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socceronly
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 03:29pm - Edited by: socceronly
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https://hypedome.com/
It really felt remarkably solid. The one I saw was all clear polycarbonate. 5K Canadian for the small one.
When you do the math and consider a decent grade of polycarbonate material, it's not like you would save a lot DIY.
I wonder about what laser cutting 1/4" ply and treating it would be like. Could laser cut that precisely, and looks easy to assemble on first glance.
Most geodesic structures have a frame, this does not.
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socceronly
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 04:04pm
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I think I did my math wrong (surprise).
Assuming you could cut the polycarbonate (it doesn't like lasers) it would be much cheaper DIY.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 04:43pm
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The PC would be cheaper but the SuperGlue might negate any savings (lol)
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socceronly
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 04:57pm
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It was bolted, I'll dig up some pictures I took.
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socceronly
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 05:01pm
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Found them.
IMG_20250213_1729027.jpg
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IMG_20250213_1728480.jpg
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 05:40pm
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Back in the mid-70s a friend built a pretty good sized one for a small hous, iirc he had plans out of Mother Earth News and used 2x4 framed plywood skinned triangles bolted together. It was pretty neat...until the Powers That Be made him tear it down....it didn't meet code of the day.
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socceronly
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 06:02pm
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Yeah, a lot of geodesic options with frames. You can get all sorts of connector kits out there.
I just had not seen anything like this that didn't have a frame.
So this uses a combination of hexagons and pentagons.
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Fanman
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2025 08:46pm
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That looks like it'd be a really neat place to spend a night with thunderstorms in the mountains, and a really miserable place on a hot sunny summer day.
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travellerw
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2025 11:54am - Edited by: travellerw
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I owned a 100W CO2 laser about 10 years ago.
A CO2 laser can cut poly carbonate or Acrylic. Poly is more difficult to cut and requires some tricks.
I think you would be better off with Acrylic as its MUCH more resistant to solar radiation. Poly discolors and crazes quickly unless its been treated with some coating (expensive). The big downside to Acrylic is its difficult to drill (prone to cracking). However not an issue if you have a laser. Just laser the holes. Acrylic is actually 17 times more impact resistant.
As to ply.. Yup a 100W CO2 laser would make short work of 1/4" ply. As to precise, once the laser is focused it will cut that ply perfectly every time. Every piece would be exactly the same (within a fraction of a millimetre).
As to time. Those panels look to be about 2 foot in size. If you don't have an autofeed bed, then you would need to load and unload material by hand. You would have to cut them one at a time or two at a time on most lasers (mine had a 3'X4' bed). It would take many hours (guessing around 13 hours to cut them all).
I could see this being interesting and useful for a trapper. They could build a bunch of them along their trapline and always have a shelter a short distance away.
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