Hand Made
Here is a description of a portable dome you can make yourself. This is a description of one that is about 17' in
diameter x 14' tall, made with 25 10' pieces of 2" PVC pipe. The dome might be made larger by cutting each pipe
in half and slipping the ends inside a slightly larger pipe, with a few sheet metal screws to keep the pipes from
sliding.
- Each end of each pipe is attached with a 5/16" bolt to a steel tab made from 6" of stiff galvanized strapping
material with holes in it.
- The hubs are made by putting another 11 bolts through the free ends of the tabs.
- The lower 5 hubs are bolted through the treads of 5 used "foundation" tires filled with gravel.
- This structure will be covered with Bayer "Dureflex" urethane plastic film, which is fairly clear, costs about
35 cents/ft^2, comes in rolls up to 15' wide x 0.006" thick, and has a 10 year guarantee. (Greenhouse
polyethylene films are chemically incompatible with PVC.)
- The film will be attached to the pipes with some 2" electrical conduit cut lengthwise in thirds.
- The film on the walls will extend about 2' outwards from the dome, laying flat on the ground, and that film
will be covered with some gravel to make a fairly airtight seal.
Offered by Glenna.