Other's Instructions

I built a 20' diameter geodesic dome using 3/4" electrical conduit (metal pipe). It will be my home at Burning Man.
Follow the Photo Tour to see how the parts were made and for more photos of the finished dome.
Here's some diagrams that show how to cover a dome with tarps. I use costco tarps which are 12' x 16' at the price of 2 for $14. It leaves a hole at the top, which is ideal for ventillation. Attach another tarp over the hole with three permanant ropes, plus one you use to attach it at night and to pull the top tarp on or off. A 10' sqare top tarp is idea size for an optimal 2v dome. or a 3v dome with a 16 foot diameter, etc.
I built the dome based on figures produced by The Dome Calculator at http://www.desertdomes.com. Mine is a "3 frequency" dome, built to about 3/8ths of a sphere.

I also have a hammock and two awesome Lafuma reclining chairs, a table and whatever else I have room to bring. I want to create a chill space which is visually private, shaded, but still with enough space to not feel cramped. And during the night, it will be nice to lower the canopy for privacy and warmth.
The desertdomes.com web site has an incredible FAQ about how to build domes out of metal conduit. The FAQ surely saved me a lot of time, frustration and wasted material.
It took me two days to produce about 130 pieces. The first day I cut the pieces to length and flattened the ends of about 1/3 of the pieces using a manual press. The second day I flattened the rest of the pieces and drilled holes in each end at just the right positions. Then I spray painted the ends of each piece and let them all dry.
It took me three hours on the third day to assemble the dome from pieces using 3/8" carriage bolts, fender washers, lock washers and nuts. I needed a stepladder which was about 3' tall to finish the top but I'll figure out something else to stand on for Burning Man.
Once assembled it is remarkably strong! You can climb on it, but I ask that people avoid putting their weight on the middle of any of the pieces -- you can climb from vertex to vertex. The triangles at the bottom are different sizes, but the largest is just big enough for me to wheel my bike into. :-)
The total cost of the materials for the dome was about $200, and you can get a Parachute for about $40-$50. Steven's Creek Surplus in San Jose had them for $40 at the time I wrote this page (7/5/2000). The rebar for the stakes cost another $2.25 each and I needed 8. So the total cost was less than $275.

Before you begin working on your dome make sure you have a set of gloves and protective glasses or goggles for your eyes. Metal slivers suck and you should always use eye protection when working with tools and metal because debris can get flicked or thrown up into your face. When you have to repeat the same operation many times you have to make an extra effort to stay alert and remain careful.

This measuring jig is just a 2x4 with a block screwed on the end. I have added two screws at the end to help align and center the conduit and keep it secure while measuring it.

After you determine the length of each strut, place marks on the measuring tool and label them. I built a 3-frequency dome so I needed three different lengths: A, B and C.

After marking the conduit using the measuring jig, cut it using a pipe cutter. A pipe cutter is easy to use and creates no metal shavings like a hacksaw would. You rotate the cutter about the conduit, turning the handle a quarter turn each time.

Flatten the end using an arbor press or you could hammer them flat against a piece of steel. I added a 3 foot lever arm (piece of conduit) to the arm of the press to make it easier to crush the ends.
Don't forget: You must place the welding seam of the conduit at a 45 degree angle with respect to the press base. In other words, the weld seam cannot be at the top, bottom, or either side, but 45 degrees from any of those positions is OK.

This jig is simple to make -- it is just a 2x4 with a slot cut in the side perpendicular to the length of the 2x4. The slot must be just wide enough to fit a flattened end. You use this jig to ensure that when you flatten the other end of the strut it is in the same plane as the first end.

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