Geodesic Dome Greenhouse - Part 2 - Hub Construction

[mretuck]

Great videos. Thanks for spreading knowledge.

[Mynameisnotooo]

hahaha the outtakes

so that's why you felt the need to add a safety tip

[ugkcdrock]

What kind of education do you have? It should like you have a degree in... EVERYTHING!

Great videos man! I'm learning a lot from you!

[web4deb]

@ugkcdrock jack of all trades, master of none. Long ago, BS in electronic engineering and computer science. I spend a lot of time studying this stuff. Google is my school now!

[ugkcdrock]

@web4deb I am a horticultural technician, currently furthering education in agriculture. I have learned more from youtube than my professors. If only there was a youtube degree program...

[josephdupont]

HOW ABOUT PUTTING SLOTS AND BENDING TABS INSTEAD OF WELDING?

[Jinnovate]

I must say, you're very intelligent mate. I am curious how much the dome has cost you?

[web4deb]

@Jinnovate for the permits, excavation, & materials, about $20K

[MrPigsticker]

you should make hubs on the cheap and sell them id buy them, with no that is

[ScalerWave]

I missed this one... very well done. I think your earlier designs didn't get a fair trial.... I read that the strength of the dome is in the foundation since all force is transferred there. As long as the foundation ring is in tact the dome should be good to go. If you would have added a ring foundation to your struts, I think that the hubs would not have failed but that last design is killer. Great job !

[scottesp1]

Can i get a copy of the sketch of were to weld the plate steel pieces to the hub for the 6 and 5 bracket please.

[web4deb]

@scottesp1 send me a private message with your email address and I'll send you a pdf of what I have. It may not be 100% complete. ;-)

[GordieGii]

A very useful video but it occurred to me that you could use a broach to make a square hole in the upper tab before welding. I'm sure a square broach and an arbor press would be cheaper than a lathe, you wouldn't need to re-galvanize the bolt, and if the nut ever came loose you could tighten it from inside without having to rip off the glazing, which is the reason a carriage bolt has a square under the head in the first place.

[web4deb]

@GordieGii I thought about that when I did the design but I don't own an press. There was enough friction in the bolts where they didn't spin when everything was tightened. Thanks.

[Stormrunner0002]

I came across your video on Instructables. Great Job.

Something you may consider rather then the paint is to re-coat the parts with zinc after they are welded. You could start with plain steel parts then and not worry about hazards due to vapors. You could then paint the galvanized metal. You can find the instructable on Instructables

Again Great job. Lookforward to watching other videos about it.

[DamiettadCarnivalle]

That's cool, I was just remembering my years in Wisconsin, watching the weather try to peel every kind of paint off of EVERYdangthing.......One of my neighbors used to swear he was gonna get the mailbox, the front fence, and his wife's car done!

[DamiettadCarnivalle]

My boyfriend and I were watching this, and we both said the same thing when you were talking about finishing the hubs by painting them . . . "He should check out the cost of getting them Powder-Coated."

[web4deb]

@DamiettadCarnivalle Can of KBS paint $60 + my time $0 < Powder-coating $1000+ ;-)

[tenj00]

great, helpfull video. Thanks a lot !

[saeidmomtahan]

I have no use for a Geodesic Dome design. But your videos are so darn interesting and well done that I watched the whole thing

[AulusCordus]

Great video. Very informative/helpful. Your hubs are okay. But from a fabrication standpoint I'd do everything drastically different. I don't mean to come of as an ass, or a know it all. But I've worked in various industrial machinery fab shops half my life and if I average 15 minutes per completed hub on your particular design I'm sure I'd get fired.

So here are my suggestions. Take them or leave them. I'm only trying to help.

[AulusCordus]

@AulusCordus Turn up the voltage on your welder. Throw that step bit in the garbage can, and get a drill bit the proper size. Your jig should be large enough to hold at minimum 5 pieces of flat starp (you refer to this as bar stock... I'm not sure why as its a complety different thing) and if could just as easily hold 10 pieces. Your pieces should be long enough to get 2 finished parts out of. Youll need to tac weld them on each end. Drill holes. Cut the pieces in half, grind of weld. Done.

[web4deb]

@AulusCordus I don't have a machine shop and simply use the equipment I have at my disposal. I never said it was the best way to build the hub, it's just the way I was able to do so.

[AulusCordus]

@web4deb It looks like you have access to a pretty nice shop! But the important thing is that you're getting it done, and by the looks of it doing a really good job. Is the dome completed?

[web4deb]

@AulusCordus All the trees are cleared and I'm ready to put the foundation in. We had so much rain this spring that the site became a huge mud pit and it has been delaying the construction!

[AulusCordus]

@AulusCordus If you don't have access to an ellis style bandsaw I would use a torch. It may not be any faster but its certainly less labour intesive. Just make a jig that you can slide a piece of pipe long enough to make about 5 or so hubs (whatever your comfortable handing), you'll want a piece of flat strap resting on the top of the pipe. The tip of your torch will rest against this piece then simply rotate the tube as you cut it.

[photactor]

These vids about your new dome greenhouse are great! Thanks for sharing the details of your process. I'm still in the planning stages, but am planning a dome almost exactly this size.

A quick question: what software are you using at the beginning to show the dome? Is this the cad software that you used to make the blueprints of your dome? Or maybe some 3d software with a built-in geodesic dome model?

Hope the clearing and construction is going well. Can't wait for your next vid.

[web4deb]

@photactor the 3d dome was drawn in autocad. I found a template somewhere that was able to draw it. The best program to use is the web site I mention in the 3rd video. Clearing for the site is done...just waiting for the foundation to get put in!

[photactor]

@web4deb Yep, I've already got that calculator downloaded to my computer and manually translated all the Russian inside the code of the page so I'd know exactly what everything is supposed to mean! The one online now is a little different than the one you showed in your vid - it has extra numbers down on the specs for the triangle faces.

Yours said:

1. 30 pcs. L2074-L2074-L2030

Mine says:

1. 30 pcs. L2074-R1180-L2074-R1180-L2030-­R1206

Any idea what those R numbers are all about?

[photactor]

(continued) - With all of your experience so far, I thought you might have a clue about these "R" numbers. The lack of decimal points in parts of the page makes it a little hard to decipher sometimes...

By the way, how did you figure out how much of a bevel to put on the outside edge of the struts for the panels to rest on?

[AQUAPONICSTEVE]

Drill lube, wicked effort! I worked at a fab shop and we made 2"x2" spoke components for a ddome all tig welded.

[Helioforge]

That's what makes welding in winter so much fun!

[SCGoodOlBoy]

Another great video. Your projects are always fun to watch. Can't wait to see this all finished. I finally started my aquaponics basement garden. I should have it finished in a week or so. Keep up the great videos.

[web4deb]

@SCGoodOlBoy I just finished shooting the 3rd in the series. Just need to put it all together! Look for it in a week or so!

[ilikepie9519]

I have an idea in of which a way you could make this easier to construct. Instead of using two peices of bar you could just use 2x4" steel tube.

[web4deb]

@ilikepie9519 When I release my next video next month, you'll see why I made them like this. ;-)

[dwiggs77]

i always find it easier and it makes for a better weld to grind off the galvanization from galvanized materials at the weld aria . allot less toxic fumes too. good work, i look forward to seeing the finished product

[web4deb]

@dwiggs77 It's probably hard to tell in the video, but I do grind off the galv. Very time consuming! ;-)

[gedw99]

the way you designed the pin joint is NOT the strongest way. Instead of the plate connections being top and bottom, you should go for sides ones. You total modulus of elasticity will be MUCH higher.

Try it and you will see immediatly

[web4deb]

@gedw99 respectfully, I disagree: 1) It will take more material since the 'tabs' need to be longer so you have enough space to feed a bolt through. 2) The plate method allows for the angles to be adjusted since the triangles aren't equilateral. The angles are adjusted through the bolt instead of having to make custom hubs for each spot. 3) the force against the bolt in this position is different than the force if it was placed through the sides. 4) This is easy to set in a jig & weld.

[neverlosemomentum]

Awesome video sir! Thanks for taking the time to show your plans and how you are making your dome. Both my son and I are very interested and we are both learning a lot.

[DrJerryrigger]

Just a thought, though it would mean making new jigs; if you were to use 90deg angle iron instead of, or on top of, the flat stock tabs it would be much more ridged.

[web4deb]

@DrJerryrigger Most of the hubs are already built.  ;-)

[marthale7]

Do not make sure all flammable items are out of the area :-) Thanks for sharing it all! You have my attention as a green house is next on my agenda.

[pinetar100]

nice job ...i will be keeping a close eye on this project.............been thinking about bujlding one for a while now

[ARTnSKIN]

Very nice man!!! Videos are great tons of great info! Hope the best for your family and you. Looking forward to the design for the play yard for the kids.

[web4deb]

@ARTnSKIN My kids think that THIS is the play yard. The world's biggest jungle gym!

[ARTnSKIN]

@web4deb Yea i know, but after building this or while you are building. Springs coming up and i know they wouldnt mind it!!!

[happygameshow]

This is really cool hope to see more from this. I've watched this guy build his house out of a geodesic dome watch?v=Z1ZLoQc0ay0

[web4deb]

@happygameshow thumbs up! I watch JME's videos all the time!