After watching the video all the way to the end I was going to personally call you and thank you for making the world a better place. I will do it hear as not to disturb your processes. Thank you!!!
Bucky would be proud of you and your work. Thank you for covering every aspect of the design and for thinking about ecology... after all Bucky did that too. Well done.
As one engineer to another: Love it! So simple, and as we in the UK would say: "Absolutely bleeding obvious, that is: once some genius has thought it up!"
Thank you for your comments. I have a neighbor from Yorkshire and I love to hear him talk. His accent is very thick, and they have a lot of sayings in Yorkshire that are unique. Thanks again for watching the video and for your positive comments. John Hurt
@@ZipTieDomes I agree with him! I ended up here because I'm trying to come up with cost effective ways to enrich our home & yard for our autistic son since he has to do virtual school. I literally teared up at the end!
people like this always exist. don t stop believing in the good :) and thank you, John, for this great solution. i ve done research on this for quite a while and this design is a big step forward at the end of a race. thumbs up
Genius! Few seem to consider the constraints of machining and assembly, and the impact of their choices on ultimate strength - you have solved both perfectly! Thank you :)
For as long as people have been building domes you finally made them viable. Great contribution to the world. You could build a log dome with six inch diameter logs and it would last a lifetime.
That is too cool! Wish I'd known about these hubs when I was homeless. I really needed a more stable and reliable shelter than the cheapest ozark tent I could afford. I'm glad you are involved. Thank you.
Redfeather, If you or anyone else can scrounge the PVC pipe somewhere, I will be glad to assist them. Here is an example of how we work with the homeless: www.ziptiedomes.com/customers/leighblock.htm I wish I could do more, but the idea is free to the homeless. "I was a stranger, and you took me in..." htmlbible.com/kjv30/B40C025.htm#V35
Very smart,sturdy,simple and elegant solution-Brilliant!I've lived in various domes on and off over the years and that was the sticking point with all of them.We never got any further than your first example with the single ring and an oversized hole to give the poles wiggle space.Been using alkathene piping for years too,nice and light,doesn't warp and like you say,looks great after years of use.Right,you've inspired me!I'm off to the shed and drag the old frame out for a refit.Thanks for sharing such great info and really admire your whole philosophy and ethos.Had to subscribe on the strength of this.Cheers.
Thank you for this video. I have been saving short left over pieces of EMT for a while now with the intent of building a three or four frequency dome. I don't so far have a size or purpose any more than an art project, but my sticking point to start has been the hubs. Symmetry haunts me and the idea of hammering the ends flat, drilling and stacking them just doesn't seem optimum. Your concentric cylinder hub seems like the perfect solution. To reciprocate and grow your invention, I know of two new products that could be used to skin a dome efficiently. The first is Spider Lathe glass fiber mesh and the second is a hand held, air driven mortar sprayer. It is like a poor mans gunite system. The mortar sprayer needs a large air compressor,but it makes a very uniform thin, hard shell. The advantage of fiberglass mesh is that it will never rust. I researched, purchased and used both these products to build a 3500 gallon koi pond water feature in our backyard last summer. I used the spray gun with type S mortar, (good), Stone veneer mortar(better, polymer fortified) and surface bonding cement( Best, fiber reinforced, waterproof, and polymer fortified). I hope my input is useful.
That is good information. I knew about the mortar sprayer, but had not heard about the Spider Lathe glass fiber mesh. I appreciate your help, and if I can help you, call me at (931) 858-6892. John Hurt
Here's the hidden 💎 Special thanks for providing axle angles for all levels of curvature. This one solves the major problem of geodesic domes as well as gives plenty of room for developing. Excited to check more of your videos. Thanks.
I have wanted to build a geodesic dome since college, some 50 years ago. The main challenge has always been the hub. You have brilliantly solved that problem. I will be building a dome for my grandkids and their friends to play on. Thanks so much.
Outstanding design! I have been a builder for just about 40 years and have studied domes since they came out with the idea! Just tierd of building homes the same way, everything square. For home building the best system in my opinion is the Hexodome. I did build a small one but the waste material was alot. But this design gives me ideas! Use more like concrete forms that are reusable. Thanks
Thanks, Brad. There are a lot of good uses, it is all about finding the best application for an idea. Concrete domes are definitely a good form of shelter. We are also using the domes for 360 degree projection screens. www.ziptiedomes.com/customers/chrisbrannan.htm John Hurt
We just went through a freeze here in Houston which made it necessary to throw together some pvc frames to protect our plants. I wish I would have seen this first. I would definitely be interested in making some large frames to cover vegetation. Easy to take apart and store until needed.
We have a 20' wide 10' tall 2v dome, that is lightweight and large enough to cover most of a small garden. Other sizes too. You can also buy just the hubs and cut your own struts from 1" Schedule 40 PVC plumbing pipe. Thanks for your comments. John Hurt
@@foxmulder3980 it works for many materials. Your opinion is based on factual experience with different materials?? They use this for different environments as well. Great idea for homeless shelters. What might be your contribution to help others?
@@wildheart5086 So you have evidence this is helping the homeless or did you come up with that as you were touching yourself to Justin Bieber photos on the internet?
@@foxmulder3980 John has stated himself that he helps homeless and would welcome those who help homeless to contact him. So, this has helped homeless. You deserve to be blocked for your disgusting perversion.
I would love to have some sent to Ghana for similar projects. These are amazing and could possibility be a life changer for many... Thank you for such a great invention...
Should have branded it with the leverage/tensioning ring aspect, because zip-ties seem a bit wasteful for frequent dis-assembly/re-assembly applications. Rope or other cordage possibly has multiple uses and can do the anchoring job just as well. The difference in permanence would mostly depend on what knot is tied. I could also think of a way to replace one of the rings with a short tube, and some extra-holes for cinching down with an extra cord other than the one used for anchoring rods. Would work as a stand-off or displacer between the inside and outside, and one might get away with using a less specific hole size for any angle. My way of looking at it, it's not all that different from the cantilever slide thing used with umbrellas. I suppose that's some food for thought.
Some of that stuff is stronger per unit weight in terms of tensile strength. And I'll agree that aramid fibers and plastics are a pretty interesting material.
I left out two five hole hubs for walk through access and covered the top with three 6'x8' blue tarps from NH Northern. It lasted all week and was still quite rigid. I don't remember what my out of pocket expenses were but the VBS staff(the Lady's) want another one this coming summer. I'm going to need a bigger ladder. Thanks again.
You should get together with a tent maker and see if they can make a canvas cover for the domes that are used for the homeless. My church and others in our community are working to find a solution for the 500+ homeless here in York county SC.
Please put me down on your list. When you get a canvas cover for the domes !!! Door and windows will be a plus, and even a stove pipe acces will be awesome. PLEASE KEEP ME ON YOUR LIST. This is better than ANY tents. marius.neumayer@gmail.com
If you were to build a second, larger dome that goes over the first one, covering both with some type of tarping system, it seems to me that you would create a very livable shelter, at least for winter.
Zip Tie Domes I see parts are made in the USA! I was looking at tents and other ideas but, this might be the solution. Can this stand up to hurricanes?
That would depend. How is it fastened to the ground? Is it covered? With what? I live in a 5/8 38 foot diameter and have for 40 years. We have had winds in the 90-100 mph range during storms and 2012 Derecho. Lost trees and several cedar shakes but no structural integrity. Your design does not allow any fasteners to be attached to struts without compromising the strength of the strut. Maybe you can tie on canvas but each attachment creates an additional stress point and does not triangulate for increased strength. That triangulation is at the heart of the matter. Hard material coverings add to the strength. Soft materials do not, acting only like sails to tear it all apart. You can use this structure for a playground maybe but metal would be stronger. What is your current load per strut? Per connection? Have you reduced the strength of the hub by drilling holes in it? This could easily support a tent type structure for temporary use, but would probably fail in hard use. Will be interesting to see any further research you do.
I have several concerns, i live in the high desert, the translucent plastic sheet lasts at most three months here. If using this structure as a permanent building for example - green house, you would need to replace the cover at least four times a year. second in one photo it was covered by that blue tarp stuff, same problem, and replace more than four times a year but my major concern is the white PVC plastic hub units themselves. That stuff is highly degradable to UV light, after a few years it WILL turn brown, then warp as it turns black, cracks and disintegrates. This can be corrected but with a little more money and time involved. It's a simple process, just use permanent enamel opaque paint, whatever color you'd prefer. Use at least two coats for nearly permanent application. The extra cost?.....spray cans are expensive and you will need many more than one, but the extra cost is well worth it. An alternative cover that will last a life time and can get at Home Depot is Coroplast in 4 x 8 sheets. Hope this sheds more light in your green house, 😁
It's a brilliant design, but yes, you raise some valid concerns. It would be great if cellulose plastic (not acetate etc) was further along and more accessible. It is on some ways - I've been reading alot of papers on cellulose dissolution using sodium hydroxide and urea. So far, plastic films have been made, with excellent UV resistance and durability (depending how it's processed). I've begun experimenting myself to see if I can make something like it, for greenhouses, house windows, geopolymers, wood composites etc. Not to make $, but simply to have a more simplistic and natural way of making permanent/repairable/recyclable plastics that won't leech out BPA and other crap... Archaeologist of the future (assuming people are still around) will get quite the surprise when they dig through multiple layers of earth and suddenly hit the plastic layer. WTF were they thinking? Will likely be the question. Followed by great debate over the time period, as much of the plastic will still look brand new.
The reason PVC is used for house siding is it's resistance to UV. There is little problem with using PVC pipe. As far as using poly-ethylene for a skin material, you may have to change it once or twice a year if you use the thicker sheets. I seriously doubt that greenhouses have to change it more than once a year, but I could be wrong. Wind buffeting may be hard on the plastic sheet too, especially if it is loose and constantly moving. I'm using my own common sense here judged from observation and experience.
Al. You are right, PVC reacts differently in the desert, and it should be painted. The UV only travels through the top 1/100th of an inch, but it is the extreme heat of the desert that cooks PVC and breaks it down. Thanks for your comments, they are helpful.
Zip Tie Domes Perhaps for desert use bamboo or EMT or something I found called Enviroking UV Resistant Clear PVC. It is made by G F Piping Systems and is available in all standard pipe sizes. No idea on cost of this stuff but it sounds like A winner!
Here are 3 scientific papers from the PVC Plastics Industry that detail how PVC interacts with UV (Ultraviolet Light) from the Sun: www.uni-bell.org/blogs/technical-blog/uv-exposure-has-no-practical-effect-pvc-pipe www.nacopvc.com/c/tech-info/the-effects-of-sunlight-exposure-on-pvc-pipe www.usplastic.com/knowledgebase/article.aspx?contentkey=774 Thanks, John Hurt
Be sure to read how we maintain our patent rights: www.ziptiedomes.com/faq/Are-You-Making-your-Own-Hubs.htm If I can work with you, let me know. John Hurt www.ziptiedomes.com/contactus.htm
Ham Wallet They ship out of their manufacturing plant. If they sell through Home Depot or Lowes, their profit is reduced and then there is no sense in keeping a family owned business. They are very happy doing this. Contact them for pricing and ideas! Great people!
Just send me a picture of your completed Dyson Sphere, and you are welcome to a free license to build all of the hubs that you need. Make sure you get the Sun in the picture too.
OMG, YOU FUCKING GENIUS! I'm 60 years old and I've thought about hubs off and on since the 70's.. This is elegant and smart and easily done. I haven't watched the whole vid yet, but hope you make one about how this idea evolved.
That's a good idea for a video, that is, how I came up with the hub design, really by accident. I have been studying how new ideas are formed, and this hub design is very linear in inception as it rests on other ideas. Thanks for the comment. John Hurt
funny how the metal geodesic domes i see up here in canada have the metal version of that connector and it doesnt even need zip ties ... this has been around for over 50 years in canada btw
O623kaboom, A picture and/or link would be handy here. Was looking at steel wire through holes in rebar, but that's a lot of tricky drilling even w/a drill press and v-block.
Good points. If disassembly is a requirement, this excels. NOT SURE ON THE COST without actual numbers. I'd need a reference to both, but these appear to be inexpensive. Do I have to purchase them, or are the sizing charts openly available?
The prices for the full kits are at this link: www.ziptiedomes.com/geodesic-dome-greenhouse/index.htm If you buy just the hubs, and cut your own struts from PVC pipe, the prices for the Hubs Only Kits are at this link: www.ziptiedomes.com/geodesic-dome-hub-kits/index.htm Thanks for your comments. You are welcome to call us at (931) 858-6892. John Hurt
While latex acrylic paint does help in various ways. Here is some information: www.ziptiedomes.com/faq/PVC-and-UV-Degradation.htm www.ziptiedomes.com/faq/Protecting-your-Greenhouse-Plastic-from-PVC.htm Thanks for watching the video. John Hurt
True. Solar degradation is a big factor. The only application this has is really for education, tents or temp shelters. Sorry, fella cant tell me latex is going to help. The crap won't even stay on a wall. Latex gets scratched away to easy. Plus, latex paint degradates too.
That was awesome. But just cut the part out where the guy cleans the drill bit off with his fingers. If OSHA sees this your in trouble.lol still its cool af.
Yes, I saw that only after I put the video together. I use a little wooden stick to clean off the drill bit now, especially after I had to replace all of my fingers with little wooden sticks. Thanks for your comments. John
Very good idea!!! I've been racking me brain for years on a way of locking my gray PVC pipe together to make me a green house. Now I see how y'all made the dome. Now I get to build a green house. For the green house I want a dome I don't think will give me the room or over all height end to end... Thank you...
@@ZipTieDomes Yes a tunnel shape would be neat for carports, firewood shelters and mushroom log shelters. The longer the tunnel portion the less edges you have with no headroom.
Don't you just love RU-vid? It is using some sort of weird computer algorithm to rule the world, so I guess it no longer needs to make sense to humans. Thanks for watching the video.
I am always glad to hear people or companies offer to help the homeless directly. I feel even our government views them more as a problem rather than as people who need help and at the same time, tons of food and useful items are disposed of rather than given to those who would benefit. I would like to ask if a dome can be built from PVC and covered with concrete to create a storm proof shelter to withstand hurricanes here in central Florida?
Yes, a concrete dome can be built over a geodesic dome or even an inflatable air form as seen in this video by Monolithic Domes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N18HcPfKv1E.html I am working with several customers on building a concrete dome, but I don't have any pictures of one at this point. John Hurt
PS your post (The Hidden History of the Geodesic Dome) blew my mind I knew about Black Mountain College and the very cool Bauhaus connection but not the 1st part and the real inventor of the Geodesic Dome. Y'all exude good karma wow ☯️✌👍
Very clever!!!! Just an idea to improve stiffness: 1) putting a second internal pipe inside the pipe 2) injecting expanding polyuretane inside. This way the pipes will not bend.
Jorge, you are welcome to use any ideas from the video to make domes there in your country at no charge or anything. Blessings to you and your family. John Hurt
At first I thought the zips breaking down, but they have very little (if any) stress on them. Excellent; it would be great to see some domes built with this method, having stood the test of time. I think, as long as the pvc proves to be strong enough with changes in temperature and load weights, etc, whether they will warp eventually. But even if there was failure there, there are solutions to correct it, but the hub is fantastic.
I have some domes from 2010 with this hub design that are still standing out in our front pasture, so the hubs do last many years. The nylon zip ties will become brittle after 2-3 years, but we also use stainless steel zip ties that last forever. Thank you for your comments. John Hurt
great video! love the simplicity! as an eco architect i always look for elegant, simple and affordable solutions. this is one such! i will check your website! right now i am thinking about using non plastic based struts and the type of renwable based aesthetic coverings that could be used.... make your next video about that please :-) anyway! well done!
Gyorgy - You might be interested in our Bamboo Geodesic Dome video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0OuK1UVdDag.html Let me know how your project works out, I am interested in your ideas about coverings. My email is: contact at ziptiedomes.com John Hurt
My son purchased a kit with locking collars to cover his hot tub with a 20 ft. base diameter.Incredibly strong and covered with plastic sheet has withstood several 6 inch snowstorms
Dirt simple but someone has to have thunk it before it becomes reality! I wish I needed more domes in my life but I don't, although now I know where to start looking if things change! :D I'll save a link and give you a thumbs up.
You should do all the drilling and cutting in the field as you use for the PVC connector type, because you could do the same thing you did and predrill all the PVC connectors, and you could also use zip ties to secure them in place, therefore reducing the time to nearly the same as the design shown here. Do not take this the wrong way, I really do like this set up, let's just give the systems equal efforts. Keep up the good work.
Great Hub design....although for something so simple to figure out, you guys sure are charging a fortune for it. Ill be using this Hub Design very soon, excellent design. Thanks.
If your personal time is worth more than $10 an hour, then we can make the hubs cheaper than you can. But if finances are a problem, then you can make your own hubs in exchange for a picture of your completed dome. This "exchange" keeps our patents in force. Have a great day. John Hurt
Eu acho que é Deus que nos dá a nossa criatividade. Nós apenas temos que abrir nossa mente para a Sua orientação divina. Obrigado por assistir ao vídeo. John Hurt
No parlo, ni entiendo el idioma inglés, pero el idioma universal de los vídeos didácticos-formativos apoyado en el hacer haciendo y apoyado con un paso a paso secuencial del tema del vídeo capté la construcción de las estructuras geodesicas. Gracias cuídense, quiero uno en español.
Gracias por mirar el video. Lo siento, no hablo español, así que no puedo hacer un video en español. Pero un video puede traducir muchas cosas sin conocer el idioma. Y también lo hace Google Translate. Que tengas un gran día. John Hurt
