How to build the

Take-Apart Dome

Phillip Reed
Available at

www.lulu.com

Copyright 2010 Phillip Reed

ISBN 978-0-557-53151-6
All rights reserved.

Take-Apart Dome
Table of Contents

Description ..............................................................6
History .....................................................................6
Dome Basics ...........................................................7
Prototype .................................................................7
Disclaimer ................................................................8
Uses .........................................................................9
Cost ..........................................................................9
3 place dimensions ?? ...........................................9
Triangles ..................................................................9
Large Triangles .................................................11
Catch Pads ............................................................12
Clydes Saw Guide ................................................13
Small triangle blueprint ........................................14
Extended triangle blueprint .................................15
Large triangle blueprint ........................................16
Nailers. ...................................................................17
Nailer blueprint .....................................................20
Pentagon assembly. ..............................................21
Groove board ........................................................24
Groove board blueprint ........................................27

Catch Pad and Groove Board Location ..............28

Window hinge support .........................................29
Folding support brace ..........................................29
Roof brackets ........................................................30
Base Log ................................................................30
Filler Panel .............................................................30
Window brace blueprint .......................................31
Roof bracket blueprint .........................................32
Filler Panel blueprint ............................................33
Catches ..................................................................34
Windows ................................................................34
Window Blueprints ...............................................36
Entryway ................................................................37
Entryway sides .....................................................38
Entryway roof ........................................................38
Entryway side panel blueprint .............................39
Entryway Roof blueprint ......................................40
Door ........................................................................41
Erection ..................................................................42
Staking ...................................................................44
Storage ..................................................................44
Transportable ........................................................45
Bill of Materials .....................................................47
Hardware Suppliers ..............................................48

build a fire underneath. It worked, but,

alas, this was when I was much younger.
Now days, the thought of sitting
outdoors all day and tending a fire in late
February and March just doesnt have the
appeal it once did. Eventually, I came to
the conclusion that I really needed some
sort of shelter to get me out of the wind,
rain and snow, if I was going to continue
this hobby.
So what to do? I looked at some of the
simple storage sheds available at the bigbox stores, but these were way too
expensive for anything big enough to
house this operation.
A few of the criteria that needed to be
met:
1. It had to be very well ventilated to let
the steam out and to let the oxygen in.
2. It had to be relatively large to allow
me and the inevitable visitors to sit far
enough away from the fire so as not to
roast.
3. It had to be very, very cheap.
4. It had to be something that could be
set up and removed quickly.
5. It had to be storable in a very small
space. (I didnt want a permanent
structure that would cause the real estate
tax assessors fingers to start to itch.)
6. Since it was to be removable, the
individual pieces needed to be very light.
Light enough that just one person could
pick them up and carry them away. The
heaviest part of this dome weighs only 45
pounds.
How I came to settle on the Geodesic
Dome structure, I really dont remember
anymore. I guess it was just a shape that
always looked intriguing. I do remember
that once I had my wife order a book from
the library on How to build a Geodesic
Dome Greenhouse. It was for an entirely
different project at the time and what I

Description
A 16 foot diameter Geodesic Dome
with over 8 feet of headroom.
Unbelievably roomy and bright. A
temporary shelter that can be set up in
less than an hour and dismantled in half
the time.
The major pieces all fit together Tongue
and Groove fashion and are held together
with chest catches.
There are four triangular shaped
windows. Each is 5 feet on a side giving
approximately 36 sq. ft. of light.

History
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Youve heard it many times and here is a
case where it could not be more true.
One of my hobbies is the making of
maple syrup. Its a hobby that gets me
out of the house in late winter. That time
of year when you are climbing the walls
with cabin fever and yet its too cold,
muddy and windy to do much else
outside. This is not a commercial
operation, I just make some for friends,
relations and neighbors. (80 pints this
past year) Any I dont keep for myself is
just given away.

Originally, I would just stack some

concrete blocks out on the gravel
driveway. Set a pan of sap on top and

found there was more complex than what

I needed at the time. The only two things
that I retained from the book were the
name of the dome (Two Frequency Icosa
Alternate). Apparently there are many
different kinds of geodesic domes each
with their own special name. Also, clear in
the back of the book there was one
paragraph on Building domes of different
sizes. There were just two formulas.
Long side of triangle equals diameter of
dome times .309.
Short side of triangle equals diameter of
dome times .273.
The first thing I thought on reading this
is NO! Is it really that simple? I wonder if
this is right. I wrote the formulas down
anyway and kept them for some years.
When I started thinking about this project
I decided that before spending too much
time and money I had better see if these
formulas were right.

triangles just fill in the holes left between

the pentagons.

Prototype
As I was thinking of a geodesic dome in
the 16 foot range, I decided to make the
prototype 16 inches in diameter. I went to
the drug store and bought two sheets of
colored poster paper. I then found a small
piece of scrap 3/16 inch plywood in the
shop and very carefully laid out my two
little triangles. I cut the plywood triangles
slightly oversize and then using the disk
sander brought the edges right down to
the line, smooth and straight. Now I had
two precise templates.

Dome Basics
First, lets just talk a little dome basics
and try to get a feel for how the dome
goes together. This particular type of
geodesic dome is made up of 40
triangles, 30 Isosceles triangles (a
triangle with two equal sides) and 10
equilateral triangles (a triangle with all
three sides of equal length). In this case
the isosceles triangles have one long side
and two shorter in length. The long side
of the isosceles triangle is equal to the
length of the sides of the equilateral
triangle. In the picture all the isosceles
triangles are orange and the equilateral
triangles are yellow. Five of the isosceles
triangles are permanently fastened
together to form one pentagon. There are
six pentagons. Five pentagons are used
for the walls of the dome. One pentagon
is used for the roof. The ten equilateral

I just placed the templates down on the

edge of the poster paper. Two quick
strokes with my utility razor knife and I
7

had my first triangle. Using the templates

I was able to cut out all 40 triangles in
about 10 minutes. Then grabbing a roll of
Scotch tape I started taping triangles
together. In less than an hour I had my
completed prototype. I was absolutely
amazed at how well it all fit together. The
prototype sat on my bench in the shop all
summer and every time I would walk by, I
would poke it with my finger and push it
around. I was really surprised at how
sturdy it was. Finally, towards fall I
decided: Well, maybe this will work after
all. I decided to build one full-size
Pentagon and see what it looked like.
Now, the real purpose of all this
discussion of building a prototype was to
stress the importance of Templates. You
do not want to draw all 40 of these
triangles individually. But you do want all
of them to be exactly the same. Take the
time to make one very accurate template
of each size triangle and then the label
them as Master. From then on all you
have to do is clamp the master to the
edge of your plywood, trace the other two
sides and cut.

Disclaimer
I built this dome for a special purpose of
my own. It just sort of evolved. I am
neither architect nor engineer. However,
during its first season of use, I was
constantly thrilled at how well it met its
designed purpose. Everyone who saw it
universally exclaimed, This is really
neat!.
As the season progressed, I finally
came to the decision that this is an idea
that should be documented and shared.
The last thing in the world I ever thought I
would want to do is write a book of any
kind. I just cant think of any better way to
share this idea.
So, if you choose to use this information
to build a dome for yourself. Its your
dome completely.
I can accept no responsibility for
your project, your workmanship or
how you use this information.
If you cant live with that,

Stop reading now!

Cutting all the rest of your triangles will

be a simple matter of one afternoons
work.

Uses

3 place dimensions ??

Sugar shack
Home garden produce sales
Hunting blind -- Deer/Duck
Fishing Shack
Sauna
Weekend camping -- if you own a little
piece of wilderness where you can leave
it erected for a while. (You would not want
to haul this around every weekend. The
pieces are too large for that).
Green House -- with 36 square feet of
window area and about 200 square feet
of floor space.

Before we look at drawings, a word

about accuracy. You are going to see a
lot of really odd ball dimensions on some
of the drawings. Dont Panic. That is just
the way they calculated out.
This is a wooden structure. In all cases,
the nearest 1/16 will be just fine. In most
cases, the nearest will also be fine.
I have arranged the construction portion
of this book in sections. Each section
starts with text and photos of a particular
part, then ends with detailed blueprints.
Between the text, photos and drawings, I
believe you will have more information
than you really want.
OK, lets get to building.

Cost
In order to come up with an estimate to
build this dome today, I recently (2010)
took the Bill of Material, which you will
find in the back of the book, to a couple of
the big box lumber/hardware stores in my
area.
The major item is, of course, the
plywood. That came to $201.
The 2x4s, both plain and treated, added
another $44.
The draw catches added $56.
The plastic sheeting for the windows
comes in a 10x25 roll. This is enough to
cover 10 windows so you will have plenty
of extra if you have to replace a sheet.
This added $20.
All of the remaining miscellaneous
hardware: bolts, nuts, screws, hinges,
tape, steel, etc. added $87.
That makes a grand total of $408 for
building materials.
To that figure you will need to add the
price of some paint if you want it to last.
The choices there are endless.

Triangles
Since this is a take apart geodesic
dome its necessary to assemble the
dome in such a way that each unit
overlaps the one below it, so that
rainwater will not run through the cracks.
This is the very same principle as the
shingles on your roof. The roof pentagon
will overlap the windows and entryway.
The windows overlap the side pentagons.
The two lower left and right triangles of
the side pentagons overlap the
connecting triangles. This is why you will
find blueprints for three different size
triangles here, rather than the two that
you were expecting. All the roof triangles
and the lower left and right triangles of
the side pentagons have a 2 inch
extension added to the long side.
Otherwise the extended triangles are
exactly the same as the other pentagon
triangles.
On the drawings I have provided a
couple different ways to lay out your first
master triangle.

First:
You can drive a couple of finishing nails
through a long 1 x 1 (Creating a large
compass) at the radius given and scratch
intersecting arcs and then connect the
intersection points with a straight edge.

In these photos I have darkened my

scratch points with a black sharpie just so
they would show up in the photographs.
A good way to put a point on your
finishing nail is to chuck the nail in your
electric drill and then while running the
drill slowly just barely touch the nail to a
running grinding wheel. In just a few
seconds youll add a very nice point to
the nail perfectly centered.

Second:
You can measure over across the
bottom the length of the base and make a
small vertical mark. Then measure over
across the top the distance to the point of
the triangle. Now using your carpenters
square draw a vertical line down. Next
measure down that vertical line the
dimension given and make a small
horizontal mark. Connect the points and
you are done. If the plywood is the
correct width and the corners of your
plywood are square (and they should be
close enough) it will work.
Theoretically, the compass method is
the most accurate, but in reality the real
accuracy is in the person holding the
pencil. Use the method you are most
comfortable with.
(Laying out the Small Triangle)

10

To cut out the triangles, I think the best

combination is a power circular saw and
a straight edge. If you are real good at
following a line you can just skip the
straight edge but I find that brings my
eyes and nose too close to the sawdust.
On my circular saw it is exactly 5 inches
from the edge of the table to the edge of
the blade. I clamp the straight edge down
5 inches away from the line.

My straight edge is nothing more than a

10 inch wide piece of inch plywood that
I ripped off of a sheet many years ago. I
have three of them 4 foot, 6 foot and 8
foot long. (For the purpose of this photo I
outlined my straight edge with some
black plastic tape just so that it would
show up. The arrows marking the factory
edge have been there for years.)

Then holding the saw against the

straight edge make my cut without even
looking at the line. It is quick, easy, safe
and the resulting cut is as straight as the
straight edge.

Large Triangles
The four Large Triangles that are used
to connect the side pentagons together
can not be cut out in one piece from a
single sheet of plywood. As shown in the
drawings, what you really end up with is a
trapezoid. This may or may not be
acceptable to you depending on your
use. The dome assembled with the
large triangles as is will look like this.

11

If this just will not do, it is easily fixed.

Just cut 2 strip of the same plywood you
are using (This is known as a Butt
Block) and a 6 x 9 extension piece.
Then glue the extension on. No metal
fasteners are necessary, this is not a
structural joint.

The Butt Block will be on the inside of

the dome.

Catch Pads
You will need (16) small wooden pads
securely mounted (glued and screwed) to
the (4) Large connecting triangles in
order to mount the small part of the metal
catches which hold the entire structure
together.

When the glue sets, extend the sides of

the triangle out to a point and cut.

Catch Pad
3" long
16 required

Take a 2x4 about 50 long and rip out

the profile first. Then cut it up into 3
lengths.

12

Clydes Saw Guide

After proofreading this manuscript for me, a good friend and a superb craftsman
pointed out to me that there is a much better way to make a saw guide for projects like
this. After he explained it to me, I had to agree that a saw guide like this would probably
reduce the time necessary to cut out the triangles to half. So to speed you on your way
Ill take a moment to present Clydes Saw Guide.
You will need (2) pieces of plywood at least 6 foot long. A narrower piece that will
be glued (so it doesnt move) on top of a wider piece. The dimensions below apply only
to my saw. You will have to adjust them to your saw.
The only edge that must be straight is the right edge of the upper piece. The lower
piece should be a little wider than you need. After the glue is set you take your circular
saw (with the saw blade that you are going to use to cut out the triangles attached) and
run it along the straight edge cutting off the extra left on the lower piece.
To use the guide, you can now just position the right edge of the lower piece right on
the line where you want to cut, clamp it down and cut. No measuring necessary. A huge
savings in time.

Leave room on left side

to position the clamps
without the saw housing
hitting them.

Cut off waste

Fit to your saw

13

14
15 required

Small Triangle

4' x 8' Plywood sheet

Small triangle blueprint

15
Shows 2" overlap point

15 required

with 2" overlap

Extended Triangle

4' x 8' Plywood sheet

Extended triangle blueprint

16
4 Required

Large Triangle

Caution:
This dimension must be
less than the depth of the
groove in the groove board.

6" x 9" Extendsion if desired

Location of Catch
mounting pads

4' x 8' Plywood sheet

Large triangle blueprint

The finished length of the nailers is 46

but leave them 5 foot long until you have
the points cut to your satisfaction, then
cut them to length. After the Pentagons
have been assembled you can trim the
four lower nailers flush with the panels
and it will look really neat. The top nailer
should be left square. It will help you
when you are erecting the dome.
After you have got (30) 1x2s cut out,
the first thing well do is cut the 9 roof.
Mark the center of one of your 2x2s and
set the angle of your blade to 9 degrees.
Now adjust your rip rail until you are
cutting just to this mark you have made.

Nailers.
Before you start assembling the
pentagons youre going to need some
nailers. At least, Im going to call them
nailers for this discussion. Actually, you
need to use at least 50% screws. But lets
just call them nailers anyway. The nailers
are just 1x2s with a 9 pitched roof shape
on one side and a 72 point on one end.
The 72 point is a compound angle cut.
Meaning the blade will have to be tipped
10 at the same time as the point is being
cut.
Now, I didnt just go out and buy 1x2s to
make the nailers from. You can, if you are
feeling rich. I just bought (4) 10 foot 2x4s.
Cut them in half to 5 foot and then set the
rip guide on the table saw to three
quarters of an inch and cut my own 1x2s.
(1) 2x4 will give you (4) 1x2s. Much
cheaper and very easy.
While I am on that subject, later on Ill
be referring to 2x2s. I didnt buy any 2x2s
either. I just ripped a 2x4 in half
lengthwise. A 2x2 measures 1 x 1 .
Half of a 2x4 measures 1 x 1 . Just
pay attention to how you position it and it
will be fine.

Once youve got the rip rail set the way

you want it, go ahead and cut all your
nailers on both sides and this is what you
will have.

17

Now well cut to 72 points. Set your

blade angle to 10 and set your miter
head to 54.

First mark along the bottom.

Start whittling away on your first nailer

until the blade breaks out at the top right
on your line.

And then a little way up the side.

Once youve got the first nailer cut,

take the time to put a black sharpie mark
on the table surface where the corner of
the nailer rests. Now go ahead and cut all
the remainder of your nailers using this
mark as a guide.
Before you can cut the second half of
the point, you have to transfer the
breakout point on the bottom of the nailer
to the opposite side of all the nailers. A
square head works great here.

Now walk around to the back of your

table saw, reverse the miter head to the
opposite 54 setting and using the short
mark you have just made, pull the nailer
backwards through the saw blade.
18

This is what you should end up with.

It should look real good.

After you have cut all (30) nailers, stack

a couple of paint cans up and see how
they fit.

19

Nailer blueprint

Rip Rail Setting

Nailer - Thirty required

20

Pentagon assembly.
Now that you have your nailers and
your small and extended triangles cut,
you can assemble the Pentagons. To
make this discussion a little easier lets
number the triangles that make up the
side pentagons.

Day one:
You will need a way to elevate the
nailers so that the glueing surfaces are
matched. A few concrete blocks work
well.
Glue and fasten a nailer on one side of
each triangle matching the point of the
nailer with the point of the triangle. Make
sure the nailer does not extend past the
edge of the panel or the panels will not fit
together at the peak of the pentagons as
well as you would like. Be sure to fasten
the nailer to the same side of each
triangle.

2
1

The five side pentagons are made up

of small triangles at positions 1, 3 & 4
and extended triangles at positions 2&5.
The roof Pentagon is made up of all
extended triangles.
The next thing you must have is a good
adhesive. Do not even consider doing
this without a good glue. I used
construction adhesive in a caulking gun.
This works well and has some gap filling
characteristics. However, its very sticky
and can become very messy, if you are
not careful. A good wood working glue
such as Tightbond III is a little easier to
work with, being that it is water cleanup.
However, these glues require very tightfitting joints. Just make sure your glue is
exterior and water resistant.
If you are not using screws exclusively, I
suggest that you assemble the
Pentagons in a two-step process over a
two day period.

For this operation you can use nails,

screws or staples. I used an air staple
gun. Place the nailer on a firm surface,
add the glue and attach the triangles
firmly. Clean up any glue that squeezes
21

out and gets on tomorrows glueing

surface. Let the glue set up overnight.

4 diameter and 14 high) Since the

nailers at this point are only supported on
the very ends, nails and staples will not
work here. You must use screws to get a
good, straight, strong joint. If you only
have one set of paint cans and have to
move each Pentagon before the glue
sets, a couple of friends will be very
helpful here to keep from stressing the
connections.
Mostly empty paint cans seem to have
multiplied around my place over the
years, so I didnt have that problem. I just
assembled each pentagon over its own
set of cans and let them set for a day. If
you dont have six sets of cans, I bet your
neighbors have plenty that they would
like to get rid of.
Place two panels along side of each
other on the support and mark the
location for 5 to 7 screws in from the
edge. Select an area that does not have
a knot underneath and is not adjacent to
yesterdays fastener.

If you have used nails or staples on this

first operation, and you try to assemble
the Pentagons before the glue sets up,
you will end up pulling the nailer away
from the triangle and not get a good
strong connection. (Ask me how I know
this.)
Day two:
You will need a way to prop the pointed
ends of the five sections of the pentagons
up to get the proper pyramid shape so it
you can screw them together.

Drill clearance holes in the plywood for

your screws. (I used 1 long deck screws
for this operation.)
Now add the glue to the nailer and slide
the panels together. Clamp the panels in
position and drill pilot holes through the
two end clearance holes and insert the

I found that a 1 gallon can of paint

setting on top of a section of 2 x 8 and
topped with a one quart can of paint
worked out really well. (This equals about
22

screws. (Pilot holes are not always

necessary, depending on the quality of
the wood, but if you split a nailer at this
point, you wont be happy.) Now add
screws to all the remaining holes
pressing down gently on the panels as
necessary to close up any gap.

The next day when the glue has set

well, and the pentagons can be handled;
you can trim the projections on panels
2 & 5 of the side pentagons.

The lower projections can be trimmed

off flush with the bottom of panel 1.
The extended triangles will of course
extend past the end of the nailer but that
is just fine. Well trim these projections
tomorrow.

Just keep working your way around

until youre done. This operation actually
goes very quickly.
Lastly (Trust me) let them set until the
glue has set well.

23

The trimming of the upper projections is

visually deceptive, unless the pentagon is
inclined at the proper assembled angle,
so just use this dimension.

pieces made for the inside of the

pentagons.
Groove boards
Window hinge/Roof supports
Window folding support braces
Roof brackets

Here is a finished side pentagon.

Measure down along the lower edge of
the projection 4 and then connect that
point with the intersection of the panels
and cut.
Leave the top nailer untrimmed. This
flat surface will assist you when installing
the roof pentagon at set up.

Groove board
I wish I could take credit for the idea of
building this dome with tongue & groove
connections, but I cant. That credit has to
go to my younger brother Richard. I am
very thankful for the suggestion too,
because this is what makes the entire
take-apart idea work.
The groove boards we are about to
make are the groove portion of this
tongue and groove assembly.
The large triangles are the tongue
portion of this tongue and groove
assembly.
The groove boards are made from a
2x4 x 48 long. You will get two groove
boards from each 2x4. You will need 10
groove boards. Eight 4 foot long and two
2 foot long, so prepare five blanks.
First rip about off each edge of the
2x4 to end up with a blank 1 x 2
with square corners.

This is far as we can go with the

pentagons until we get these additional

24

Now set the blade angle back to 0 and

set the rip rail to 2 7/16.

Set the blade angle to 10 and set the

rip rail to 15/32.(This dimension is based
on the kerf width of my table saw which
happens to be .110. If your saw blade
cuts a different width you might want to
make a slight adjustment. I doubt you will
see a difference.)

Place the groove boards on the freshly

cut surface and run them through the saw
again to square up the wide edge with
that surface.
Now, lets take a little time and lay out
the groove on the end of one of the
groove boards.
Refer to both the pictures and the
blueprints to help understand this. This is
were my mind starts to get a little
befuddled.
Measure down from the new sharp
corner that you just created. Then with
the protractor head set at 20 mark the
bottom of the groove.

Run the blanks through the saw and

you will end up with this.

25

The length of this line should be the

same as the thickness of the plywood you
chose to use. (3/16 in my case)

To cut the bottom of the groove, set the

blade angle to 20. Set the rip rail and
depth of cut as needed. (If your table saw
has the capability of having the rip rail set
on the opposite edge of the groove board
for this operation, it would be better. My
table saw does not.)

Lastly, with the protractor head set at

10 mark the width of the groove.

To cut the groove, start by setting the

blade angle to 10. Set the rip rail and the
depth of cut as needed to cut to your
lines. (Im not going to try and give any
dimensions here, a little trial and error will
have to do.) With the groove board
setting on its wide edge, cut the side of
the groove on all of the groove boards.

OK, that completes the groove boards.

They can now be installed on the inside
of the pentagons.

26

Groove board blueprint

Kerf width

Rip rail setting

Groove boards are either 48

or 24 long. This graphic is
shown shortened just so it will
fit on the page.

Stock thickness

Rip
Rail
Setting

Thickness of plywood
that you are using

27

Catch Pad and Groove Board Location

Catch Pad

Groove Board
Catch

Groove Board
Inside of Pentagon

28

Window hinge support

Above each of the four windows you
need a place to fasten the window
hinges. These boards will also add
additional strength to the roof.

Mount these boards flush with the edge

of the panel.

These boards need to be at least as

thick as the window frame assembly
which should be 15/16.
I just ripped a 1 slice off of a 2x4 that
was 55 long. That gives you a finished
size of 1 x 1 x 55.
(If you are a real perfectionist and
would like the board to go the full length
nailer to nailer, cut them 60 long and add
a 55 miter to each end.)
These boards are mounted to the
underside of the Roof pentagon. Mount
them 1 back from the edge.
The fifth side of this pentagon where
the entryway will be, will be supported
with the Filler Panel which well make a
little later.

A couple of hints on installing the

folding supports themselves.
First, with the window closed, the
folding supports should still be slightly
open. If they are fully closed the loose
end at the top will fall down and get in
your way.
Second, the head of the screw
fastening the folding support to the brace
has to be left out about an eighth of an
inch. The angle of the folding support
relative to face of the brace changes as
the window opens and closes. Watch it. I
think you will be surprised.
A small hook and eye will keep the
windows closed when you are not there.

Folding support brace

On each side of the four windows you
need a place to fasten the folding
supports that keep the windows open.
These boards will also add strength to the
window opening and keep the window
from flopping up and down on a windy
day. All eight of these boards can be
ripped from a single 10 ft. 2x4. For the
dimensions see the blueprint.
(Again, for the perfectionist, 59 long
and 55 miter.)

29

Base Log

Roof brackets

To finish the inside of the side

pentagons, I mounted a treated 2x2 to
the bottom of panel 1. This strengthens
the panel and provides a rot resistant
surface in contact with the ground. Even
more important, it provides a strong
member to run the stake over when you
stake it down.

To secure the Roof pentagon to the

Side pentagons you will need five steel
brackets. See blueprint for dimensions.

Filler Panel
The filler panel over the entryway is
very similar to the connecting large
triangles that you used at the base to
hold the pentagons together. It is a little
wider in order to overlap the Side
pentagons at the Entryway and it will be
shorter depending on how high you make
the entryway. The main difference is, the
filler panel is mounted on the outside of
the pentagons and the groove boards are
fastened to the filler panel not the
pentagons The pentagon edge makes the
tongue portion of the tongue and groove
connection here.

Mount the brackets permanently to the

Side pentagons with three #12 x .75
long round head wood screws in such a
way that the nailers of both pentagons
meet at the lower corner.
The roof is fastened with two -20 x
1.50 long carriage bolts and wing nuts.

30

Window brace blueprint

Take the 2x4 and rip it in half on the wide side and then take each half and rip it in half
again with the blade set at 18 and the rip rail set as shown.

Saw Kerf

Rip rail setting

Window brace - Eight required - 55" long

(All eight can be ripped from a single 10 ft. 2 x 4)

31

Roof bracket blueprint

2 holes for
1/4 - 20 x 1.50"
Carriage bolt

Location of 34 degree bend

3 holes for
#12 x .75
Pan head wood screw

Roof bracket - Five Required

.125 x 1.25 x 8 Mild steel

32

24" Groove Board

To bottom of groove

Filler panel above Entry

1 x 2 x 52" set edgewise

for roof reinforcement

4' x 8' Plywood sheet

Filler Panel blueprint

33

overlap so that the rain stays on the

outside.

Catches

The basic frame of the window is three

pieces of 1x2 (59 inches long) with
mitered corners, glued and screwed
together.

With the exception of the roof and

entryway, all the rest of the dome is held
together with chest/trunk draw catches.
You will need 20 of these. Some, like the
one I used, have a lockable tab that
comes up through the thumb lever. If
small children are involved, a plastic
electricians cable tie through the hole in
the tab would be a good idea.
It needs to be stressed here that
both parts of these catches need to be
mounted to the same flat surface in
order to clamp properly.

Windows
Depending on your use, you may need
vastly different windows than what I am
showing here. Im thinking that a duck
hunting blind for instance, would need
windows that open up much farther than
these do. But only you can decide what
you really need.
Because this is a movable structure,
probably setting on an uneven surface,
there is a three-quarter inch gap on both
sides of the window frame so that binding
of the window is never a problem. The
top side of the window frame is then
covered with a 3 inch wide piece of 3/16
plywood to hold the plastic sheeting in
place, bridge the gap and provide an

A inch wide strip of carpet tape goes

down next followed by the six mil sheet of
plastic. (carpet tape comes in 1 inch
wide rolls, so you will need only 22
linear feet cut lengthwise)

34

Gently lay the sheet plastic on the

carpet tape and then work your way
around the edge lifting, pulling and
replacing the plastic until you have
worked most of the major wrinkles out.
Do not pull on the plastic so hard that you
deform the frame. A light tug is the most
you will be able to get away with here.
Then push the plastic down on the carpet
tape firmly.

(I have had a couple of inches of snow

setting on these windows without ill
effects.) Inside the window on the bottom
you will need some sort of handle. I just
fastened a small triangular piece of
plywood 9 inches on a side on the lower
corner. This reinforced the windows as
well. You may need a weep hole where
the frames come together if your use
creates a lot of condensation, which mine
does. Perhaps a trapezoidal shape
staying clear of the corner would be best.

The plywood cover plates are then

screwed down to the frames to hold
everything tightly together. Use screws
here so you can easily replace the plastic
if necessary. Install them about every 7
inches apart in a zigzag pattern.

Mount the hinges 38 apart and equal

distance from the center. Mount the
folding supports 22 from the lower
corner of the window frame (not the
corner of the cover plates). The windows
are finished.

35

Window Blueprints

Window frame - Twelve required - 3/4" Thick

Side Cover Plate - Eight required - 3/16" Thick

( 4 Left hand & 4 Right hand )

Top Cover Plate - Four required - 3/16" Thick

Window Frame detail drawings

36

Entryway
The size of your entryway will depend
on your use. I needed one wide enough
that I could roll my two wheeled cart full
of firewood through. (34 inches wide) 60
inches is about as wide as you can go
without interfering with the roof
connection brackets. Making the vertical
cuts for the opening is just a little tricky.
There is no way I can explain this in
words, so here is a drawing.
A
C

Notice the open area below points F

and G. This needs to be filled in and you
have just cut off enough material to do
the job, so dont throw it away. I did not
try to form another bend at this point. I
just spliced in a piece with another Butt
block after the Entryway Sides were
fastened on.

B
D

Working inside the dome.

First measure of the width you want at
points A and B and F and G. Your tape
measure must be absolutely level.
(A better way to do this is to cut a 1x2
stick the width you want and tape it to
your level.)
Second, place your stick up against the
nailers in the middle so that it looks
centered and mark each end.
Third, measure the lengths CD and DE.
If these lengths are exactly the same, you
have a better eye than I do. If not, just
erase the marks and move them a little
until they are equal.
Yes, I know you could sit down and
work this out with trigonometry but thats
for engineers, and were craftsmen.
(Okay craft persons) Besides this is much
quicker. Now connect ACF and BEG and
make your cut.

I let the width of the entryway dictate

the height by just calling points A and B.
the top. (My 34 inch width resulted in 54
head clearance). You could make it
higher if you wish, it just makes the filler
piece above the entryway a little more
complicated but not much. My filler is just
a simple trapezoid. A higher entryway
would just have a notch cut in it. Of
course the wider the entryway; the higher
it will be at the breakout point.

37

fasten to the dome have to be cut on a

bevel. The bevel would still be 18.

Entryway sides
If you are making the entryway the
same 34 wide that I did, use the
blueprint to cut out the side panels. Then
line the perimeter with 2x2s.
The 2x2s that fasten to the dome have
to be cut on a bevel. The bevel is 18.

Each side is fastened to the dome with

four -20 x 2 long carriage bolts and
wing nuts.

Entryway roof
The entryway roof is 3/16 inch plywood
framed with 2x2s. For rain control the
plywood overlaps the 2x2s on all sides.
The only critical dimension is the overall
width of the side 2x2s. They must set
down inside the framing of the entryway
sides giving you a place to insert two
carriage bolts and wing nuts.
The back corners of the roof are
notched out to create a tab that slides
under the lower edge of the filler piece
. Nothing else is needed to hold the roof
in place. Just the tab in back and the two
-20 x 3 carriage bolts in the front
part of the sides.

If you are making the entryway a

different size, I think the best way to mark
the sides is to cut a sheet of plywood to
the height of the opening you have made.
Set the sheet on end in the opening with
the bottom sticking outside about 3
inches. Then just trace the profile of the
dome onto your plywood. Make sure your
lines are straight. The top of the side
panels needs to be cut on a slope so the
rain runs off. The more slope the better,
but greater slope also lowers head room
at the door. Make it at least 5. Cut the
sides out and then line the perimeter with
2x2s to make a frame. The 2x2s that
38

2 required

Entryway Side Panels

4' x 8' Plywood sheet

Entryway side panel blueprint

39

Entryway Roof blueprint

Radius lower edges

of front & back rails

Entryway Roof
(Bottom view)

One required -- Top 3/16" Plywood -- Rails 2 x 2s

40

which was big enough to cover even half

the door. The two additional horizontals
were just to nail the plywood edges to.
One additional 2x2 through the center is
still a good idea, it provides a good place
to mount a door closure.

Note the radius routed on each side of

the entryway roof header. (To protect your
head.) Also note the location of the
carriage bolt holding the roof on.

Door
Keeping with the light and simple mode
of operation, I mounted the door on the
outside edges of the side panels rather
than between the panels, which would be
more normal. The advantage of this
method is that doorstops are not
needed and there is no possibility of the
d o o r j a m m i n g . H o w e v e r, I h a v e
discovered that there is one serious
disadvantage to this method. It exposes
the movable edge of the door to the wind.
Despite two door springs and a
pneumatic door closure, the door will not
stay closed if the wind is in the wrong
direction. The moral of this story is that
the door must be latched if it is a windy
day. I am using a simple hook and eye on
both the inside and outside. However, Im
sure you can come up with a more
elegant solution than that.
The door itself is just 3/16 inch plywood
37 wide by 64 high with a 2x2 frame.
You will notice that my door has two
additional horizontal 2x2s across it. The
only reason for that is when I got around
to building the door all I had left were
three pieces of scrap plywood none of
41

Erection
Before you actually start erecting the
dome, its kind of nice to have some idea
where each of the pentagons is going to
set. The last time we erected the dome, I
started by using a tape measure and
marking out a 16 foot diameter circle
with some little flags that I had on hand. If
you use no guidelines, when you get
around to the last panel above the
entryway you just know that the
remaining space will either be too small
or too large. If you must error, error in a
tighter circle. Its much easier to lift each
pentagon slightly and slide it back, than it
is to try and pull them forward.
Put the roof in the center of the area
first. After the walls are up, the roof is
lifted straight up through the center.
To erect the side walls you will need
some help. Meet my sweet wife Betsy.
Your help does not have to be real
strong, but you do need that extra pair of
hands to hold the first couple of
pentagons upright while you are fitting the
next panel in place. I took the time this
year to photograph each step of the
erection process. Just a few of the photos
are included here. Later I extracted the
time from each picture and added it
below. Notice that from the time I have all
the panels lying in position on the ground
until all the walls were up, only 18
minutes had lapsed. And that was
stopping to take a picture after each step.
Adding the roof, windows and entryway
added another 19 minutes. There are 10
carriage bolts holding the roof on and 10
carriage bolts in the entryway assembly
so that took a little longer. As you can
see, this is a very quick operation. I might
add that this was only the third time we
have erected the dome, so I cant say
that we are very proficient yet.

Place roof in the center first.

10:24 A.M.
All panels in approximate position.

10:27 A.M.
First Pentagon upright.

42

10:31 A.M. - Two Pentagons up.

10:42 A.M. - All pentagons up with Filler

panel installed.

10:34 A.M. - Three Pentagons up.

At this point it will stand by itself, barring
any high winds.

10:48 A.M. - Roof added.

11:01 A.M. - Entry & windows added.

Assembly complete.

10:37 A.M. - Four Pentagons up.

43

Staking

Storage

Once you have the dome erected, you

have one more job to do.

Here is a picture of my entire dome

stowed neatly away in a corner of my
storage shed. The floor space being used
is about 3 feet wide by 9 feet long. All the
flat pieces (door, windows, filler triangles,
entryway sides and roof) are leaned
against the wall first. Then the pentagons
cover all the flat pieces. The pentagons
nest together so well that all six
pentagons take up very little more space
than one pentagon would. It makes a
very neat and compact package.

Stake it down!!!
This is a very light structure. I have no
idea how much wind it would take to blow
it away, and I dont want to find out,
especially if Im inside at the time.
Admittedly, since the dome is a half of a
sphere it would take a lot more wind than
a square building with flat sides, but there
is no point in gambling here. There is
nothing to win and everything to lose.
A 10 foot piece of rebar hacksawed into
(5) 2 foot long pieces will work nicely. You
will need a clearance hole for your stakes
about 4 inches up from the ground in the
center of the base triangle of all five
pentagons.

44

Transportable
Just how transportable is it? Well, sort of.
Here you see the entire dome loaded into the back of my pickup truck. All the flat
pieces are put in first and then the pentagons are stacked upside down on the side rails.
With a total weight of 385 pounds it is easily carried by even the lightest of trailers and
with an overall width of 8 4 it is just legal on the road. The maximum legal width being
8 6 on most roads.

45

gluing surface. If you feel the need, this is

worth considering.
The catches that I use to hold the
structure together are quick and easy.
However, if you can not find any that you
are happy with, there is no reason why
they could not be replaced with a plain
steel strap with a hole for a bolt in each
end.
If you left the strap bolted on one side
when you disassembled it, you would
only have 20 additional bolts to insert at
erection time. Erection time would suffer
of course, but not by much. It would
certainly be the most economical choice.
For you duck hunters, consider
mounting the hinges for the windows/
gunning ports on one side rather than on
the top and allowing the window to open
down.
Whatever you do, I hope that your
dome gives you at least as much
satisfaction as mine has given me.
Good Luck!

Final thoughts
Feel free to change anything that you
are not happy with. Please do not feel
tied down to something just because I did
it that way. This is your project, and you
are in complete control.
Some of you may feel the need to
strengthen the structure for your
particular use or climate. Admittedly, the
snow cover in my part of the world is
rarely more than 6 on the ground.
The plywood could be thicker. In fact,
the very first one of my pentagons that I
made while I was still experimenting is
made from plywood, just because that
is what I had on hand at the time.
Today, when I pick that pentagon up, I
am instantly aware of which one I have a
hold of. That additional 1/16 of thickness
added 13 pounds to the weight of the
pentagon. Never the less, if you feel the
need, or even can be done.
The nailers that hold the pentagons
together could be larger. A nailer made
from a 2x4 instead of the 1x2 that I use
would have 4.6 times the strength and
4.6 times the weight. (Probably not a
good idea.) However, a nailer made from
a 1x4 would only be 2.1 times heavier
and you would still have a 1.772 wide

1.036 sq. in.

1x2

4.765 sq. in.

2.140 sq. in.

1x4

2x4

46

Bill of Materials
Item

Quantity

3/16 (5.2 mm) 4 x8 Plywood .........................................................21 sheets

2x4 - 10 foot .....................................................................................16
2x4 - 10 foot (treated) ......................................................................2
Deck screws #6 x 1 ........................................................................2 pounds
Wood glue - Titebond or Construction Adhesive
Catches - 3 .................................................................................20
Window hinges 1 x 2 loose pin ..................................................4 pair
Window folding supports - 10 extended length

Right hand ...............................................................................4

Left hand ..................................................................................4
Wood screws for window frames

#8 x 1 Flat Head .................................................................12

#8 x 2 Flat Head .....................................................................12
Hook & Eye for Windows - 1 ...........................................................4
Carpet tape ......................................................................................Roll
Plastic sheeting - six mil (10x25 roll) ..............................................1

This is enough to cover 10 windows.
Strap steel - x 1 x 8 ..............................................................5
Wood screws for roof brackets

#12 x Round head ..............................................................15
Carriage bolts

-20 x 1 (roof) ...................................................................10

-20 x 2 (entryway sides) .................................................8

-20 x 3 (entryway roof) ...................................................2
Wing nuts - -20 ............................................................................20
Door handle - 7 over all length ........................................................1
Door hinge - 3 x 3 ..........................................................................2
Door closure ....................................................................................1
Hook & Eye for door - 2 ..................................................................2
Rebar - Diameter x 24 long .......................................................5
Paint

To paint the dome inside and out you will need paint for 780 square feet.

47

Hardware Suppliers
I am very certain that most of the hardware needed for this project can be obtained at
your local hardware store. Wood screws, carriage bolts, hinges are readily available the
world over. However, a few of the items you probably will not find in the quantity that you
need and will have to be ordered to save repeated trips to the store. To assist you in this
I will list some sources where I was able to locate them.
I do this with some reservation because I realize that information of this type is very
dated, often obsolete before it is even published. If you are reading this book 20 years
after it is published these last pages might not be much good to you.
To save repeating information, the sources I will be mentioning are:
Your local

True Value Hardware Store
Three of the big box hardware stores

Menards
www.menards.com

Lowes Home Improvement Center
www.lowes.com

The Home Depot
www.homedepot.com
Online:

Grainger Industrial Supply
www.grainger.com

Amazon
www.amazon.com
There will not be 20 of the Lockable Draw Catches
hanging on the peg at the store, but they will be happy
to order them for you. I found them at:
True Value
SKU# 283884
Menards
SKU# 2250590
I also found a very similar item a
Battalion 1VZV6 Chest Draw Catch at:
Grainger and Amazon.
The 10 x 25 roll of clear 6 MIL plastic sheet I found at:
Home Depot SKU# 756377
Lowes
SKU# 16925

48

You need 4 left side and 4 right side

folding supports for the windows.
I found them at:
True Value SKU# 284185 (LH)


SKU# 284235 (RH)
Menards SKU# 2250600 (LH)


SKU# 2250601 (RH)
Lowes
SKU# 311972 (LH)


SKU# 311973 (RH)
There is an amazing variation in prices
on some of these items so shop
around. As a rule, I found the best
prices in the actual store rather than
online.

49