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30ft workshop yurt build (9 meters)

D

Drunken hobbit

New member
I'm building a 30ft (9.15m) yurt for use as a workshop. This will be the third yurt I've built, and I'm kind of just winging it on this one, no plans... just taking what worked on the previous yurts, and using general tried and trusted yurt design elements.
I'll post photos as I go.

Today the timber got delivered! It's Pinus Radiata, a relatively soft pine species widely used for framing buildings here in New Zealand.
This time I'm using 1"x4" (20mm by 100mm) for both the khana lattice and the roof rafters. It may be a strange design choice but the timber was cheap at NZ$1.25/linear meter. I think it'll work!
Plus it's CCA treated H3.2 wood, so it will last for decades and decades.

Please feel free to offer criticism, or advice, or ask questions as I build and post my progress here.
Don't expect quick progress however! I'm also studying full-time so this is a weekend project.
 
I can't remember what your snow is like there, if any at all, but tell me, will there be any supporting columns (other than wall studs)?
 
Here's the bending form, to bend the steam-heated 2x4 wood, to form part of the 2.5m skylight ring (8ft).
The ring will be made of 4 rings of 2x4, laminated and screwed, to finally make a finished ring 4" thick, and 8" wide.
Maybe I'll need to add an extra 5th ring if it's not stiff enough, but I'll come to that later.
I've used two different methods to build my previous two yurt skylights, and this steam bending +laminating is new to me, and will be fun.
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You know you're building a big yurt, when you have to look up Vehicle Load Maximum Dimensions, and size the parts to be just smaller than that. Maximum sideways load for a regular car in NZ is 2.5m.
 

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Skylight ring / Tono steaming day!
This basic setup is what I'm experimenting with...
Steel pipe.
Boiler made of old gas bottle cut up.
Rags.
Gas cooker.

Steam for maybe 3 hours, then bend to the form. The timber is already clamped to the bending strap as it is steaming inside the pipe.
 

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Fail!
Not enough steam was generated by my gas cooker. Half the pipe got to maybe 70degC, but the far end was cool to touch even after an hour. The whole thing needs to be full of boiling steam.
I'll get a more powerful gas burner and try again another day.
 
I got a couple comments. Steam is nothing to mess with. Steam needs to escape the pipe. You definitely >don't< want the pipe pressurizing in a Rube Goldberg homebuilt steam bending setup. Typically only one end of the pipe has steam enter and the other end steam escapes or an explosion can ensue. But that's coming from a guy who's never successfully bent wood so take it for what it's worth. Whatever you do-be careful.
 
Thanks for the clarification.

I have zero advice on steam bending wood. I've tried steam bending wood molding with no success. The wood was a bit more limber but nowhere near as bendable as I was hoping for. I can't remember anything about my set up which is fine because it didn't work. This was WAY before youtube videos, back in the early 90s.

There are plenty of wood bending videos now. Might be worth some time researching them? Anyway I'm impressed you are attempting something that isn't easy. Good luck I really hope you have success.

BTW the fellow that owns 'Camping Yurts' posts here every now and then. I think his name is Richard Waters. He bends his rings and they are very nice and light. He might give you some advice.
 
I have steam bent wood for shaker boxes, and supported my father in the past as he is a woodworker on various projects.

PVA Glue such as the brown Gorilla Glue works very well with wet or even soaked wood. If it were me I would skip the steam, and just go with submersion in boiling water. You would get much better results on the bend, and if you use PVA glue it will glue up great with many clamps around your form.

It will foam like crazy and be pretty messy, but I think you will find you would make a bullet proof ring. I would belt sand it after to knock down the glue, and you'd have the strongest Tone ring in the country.

Just be contentious to not glue the wood to the form!

Josh
 
I've used Gorilla glue building boxes and furniture. No complaints about the glue. However I'll make note that none of my projects had gaps, nor were under load when finished, as a yurt ring assuredly will be. I have seen youtube video of sheer and load test done with Gorilla glue. It failed short of a standard glue like epoxy and titebond, that are non foam. Gorilla glue foams up, and cured foam in a joint that is less than completely tight- meaning gaps during construction- is unlikely to have near the strength of epoxy. That's my guess based on working with the glue and also watching youtube video. You might want to research that before using it. For sure I'd do a trial run on assembling the ring to check how effective your clamp system is at closing the joints.
 
Progress has been slow but steady.
I have bought almost all my materials, and I've cut the lattice laths and roof rafters to the correct length.
Skylight ring pieces have been cut roughly, and I'll laminate them with epoxy to make one enormous ring.
Then plane and sand it smooth to make it pretty.
It weighs over 100kg and is 2.47m wide... 8'1"
Whew!
 
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I decided against steam bending the lumber for the ring because it was going to take a looong time to steam each piece. Easier to laminate ply.
 

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