The time has come to start preparation for building the dome for my Newtonian, on EQ6.
I decided to go for geodesic, 3v..
The construction will be done in phases:
- building the basic frame elements (hexagons and pentagons with spokes), made of 19x42mm pine beams.
- building the round track, concrete slab for pier, deck (planned for end of this year)
- assembling the dome frame from pentagon and hexagon elements
- cladding the structure with triangles cut from Styrofoam sheet 50mm
- rendering the outer surface with metal mesh and polyurethane.
The dome itself will be a bit more than a hemisphere, similar in looks to
this one, but 3 metres in diameter.
I was thinking about using just styrofoam (rendered with metal mesh and polyurethane) but decided to go with wooden frame to increase the structural strength - I don't want the whole thing to be blown away by high wind, since the dome will be placed on elevated ground, with not many other buildings around.
Also, the wooden frame allows for build-in storage boxes and working surfaces for equipment.
Wish me luck with this project
