After thinking about this a bit, I realized I should miter the ends. But that still leaves the problem of the roof poles having less tooth to hold on to when they rest on the ends of the "V" section at the top of the walls.
I'm going to use freemason technology to get out of the problem ;) Thanks to Dio for the reminder of this.
Basically, as long as the holes on all lathes are in just the same place, and symmetrical with each other, the lattice will be good. However, using standard measuring equipment to find these holes leaves a lot of room for additive error, and you end up with whole cm up or down at the end.
so I'll just pick an odd number of holes near the projected number the maths says is right, and use "intersecting circles" to get the exact points marked, to the mm.
My index will be an amount I am satisfied with that will give enough "tooth" for the roof poles. Then, I'll carefully measure that point, and its opposite (on the foot of the lathe).
Then I'll get a wooden batten long enough to touch one hole, and when swept up into an arc above the lathe, will make an arc section directly over the mid point of the lathe. I'll drill a hole in the batten, and draw the arc with a pencil. The bottom will be registered IN the hole with a nail, so it will be a clean sweep.
You make two arc sections, above and below, and then do the opposite hole, intersecting the sections.
What you have when you connect the intersection points of these 4 arc sections is a perfect line, perfectly bisecting the two holes.
Draw that line on the lathe, mark the center hole, drill it, and do it again, using that hole as the register.
what you are left with is a series of perfectly equidistant holes, and a pattern for all the rest of the lathes.
Gotta love those masons :) I'l have to secure the pattern lathe VERY well during this, but it will work.
Tomorrow I get the chop saw and commence!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Adjustments
After some soul seraching and looking at the numbers, I realized that with these hellishly strong lathes, I don't need quite so many of them. So reducing the number to 60 from 72 roof poles will bring the lathe count needed down to 138.
Also, thinking some more (I know.. dangerous ;) I realized perhaps.. perhaps I don't need to miter the ends of the lathe. Its not a requirement for the construction, but more of a "finishing" touch, and in fact leaving the bit on the end would give the roof poles more to bite onto. This was something I realized the more I looked at flat lathe designs, and found many of them without miters. I'll give it more thought, but not too much, as I need to get on the finishing asap.
Miters would make it more stable, technically. *sigh* Ah well, we'll get there :)
Also, thinking some more (I know.. dangerous ;) I realized perhaps.. perhaps I don't need to miter the ends of the lathe. Its not a requirement for the construction, but more of a "finishing" touch, and in fact leaving the bit on the end would give the roof poles more to bite onto. This was something I realized the more I looked at flat lathe designs, and found many of them without miters. I'll give it more thought, but not too much, as I need to get on the finishing asap.
Miters would make it more stable, technically. *sigh* Ah well, we'll get there :)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Y-Day was a success!
We got 115 lathes ripped out of the stock we had on hand, which was incredibly awesome since the stock was live edge cedar boards and they had to be sided flat beforfe we ripped them :)
The total # of lathes is about 155, so I have 40 to go. All out of 2x4 stock, so it won't be a problem to do solo.
But, before I do that, I am going to drill out the holes and chop the 45 degree miter in all the lathes I have, and then "twin" them and then start assembling them into wall sections!
Unlike Y-Day, I'll actually take photos... :)
Thanks to ALL ! You rocked and made this possible with a nice kick in the ass!
--z
PS: I am thinking of calling this The BulletProof Yurt, since with 1" thick khana it is gonna be STRONG. I think I went overboard with the overengineering, but it wasn't expensive to do, and on The Playa I don't have to worry about drunk people crashing into it.. they'll definitely bounce off THIS thing :)
If/when I build a smaller one, I'll do it with 1/2" lathe ;)
The total # of lathes is about 155, so I have 40 to go. All out of 2x4 stock, so it won't be a problem to do solo.
But, before I do that, I am going to drill out the holes and chop the 45 degree miter in all the lathes I have, and then "twin" them and then start assembling them into wall sections!
Unlike Y-Day, I'll actually take photos... :)
Thanks to ALL ! You rocked and made this possible with a nice kick in the ass!
--z
PS: I am thinking of calling this The BulletProof Yurt, since with 1" thick khana it is gonna be STRONG. I think I went overboard with the overengineering, but it wasn't expensive to do, and on The Playa I don't have to worry about drunk people crashing into it.. they'll definitely bounce off THIS thing :)
If/when I build a smaller one, I'll do it with 1/2" lathe ;)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Some docs.. works in progress
Just some quick lists. For your and my edification :)
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dxmb4db_18vxzkhphn
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dxmb4db_18vxzkhphn
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Amount of work involved
Did I mention? No I don't think I did.
The Swiss guy (Rene) took 6 days to do his entire Yurt.
Start to finish.
in theory we should be able to get 4 workdays done on Saturday.
MUHAHAHA
*crosses fingers*
The Swiss guy (Rene) took 6 days to do his entire Yurt.
Start to finish.
in theory we should be able to get 4 workdays done on Saturday.
MUHAHAHA
*crosses fingers*
Friday, July 11, 2008
Revelations after sleeping
It's amazing how sleeping a bit can clarify your perspective about things :)
I realized that I have enough good white cedar boards, of sufficient length and width, to make up all the wall sections and then some. So no need to use 2x4 there.. I can use the half as heavy white cedar I have :) (I DO have to test its strength though. White cedar is less strong in bending, and since the wood I have is flat sawn, I'll have to cut a piece and weight test it against an identical piece cut from a 2x4)
I also realized that at Burning Man I don't need to have a pristine white exterior, and I need to have a lighter canvas layer for the "inside" layer anyway, so heck.. I can just get light canvas and make up the coverings, and use silver sun tarp for the outer layer. Cheap, easy and efficient.
Last but not least, the project will be being started officially on July 19th, so book that in your calendars! :)
EDIT: Fiddling with the yurt building tool, I discovered I can arbitrarily increase the number of roof poles, which also nicreases the number of lathes, which makes the entire structure stronger geometrically. By adding 12 roof poles, I have made the lattice small enough so that the cedar will likely stand up in a tidal wave :)
I realized that I have enough good white cedar boards, of sufficient length and width, to make up all the wall sections and then some. So no need to use 2x4 there.. I can use the half as heavy white cedar I have :) (I DO have to test its strength though. White cedar is less strong in bending, and since the wood I have is flat sawn, I'll have to cut a piece and weight test it against an identical piece cut from a 2x4)
I also realized that at Burning Man I don't need to have a pristine white exterior, and I need to have a lighter canvas layer for the "inside" layer anyway, so heck.. I can just get light canvas and make up the coverings, and use silver sun tarp for the outer layer. Cheap, easy and efficient.
Last but not least, the project will be being started officially on July 19th, so book that in your calendars! :)
EDIT: Fiddling with the yurt building tool, I discovered I can arbitrarily increase the number of roof poles, which also nicreases the number of lathes, which makes the entire structure stronger geometrically. By adding 12 roof poles, I have made the lattice small enough so that the cedar will likely stand up in a tidal wave :)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hit me up, Scotty
SO.. what goes INTO a Yurt, you ask?
Many things!
(FYI: This post is very long and detailed, and a bit dry, so don't read it if you dont have at least 20 minutes to kill and a coffee nearby! ;)
Wood
Nails
Canvas
Thread (to sew the canvas)
some bolts, for the door assembly
Epoxy glue, to glue up the Toono (the ring at the top)
Poly glue, to glue the canvas seams
Poly sealant, to make the canvas waterproof
Cording, for the roof pole ends
Plywood, for the toono and some jigs
rope or nylon strapping, for the belly bands
Non stretch cording to attach the Khana (wall) sections together
and a number of other things
...but mostly Wood, Nails and Canvas :)
So.. WHAT wood, and for WHICH parts?
Some smart folks use Bamboo for everything that they can. The problem is that decent structural quality bamboo that wont split in a year costs a lot of money.
Some use lathing bought at the lumberyard for the walls, but I'd like it to be more durable.
Some use lathe wood for the walls, and big, heavy 2x4s for the roof timbers, reducing the number of timbers. I don't like that method as I am lazy, and I want to be able to pick everything up with one hand. :)
...and so on.
At the end of the day, the best price/performance ratio I could find was simply lumberyard 2x4 studs, 8' long, ripping lathes out of those, but cut a bit thicker, so as to increase their strength. at 3/4" thick, I'd get 5 pieces out of each 2x4, and at less than $3 each thats a grand spanky total of $85 for the wall wood. Not bad. I could make em 1" and pay $138, if I wanted xtra strength. I will have to pick through the piles for the best ones, but its worth it for the price and availability.
The roof timbers will probably be Douglas Fir, since I need them square and all very straight grain.
The Toono ring will be glued up around a pattern with epoxy
The door assembly will be 2x4 lumberyard material, or if I have a few extra dinero, select quality pine.
The door itself will be knocked together from select quality pine or rough sawn pine.
I'd like the door hinges to be leather.. we'll see if I can find someone to give me tips ;)
the covering will be canvas
Under the canvas there will be something like tarp or felt material. Probably just white truck tarp to start.
(EDIT: thought more about this, and for The basic Yurt Of Doom, this might be reversed, canvas on inside, tarp on outside. Allowing for lighter canvas to be used, aka less $$)
tarp floor
random carpet scraps for Burning Man, but ultimately the idea is to make a 4" raised platform to go along with the yurt. Not right this minute tho.. thats phase 2!
Where to start?
The walls, then the toono and roof timbers, then the door.
First, one Khana is carefully crafted by hand to serve as a pattern. It is measured and triple checked for all problems.
The pattern is clamped against a 2x4 and a drill press is used to drill the 10 holes that will go into each Khana
If there are several people doing this, that 2x4 can immediately be angle cut on each end, then fed into the table saw and ripped into individual Khana.
I only need 150. The yurt takes 138, but I will need xtras for breakage.
Now, if I have a team of people, we can get REALLY fast and assemble AS we cut :) Assembly is cake. All you do is pop a regular nail through the holes in the lathe pieces, then pound the protuding pointed bit over a half-moon piece of wood or steel, then one strike to hammer it flat. There will be 5 wall sections in total, and at the end, we'll need to cut some off each one, very particularly, so they can be more easily connected.
http://simplydifferently.org/Yurt_Notes?page=3#Flat%20Timber%20Lattice%20Wall
---
Once this is done, then roof timbers. These are square timbers, rounded at at least one end, where it is drilled through and a cord of a particular length is tied. The other end is pointed, or has a steel dowel sticking out the end. Sound easy? It is! Especially since there will be about half as many roof timbers as lathes, in this case 75 or 80 (again, some extra for breakage).
We might make the timbers up from lumberyard stock, OR, if it works out, I have some 1" white cedar that may work as well, which would be cool since cedar smells so nice, and is very light for its strength. The "rounding" of the ends will probably be accomplished by clamping the wood in a vice, length wise, and using a box plane. Believe me, its a LOT faster than sanding, and the ends can be left rough.
-----
Then there is the Toono, or roof ring. This will almost certainly be made of 1/4" plywood, ripped into strips and glued up with epoxy over a simple form, which I will build. The size needs to be very exact, so I'll be sure to do all the calculations VERY carefully. The whole thing will probably be held together while curing with a "clamp strap", as some of you may know. Basically its a nylon strap with a ratchet on one end.
Once it is cured, then the hole pattern is placed over it, hole points carefully marked, and then with a jig, which I will make out of a block of wood, we will drill holes into it, angled upwards to receive the roof timbers.
We may also put some timber in the center, to make a "crown" in the form of a cross or star. This strengthens it, and provides for water runoff.
--------
Last is The Door. This is a basic door, only small and REALLY beefy, with a few twists. The door is the anchor point for the belly bands, so it will be under a bunch of stress, so it will be important to install features to give the door frame lots of lateral strength. What I will most likely do, because it is the simplest way, is to get some threaded rod and put it in a channel above and below the jamb, bolting it on the outside tightly and locking it in place, and then screwing on eye attachments for the belly bands so they don't stress the frame at all. The frame will also be constructed very thickly, with corner supports made from plywood to prevent skewing.
OR, I'll just make the upper and lower jamb wide enough so the belly bands can go right over the door frame and be covered up later :)
The door itself is up for grabs. Its just a door, but traditionally it is VERY decorated. :) I would like to make it up out of slats nailed and/or glued to a plywood backing, so the outside is natural wood, and then painting cool things on the inside, flat surface. If anyone has experience carving wood, they are more than welcome to use my door for some fun :) Just let me know what you'll do before hand!
-------
Thats the main structure DONE. :) Next is the cover.
Canvas is cut to the proper lengths, then sewn together on edge with a stitch that my wife J. will specify as she is the sewing machine expert :) The entire thing will then be together, and then each seam will be folded over, pressed down and ironed a bit to flatten it, and then sewn down the middle, to make the piece flat, and more tight. Then the open flap will be glued with water resistant poly glue.
She says we can do ALL the edge seams with a machine and something like half to 2/3 the flat seams with the machine, as long as we do it in a certain order, which I'll detail out in the specific, Canvas post. But basically this means about 1/2 of the final seams will need to be hand sewn. Probably not a big deal, as we can do this inside the house, with non alcohol and music, and be done in no time.
After the thing is finished, then the cover pattern is marked out on the canvas CAREFULLY, and then cut. Then the edges are finished off on the machine.
--------
The wall canvas is CAKE. Its just a long rectangle, so it doesn't need to be cut. All it needs is sewing, and all of it should be able to be done on a machine.
---------
And.. believe it or not, that is all for the basic yurt. :) There is the Tunno cover, skirt ropes and such, but these are the main bits that will take up time.
So... wanna be a part of a dream? I promise, you won't regret it. :-)
Many things!
(FYI: This post is very long and detailed, and a bit dry, so don't read it if you dont have at least 20 minutes to kill and a coffee nearby! ;)
Wood
Nails
Canvas
Thread (to sew the canvas)
some bolts, for the door assembly
Epoxy glue, to glue up the Toono (the ring at the top)
Poly glue, to glue the canvas seams
Poly sealant, to make the canvas waterproof
Cording, for the roof pole ends
Plywood, for the toono and some jigs
rope or nylon strapping, for the belly bands
Non stretch cording to attach the Khana (wall) sections together
and a number of other things
...but mostly Wood, Nails and Canvas :)
So.. WHAT wood, and for WHICH parts?
Some smart folks use Bamboo for everything that they can. The problem is that decent structural quality bamboo that wont split in a year costs a lot of money.
Some use lathing bought at the lumberyard for the walls, but I'd like it to be more durable.
Some use lathe wood for the walls, and big, heavy 2x4s for the roof timbers, reducing the number of timbers. I don't like that method as I am lazy, and I want to be able to pick everything up with one hand. :)
...and so on.
At the end of the day, the best price/performance ratio I could find was simply lumberyard 2x4 studs, 8' long, ripping lathes out of those, but cut a bit thicker, so as to increase their strength. at 3/4" thick, I'd get 5 pieces out of each 2x4, and at less than $3 each thats a grand spanky total of $85 for the wall wood. Not bad. I could make em 1" and pay $138, if I wanted xtra strength. I will have to pick through the piles for the best ones, but its worth it for the price and availability.
The roof timbers will probably be Douglas Fir, since I need them square and all very straight grain.
The Toono ring will be glued up around a pattern with epoxy
The door assembly will be 2x4 lumberyard material, or if I have a few extra dinero, select quality pine.
The door itself will be knocked together from select quality pine or rough sawn pine.
I'd like the door hinges to be leather.. we'll see if I can find someone to give me tips ;)
the covering will be canvas
Under the canvas there will be something like tarp or felt material. Probably just white truck tarp to start.
(EDIT: thought more about this, and for The basic Yurt Of Doom, this might be reversed, canvas on inside, tarp on outside. Allowing for lighter canvas to be used, aka less $$)
tarp floor
random carpet scraps for Burning Man, but ultimately the idea is to make a 4" raised platform to go along with the yurt. Not right this minute tho.. thats phase 2!
Where to start?
The walls, then the toono and roof timbers, then the door.
First, one Khana is carefully crafted by hand to serve as a pattern. It is measured and triple checked for all problems.
The pattern is clamped against a 2x4 and a drill press is used to drill the 10 holes that will go into each Khana
If there are several people doing this, that 2x4 can immediately be angle cut on each end, then fed into the table saw and ripped into individual Khana.
I only need 150. The yurt takes 138, but I will need xtras for breakage.
Now, if I have a team of people, we can get REALLY fast and assemble AS we cut :) Assembly is cake. All you do is pop a regular nail through the holes in the lathe pieces, then pound the protuding pointed bit over a half-moon piece of wood or steel, then one strike to hammer it flat. There will be 5 wall sections in total, and at the end, we'll need to cut some off each one, very particularly, so they can be more easily connected.
http://simplydifferently.org/Yurt_Notes?page=3#Flat%20Timber%20Lattice%20Wall
---
Once this is done, then roof timbers. These are square timbers, rounded at at least one end, where it is drilled through and a cord of a particular length is tied. The other end is pointed, or has a steel dowel sticking out the end. Sound easy? It is! Especially since there will be about half as many roof timbers as lathes, in this case 75 or 80 (again, some extra for breakage).
We might make the timbers up from lumberyard stock, OR, if it works out, I have some 1" white cedar that may work as well, which would be cool since cedar smells so nice, and is very light for its strength. The "rounding" of the ends will probably be accomplished by clamping the wood in a vice, length wise, and using a box plane. Believe me, its a LOT faster than sanding, and the ends can be left rough.
-----
Then there is the Toono, or roof ring. This will almost certainly be made of 1/4" plywood, ripped into strips and glued up with epoxy over a simple form, which I will build. The size needs to be very exact, so I'll be sure to do all the calculations VERY carefully. The whole thing will probably be held together while curing with a "clamp strap", as some of you may know. Basically its a nylon strap with a ratchet on one end.
Once it is cured, then the hole pattern is placed over it, hole points carefully marked, and then with a jig, which I will make out of a block of wood, we will drill holes into it, angled upwards to receive the roof timbers.
We may also put some timber in the center, to make a "crown" in the form of a cross or star. This strengthens it, and provides for water runoff.
--------
Last is The Door. This is a basic door, only small and REALLY beefy, with a few twists. The door is the anchor point for the belly bands, so it will be under a bunch of stress, so it will be important to install features to give the door frame lots of lateral strength. What I will most likely do, because it is the simplest way, is to get some threaded rod and put it in a channel above and below the jamb, bolting it on the outside tightly and locking it in place, and then screwing on eye attachments for the belly bands so they don't stress the frame at all. The frame will also be constructed very thickly, with corner supports made from plywood to prevent skewing.
OR, I'll just make the upper and lower jamb wide enough so the belly bands can go right over the door frame and be covered up later :)
The door itself is up for grabs. Its just a door, but traditionally it is VERY decorated. :) I would like to make it up out of slats nailed and/or glued to a plywood backing, so the outside is natural wood, and then painting cool things on the inside, flat surface. If anyone has experience carving wood, they are more than welcome to use my door for some fun :) Just let me know what you'll do before hand!
-------
Thats the main structure DONE. :) Next is the cover.
Canvas is cut to the proper lengths, then sewn together on edge with a stitch that my wife J. will specify as she is the sewing machine expert :) The entire thing will then be together, and then each seam will be folded over, pressed down and ironed a bit to flatten it, and then sewn down the middle, to make the piece flat, and more tight. Then the open flap will be glued with water resistant poly glue.
She says we can do ALL the edge seams with a machine and something like half to 2/3 the flat seams with the machine, as long as we do it in a certain order, which I'll detail out in the specific, Canvas post. But basically this means about 1/2 of the final seams will need to be hand sewn. Probably not a big deal, as we can do this inside the house, with non alcohol and music, and be done in no time.
After the thing is finished, then the cover pattern is marked out on the canvas CAREFULLY, and then cut. Then the edges are finished off on the machine.
--------
The wall canvas is CAKE. Its just a long rectangle, so it doesn't need to be cut. All it needs is sewing, and all of it should be able to be done on a machine.
---------
And.. believe it or not, that is all for the basic yurt. :) There is the Tunno cover, skirt ropes and such, but these are the main bits that will take up time.
So... wanna be a part of a dream? I promise, you won't regret it. :-)
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