All the triangles have been sanded to accept the plastic and I have started covering the panels in plastic. I am going to knock it on the head because it is difficult on my own so I will need Jules to give me a hand with covering the panels.



I am now off down to the allotment to start prepping the base so we can start erecting the dome next weekend.

paul

it all looks fantastic Paul

I'm envious!

How's the budget?