The decadent Decagonic walls

To build a geodesic dome in the style chosen by GeoStudios, one needs to build a floor  and walls that match the shape of the dome that will rest on them. That means a ten-sided floor in the shape of a decagon and wall panels that will match the perimeter of that floor.  
As I move towards building the campsite model dome, I graduated to the next step, building the walls. It involved a lot of cutting at not-so-typical angles.
The first angle I dealt with were the top and bottom plates that need to be exactly 18 degrees. That requirement wasn’t too hard but the ongoing double-checking to ensure everything was on track took longer than just a usual “saw and nail" routine. In fact, “measure twice cut once” takes on new meaning when building a geodesic dome. For the mathematicians among you, that 144 degrees in the picture at left represents the inside angle, not the cutting angle of the plates.

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​The other 'atypical' cut had to be the vertical sides of the studs. They had to be ripped (cut lengthwise, in this case on my table saw) just a smidge. That angle cut now matches the 'curvature' of the 10-sided wall system and ensures the studs don't 'stick out'. Otherwise it would be a pain in the keister to put plywood on the outside without a lot of wood to screw it into. 

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​The last cut was with a a chop saw to crosscut all the stud pieces to the same lengths, 1000mm or 39ish inches. And after that a coat of wood primer. The result is a pretty pile of wood :) waiting to become the walls of a decagon. 

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​Finally, assembling that pretty wood to make the 2x6 "walls". There will be 9 pieces. Did I say 10? Oh yeah, the 10th wall panel will actually be a doorway so it's not actually being built. Ultimately, those 9 walls will be connected together, sheathed on the outside and to live up to it's roasty toasty reputation, insulated with R14 value insulation. More on all that later!

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