DOME CONSTRUCTION GUIDE

Calculating the Struts – Dome Formulas

DOME SIZES
COLOUR
CM From strut TOTAL as
# FT Hole to Hole Length above Bend Angle

30 5.75 172.57 176.57 blue A 10deg

55 6.66 199.76 203.76 orange B 12deg
80 6.8 204.14 208.14 green C 12deg

Materials for the Geodesic Dome

1 Inch Aluminium or steel depending on price or availability..

61 Bolts, 61 hex Nuts, & 122 Washers

The other major dome components are the nuts, bolts and washers. We bought 10mm bolts, 50mm
(2inches) long; 10mm hex nuts; and 10mm flat washers. Before making our geodesic dome we also
bought a vice, a pipe cutter, and several 11mm inch titanium drill bits.
Constructing the Dome
All in all, making the dome was pretty simple, once we completed our dome calculations.

Cutting the Struts

The first step in constructing the dome is to cut the PIPE conduit into appropriately sized struts. A
pipe cutter or vice equipped with a pipe clamp can be used to hold the PIPE conduit, while it is cut
with a hacksaw.

Flattening the Ends

The most important aspect to this step is to make sure that the flattened ends are on the same
plane. It is also critical to flatten the ends without splitting the conduit along its weld seam. To do
this, identify the pipe seam (a dark line running the length of the pipe) and rotate pipe so that the
seam does not fall directly north/south or directly east/west when flattening the end.

I highly recommend a hydraulic press to flatten the PIPE with a curve. If you have access to one it will
make the job go much faster and easier.

The way to do this is to use a press. The press in the picture is a 1 ton arbor press bought at Harbor
Freight Tools. It was really cheap, but only lasted about 20 squishes. The 3 ton press worked a lot
better, but it started to bend after about 150 squishes. If you can afford it, a hydraulic press seems
like the way to go. If you flatten the ends with a curved die like the one shown below, the ends will
be stronger and therefore less likely to bend under load. Please notice the weld along the side of the
conduit. If you flatten the end with the weld on the side, the conduit will be likely to split there. It
can also split if the weld is in the center of the flat part. I personally haven't had this happen, but I
spend good money on dome parts, and would rather not learn the hard way. Keep in mind that the
flattened ends need to be in the same plane. If you take a few minutes to construct a simple jig for
this, I promise you won't regret it.
Drilling the Holes
Next, drill the holes at the end of each strut. The strut lengths calculated by the dome formula allow
for the holes to be drilled 2cm away from each end. Instead of measuring 2cm from each end, set
up a jig so that the length between holes is consistent between struts. (See dome sizes above
Length from HOLE to HOLE) To get the hole in desired location, use a punch to make a guide for the
drill bit.

Bending the Struts

To make a dome out of straight lengths, each strut must have a slight angle on each flattened end.
Though there are formulas to determine the exact bend, we found that the bends did not need to be
precise at all. In fact, when the dome is assembled the bends will adjust themselves to the
appropriate angles. However to assist in this, the precise angles are: bend A's 10º, B's and C's 12º on
each end. An average of 11º for all bends can be used to make construction easier.
Painting the Struts
Spray painted the outside ends of the struts in order to color code the various lengths. Color coding
really helps when assembling the dome.

What colours you use is not important, so long as each of the struts A,B and C are easily
distinguishable from each other.

Paint the OUT SIDE connectors the appropriate colour code.

STRUT A – Yellow
STRUT B – Blue
STRUT C – Red
Assembly
Domes can either be built from the top down or bottom up, depending on the size of the dome, and
your tallest ladder. Building from the top down eliminates the need for a ladder, but you better have
a lot of people helping. As the dome goes up, you will need one person at every vertex holding it up.
If any of your poles get bent during this process, you better hope you listened to me before and
made extras. Bottom to top assembly is much safer on the dome, but it means you have to bring
ladders and/or scaffolding tall enough to reach the top of the dome. I noticed several domes last
year without tops. Build the dome in layers whether you are going from top to bottom or vise versa.
Don't get ahead of yourself. If you build in layers, the dome will pretty much support itself as it goes
up. It might be a good idea to designate one person as the parts person. All this person has to do is
lay out the next layer of struts on the ground for the assembly crew. This prevents over anxious
builders from getting ahead of the rest of the crew. Don't tighten the bolts until all of the struts are
in place. The struts will shift into their proper alignments as the dome is built, and they can't do that
if the bolts are tight. Remember the dome doesn't get its strength until the last strut is in place and
all the bolts are tightened.

DOME SIZES
# STRUT COLOUR Bend Angle
30 176.57 YELLOW A 10deg
55 203.76 BLUE B 12deg
80 208.14 RED C 12deg