Rob's (Web4Deb's) Geodesic Dome Greenhouse

Web4Deb

Hi Everyone! We're Expanding! We are pleased to announce that we have just received the necessary permits to build a new greenhouse. This 1200 square foot, state-of-the-art building will utilize some of our latest technology to enhance the building’s energy conservation, as well as monitor and control an aquaponics growing system. The greenhouse will be used for our research and development, and it will become the focal point of the farm as a visitor center. Construction is scheduled to start this spring and we are eagerly waiting for the ground to thaw.

This video is the first part of a series I'll produce over the next year or so. I hope you enjoy the adventure!

DéjàVoodoo

Rob, it looks like you chose a lacation pretty far from your house. Was that a consideration also? Maybe the cold does not bother you as much, but I cannot imagine tromping through the cold just to get a little salad.

Web4Deb

DéjàVoodoo wrote:

Rob, it looks like you chose a lacation pretty far from your house. Was that a consideration also? Maybe the cold does not bother you as much, but I cannot imagine tromping through the cold just to get a little salad.

Yes it's a bit far, around 400'. I'm trying to keep the farming business away from my house. I've had a lot of people just show up here and it freaks the wife out a bit. This area has a separate driveway entrance through the field. If I ever start selling fish/produce from the main farm, this location will work well....plus there's plenty of room for expansion! :mrgreen:

Web4Deb

Here is the second video in the series of building a geodesic dome greenhouse. It covers 3 different hub designs (and failures) along with the details of how they are assembled. I’m trying not to make them too boring, but after all, it’s just a bunch of diagrams, cutting and welding. At least you can see some sparks fly! There’s a couple of bloopers at the end too!

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TCLynx

oh too cool. Looking forward to your new systems. :notworthy:

arbe

Watching this with much interest.

Dufflight

I liked the outtakes. Been there before.

earthbound

So how many of those hub pieces do you need to make? I bet you're going to be sick of welding them up.. Great work on the videos though.... :thumbright:

scotty435

Would a hub made of plywood have worked? I was thinking it could speed up the build time. With glues being stronger than the wood these days, connecting them using dadoes or dovetails shouldn't be a problem. Just a thought - easier to replace parts your way.

faithblinded

Wow awesome. You are a crystal ball for my future. Thanks for sharing this. I've been doing research to build a 32ft geodesic greenhouse myself. Undoubtedly the most difficult bit with bigger domes is the strut design. Unfortunately it's one of the most tightly held bits of info by pro dome builders. Beyond the basic designs, no one is sharing their tips or tricks. It's a shame really. I'd be particularly interested in seeing closeups of hub designs for materials other than lumber. You have come to the design I see most for domes this size. It seems to be a long lasting reliable hub type to use.

Great job making up jigs for everything. I daresay your hub jig could use a little more precision, considering how crucial they are. The overall flex in your prototype would have been a bit too much for my taste, though I know it will be much much stronger as a cohesive unit. I can't wait to see your assembly video!

So do u have all the hubs complete? If so how long did it take to make and finish them? What finish do you intend to put on them(paint, powdercoat, regalvinize, etc)?

What do you plan to cover the greenhouse with? twinwall?

Thanks again for sharing and please keep us posted to your progress, this is awesome!

thanks
Ken in Cleveland

jdphish

Total wow on the videos. Thanks

keep up the good work.

Web4Deb

@earthbound: There will be a total of 46 hubs needed for this assembly. A couple will be removed where the opening will go for the garage door but it's far better to assemble it complete and then remove then after.

@scotty435: Plywood may work, but I think it’s just as easy to use steel. There’s a large amount of compression force on these things and I was very concerned about tear-out. It’s hard to beat the strength of steel for the cost!

@Faithblinded: You’re right about the pro’s keeping some of the design secrets. I had contacted a few people to see if I could buy their hubs and they ether didn’t call me back or just said no. So… “if you can’t join then, beat them” ;-)

I’ve made up enough hubs to do a partial assembly in my basement so I could film the next segment (I’ll release that next month). All the hubs will be cold galvanized paint. I’m not a paint expert, but I think it’s one of the best for rust control. I have a sandblasting cabinet at work so I can start with good clean metal. All the walls will be covered in twin-walled Lexan polycarbonate. I haven’t decided on the thickness yet. Either 8 or 10mm. Probably 10.

Web4Deb

Finally got around to doing the third video in my series of building the geodesic dome. This once covers how all the struts are made. It's filmed in HD so you should be able to expand it to full-screen! I hope you enjoy it!

arbe

Thanks for the update - extremely informative as always.

So jealous - you have lots of cool toys to play with.

Taz

subscribed and following with great interest Rob. Thanks for the great videos, you do great work. :headbang:

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