Post by Ron Walker on Apr 20, 2022 19:33:12 GMT -7
Posted by: Charlie Miller Apr 29 2009, 09:14 AM
Hello there.
I'm hoping to build a dome and am thinking of using solid gores (solid material as opposed to cloth). I'm wondering if anyone here would care to (or can) address the relative merits of a few key construction techniques....
1) Use of cardboard, foamcore, or masonite VS cloth
The former, solid, materials could provide its own shape-integrity, while they might have that
old problem with high acoustic reflectivity. On the other hand, wouldn't a cloth one have poor
reflectivity and require a light-tight 2ndary shell?
2) Let's assume I go the "solid" route and I use the gore approach to make a pretty big dome (20-25' diameter)
if I use, say Ron's 24-gore approach, I worry a bit about error propagation. So, woudl anyone care to
speculate on a variation on Ron's approach: such as dividing each pie-slice gore into a few (3?) subsections by
horizontal cuts. The possible advantage is that, by having more facets, then there are more opportunities
to adjust/account for small errors and avoid propagation errors. Or is this simply not a big deal? Seems it
might be, though? I know that the use of a spackling compound has been suggested, but I'd hate to have
to apply "error correction" in a spotting fashion... worried that the outcome might remind people of "GreenAcres"
construction? Any thoughts on fault-tolerant tricks?
3) Are most here advocates of butt-jointed panels? If so, what kind of external brackets or structures are
good for conneting the whole thing? Will cardboard or foamcore "tolerate" mounting holes? Better yet, iS there a
way to avoid pass-through bolts, etc, just to keep the interior surface looking smoother and less complicated?
4) When I built a 10' dome from cardboard 35 years ago (sheesh), I used basically duct tape to cover the seams. But
this was a lot of work and not the best approach. I had to sand down all the tape to eliminate the shiny-ness
and lack of adherence with paint. But by doing that, I exposed the adhesive layer and once painted, that adhesive
somewhat yellowed the flat white paint that applied. I'm wondering if there is an alternative type of tape that would
provide a flat (paintable) surface appropriate for a dome.
5) I'm assuming (as other posters have) that the use of gores is better from esthetic and performance points of view
when compared to a geodesic dome.
6) Any other ideas out there? I'm slightly negative on blow-ups (unless I found a good deal on one) because they
typically suggest to me a kind of claustrophobia. But perhaps a blow up one could be mated to solid side walls
and eaves that reduce that negative.
I better stop. Any critical/helpful thoughts are welcome. Thanks all.
Charlie
Hello there.
I'm hoping to build a dome and am thinking of using solid gores (solid material as opposed to cloth). I'm wondering if anyone here would care to (or can) address the relative merits of a few key construction techniques....
1) Use of cardboard, foamcore, or masonite VS cloth
The former, solid, materials could provide its own shape-integrity, while they might have that
old problem with high acoustic reflectivity. On the other hand, wouldn't a cloth one have poor
reflectivity and require a light-tight 2ndary shell?
2) Let's assume I go the "solid" route and I use the gore approach to make a pretty big dome (20-25' diameter)
if I use, say Ron's 24-gore approach, I worry a bit about error propagation. So, woudl anyone care to
speculate on a variation on Ron's approach: such as dividing each pie-slice gore into a few (3?) subsections by
horizontal cuts. The possible advantage is that, by having more facets, then there are more opportunities
to adjust/account for small errors and avoid propagation errors. Or is this simply not a big deal? Seems it
might be, though? I know that the use of a spackling compound has been suggested, but I'd hate to have
to apply "error correction" in a spotting fashion... worried that the outcome might remind people of "GreenAcres"
construction? Any thoughts on fault-tolerant tricks?
3) Are most here advocates of butt-jointed panels? If so, what kind of external brackets or structures are
good for conneting the whole thing? Will cardboard or foamcore "tolerate" mounting holes? Better yet, iS there a
way to avoid pass-through bolts, etc, just to keep the interior surface looking smoother and less complicated?
4) When I built a 10' dome from cardboard 35 years ago (sheesh), I used basically duct tape to cover the seams. But
this was a lot of work and not the best approach. I had to sand down all the tape to eliminate the shiny-ness
and lack of adherence with paint. But by doing that, I exposed the adhesive layer and once painted, that adhesive
somewhat yellowed the flat white paint that applied. I'm wondering if there is an alternative type of tape that would
provide a flat (paintable) surface appropriate for a dome.
5) I'm assuming (as other posters have) that the use of gores is better from esthetic and performance points of view
when compared to a geodesic dome.
6) Any other ideas out there? I'm slightly negative on blow-ups (unless I found a good deal on one) because they
typically suggest to me a kind of claustrophobia. But perhaps a blow up one could be mated to solid side walls
and eaves that reduce that negative.
I better stop. Any critical/helpful thoughts are welcome. Thanks all.
Charlie