View Full Version : Yurt - so far
Hello, here's a pic of the yurt or ger we're building, finally had some nice weather so we were putting it up to get measurements for the cover. Still a few roof poles to make and a door, but we're getting there (slowly).....
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/moreyurtmadness.jpg
Oh very good John :approve: Well impressed :D
What are you intending to use as a cover ?
cheers,
M
Hello, we had some spare Christmas money so I got some green canvas. Jane's the better sewing machinist, and we're hoping for decent weather to get the sewing done outside.
bingobadgo
17-03-2008, 10:23
Looking good, i cant wait to see this finished.
I love these Yurts so roomy inside and more staying in a house than camping, cant wait to see it finished.
Very nice, look forward to seeing it all finished too. :D
Matt Weir
17-03-2008, 13:30
Looking good John :)
Eric_Methven
17-03-2008, 15:45
Excellent John. What kind of wood have you used for the khana?
Eric
I'm afraid its Homebase cheap stuff. I had plans of coppiced hazel, but time wore on and we got under way with what we had, either from skips, homebase or lying around the shed. If I started again, I'd try for thinner lats of wood.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/joeandyurt.jpg
So far its been a great project, Joe's a dab hand at sealing the cord ends
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/tono.jpg
My yurt book talked about beautifully finished central wheels, mine will need some paint...
Mike Ameling
17-03-2008, 16:31
Great job, and a fun project.
Just be careful with your top "tension band". That's the rope/cable/wire that runs around the top of the side walls. It holds everything up and in place. You REALLY NEED to pay attention to that tension band. If it stretches or breaks, then the walls push out and the "roof" comes down on you.
Rope can work, but it also has a tendency to stretch. Most people nowdays use steel cable. But some have had good luck using nylon webbing - after dealing with the stretching.
That cover does not have to be in one large piece. Smaller sections that overlap are easier to work with. And it is really nice to make the cover for the very peak as a separate piece - where it covers your "wheel". If you tie ropes onto the 4 corners of that cover, you can "pull" it up into place and hold it there. But you can also then pull/slide it out of the way so that you can ... see the stars ... plus vent heat/smoke etc.
I really love the round room you end up with - and without any inside poles to support things. The only tricky part then is to adjust your thinking to working in a round room instead of a normal square/rectangular space. Some have a hard time making that mental adjustment.
Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
The traditional way of tensioning...well really it's just holding it snug, is to wrap a band, the belly band, of tightly woven braid at least 6inches wide around that top edge.
I was asked if I would help a friend weave one for her yurt but after 5 foot she'd had enough :rolleyes:
In the end we used a band made of doubled canvas fabric, with re-inforced eyelets stitched in to tie the band to the door frames.
Three years down the line the band is working perfectly and the yurt is more or less permanently up.
I'd never have thought of using steel cables tbh, do they not cut into the lattice ? :confused:
Not a criticism Mike, just genuinely interested; seriously thinking of having a go at a geodesic dome since I know I don't have room for the yurt and it's poles in my car.
cheers,
Mary
sandbender
17-03-2008, 17:59
Looking good John :)
Yurts or 'jurta' are fairly common over here (Hungary).
Hungarian yurts appear to be less wide and taller than the ones found in Mongolia, an old drawing can be found near the bottom of this page...
http://www.lovaspark.hu/hu_index.php?page=hatter
And here is a series of step by step photographs showing a Mongolian yurt being assembled.
http://www.feketesolyom.sk/doc/A MONGOL JURTA.htm
Eric_Methven
17-03-2008, 18:05
Tensioning straps designed to hold down heavy loads on wagons work well as a belly band, and they have the tightening gizmo built in too so you can adjust the tension perfectly. Old car seat belts stitched end to end also work.
I never thought of using roofing laths for the khana John. Are you using them straight and letting the shape of the yurt bend them, or have you steamed them beforehand?
Eric
What a great project, nice one John, looking forward to seeing the progress..
Thanks for the comments and advice... I've only used a bit of spare orange rope so far, but hope to use something along the lines of a canvas band as well as a rope. I've got a bunch of old judo belts that I though I may recycle, but I need to check if they stretch. The seat belt idea is great, may be able to get them from the scrapyard.
The lats of wood are straight, but the wall has this lovely curve inwards..
Mike Ameling
17-03-2008, 21:21
I'd never have thought of using steel cables tbh, do they not cut into the lattice ? :confused:
Not a criticism Mike, just genuinely interested; seriously thinking of having a go at a geodesic dome since I know I don't have room for the yurt and it's poles in my car.
cheers,
Mary
Steel cable won't really cut in any more than heavy rope - either natural or nylon. Yes, it would be better to have a flat and wide strap. That spreads the "pressure points" out. But there should be no extra worry on each piece of lattice - do to the sharing the force over many smaller areas. The more pieces of lattice that are being held in by the tension band, the less tension on each one individually. If it becomes a concern, you can always put a small metal plate on top of the individual laths to help spread out and resist the pressure.
A geodesic dome? TINKERTOY HEAVEN! Yes, you get lots of small or short pieces, but spend more time fitting it all together - even with some sections left whole in transit. They are great in bad weather, and very strong. But one note: when you go larger than that half-sphere, you start losing floor space while gaining extra "head room" that is hard to utilize.
I did a little research on modern interpretations of yurts a few years ago - as in building them yourself, and to use as permanent homes and shops/offices. I really liked the Concentric Yurt - a 12 foot diameter yurt built up on a raised deck 7 to 8 feet high, and then with another whole outside wall/roof running all the way around it - a 20 foot diameter. The outside walls were made of solid boards, leaned outward, and had benches built in all around them for sitting and storage. You ended up with that large round room on the "second story", the room underneath that room/deck for household utilities (kitchen and bathroom), and that outside ring to use for bedrooms, office space, storage, running track for kids, etc.
And then there was that LOG yurt. Interesting buildings indeed!
And they can make pretty fun temporary tents. If you drill and rivet your laths carefully, you can make them in short sections that can be folded up pretty small - kind of like an accordian, or a kid's safety gate to put into a door. When you pull them apart to expand them, they become fairly easy to bend/curve into a section of your circular wall. There should not be any need to "pre-bend" things. The biggest pieces to worry about are the door and its frame, and that central "wheel".
That central "wheel" in the peak ends up being a matter of personal choice. It's nice to have it big enough to act as a skylight. But that comes with a lot more bulk and weight in packing. Some people just have a small hub to set the ends of their roof poles in, and then cover over it completely with their canvas roof pieces. But most have that larger "wheel". And if they want to put a stove inside, it makes a good place to run the stove pipe up through.
There is/was and old book put out years ago by the people who wrote up the Whole Earth Catalog - called Shelter. It has a lot of good info and contacts on all things concerning shelter - temporary, traveling, and permanent. Because of how old it is, some of the contact info probably is no longer valid.
Yes, I do like yurts - in the right situations. Ditto my tipi.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
p.s. I love your ... flexible rivets ... for holding the laths together! And so simple - just nylon cord knotted, and run through a hole in each board. Loose bolts or iron rivets might give you a tad more strength, but they add to the weight and decrease the "flexibility".
I borrowed this dome from a friend for one of our meet ups
http://www.artgalore.co.uk/GeoffForrest.html
see the bottom of the page.
It honestly was quicker to take down than a yurt and I'm assured that once the pieces are familiar it goes up just as quickly.
I do like the right to the eaves headroom of the yurt though, and I do much prefer the doorway too.
cheers,
Toddy
climberslacker
19-03-2008, 03:29
Now i wanna make one prbably 10 feet diameter and ill probably live in it...thanks for the inspiration!!
I'd recommednd The Complete Yurt Handbook by Paul King. Its what we're taking it from...
The walls on our one are in 3 sections that strap together, but are apart for storage and transport..
firecrest
19-03-2008, 22:55
I didnt know what yurt was until I looked on this thread. Infact I thought you were building a mock spaceship until I saw the door on the front! It looks fantastic anyway, (even if it isnt going to fly!) It's amazing what can be accomplished in even just the small space of a backgarden.
bothyman
21-03-2008, 08:47
If anyone is interested in building one here is a good start.
>> http://www.woodlandyurts.co.uk/Yurt_Facts/Build_Your_Own.html
There are several other books and websites on Yurts too.
>> http://www.cloudhouses.com/
>> http://simplydifferently.org/
>> http://www.desertdomes.com/domecalc.html
Or this one even
>> http://www.greenpete.co.uk/?page_id=32
Hello Pete
Worked on the doors today, thin t&g pannelling
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtdoor.jpg
I have seen Yurts from red kite yurts (http://www.redkiteyurts.com/products/index.htm) at various events in the scottish borders and they do look cosy :D
Looking at the site they also do day workshops on how to build them.
Looking at the prices on the site I would be interested to know roughly how much it cost to build in terms of time and materials when it is finished.
Richard
fishfish
22-03-2008, 14:01
an intresting thread! cant wait to see the fnished product!
Eric_Methven
22-03-2008, 14:26
Worked on the doors today, thin t&g pannelling
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtdoor.jpg
Blimey John! Are you going to keep your car in there too?
Eric
That is a serious bit of door :D
It's smaller than it looks:o about 5' high..
I've seen the Red Kite Yurts at treefest in Edinburgh... great things, got us started with our plans...
Finally got more done.. finished trimming roof poles
Jak & Jane tied in some cord..
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtroofpoles1.jpg
Pile of finished poles....
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtroofpoles2.jpg
second coat on the door...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtdoor2.jpg
That should be the frame finished, waiting for some dry weather:lmao: here in Midlothian to start on the cover properly...
bothyman
14-04-2008, 08:28
It's looking good nearly there;) .
I'm making one of these for the simple reason I can't sew.
>> http://nord.twu.net/acl/gerteepictures.html
But I'm scrounging the materials, the khana is made fron T&G boards with the T&G cut off then cut to size.
The roof poles I collected from the wood ,where they had been felling then finished them off with a drawknife.
I had the wood for the door frame laying around and the door is made from the T&G boards, but have to find the wood for the crown yet.
It's harder to scrounge large lumps of wood.
Have not bought "The Yurt Handbook" is it worth buying ?? or is the information on the website much the same as the book??
When I was making the crown, I made the template in quarters (the white bit of hardboard in this photo)
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/wheel1.jpg
and found a thick scaffolding board that it fitted inside, cut out the quarters X2 lots) and glued and screwed
them together.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/wheel2.jpg
I like that site! I also made a miniyurt about the same scale 1":1' to get an idea of the relationships between the bits and pieces, found it very useful, esp now as we're working out the shapes of canvas to use for the cover.
I found the book very useful, especially some of the builds and expanded explainations but a fair bit is available on the website..
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/miniyurt.jpg
big_swede
14-04-2008, 09:53
Well impressed. Makes me wish my dad built me a yurt when I was a kid. How strange isn't that thought? :rolleyes:
tommy the cat
14-04-2008, 10:13
Bothyman, that gertee site is great well and truly bookmarked!
dave
sunny weather in Edinburgh, briefly
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/trimming1.jpg
Joe trimming the ends of the roof poles
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/setting_up3.jpg
all the bits together
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/wheel_01.jpg
Looking up through the wheel...
That looks excellent! I'm loving each update, get a picture from up on high please, a bedroom window maybe, to give us an idea what it looks like as a whole. You've done really well so far and it's great to see you've got your kids involved too! Any idea how big it will be when packed up and are you making a felt surround for the walls?
fred gordon
19-04-2008, 21:58
Looks really superb. Couple of questions. How much will it weigh when completed and how will you transport it? I always fancied a Tippi but couldn't imagine how I'd transport the poles!:o
I'll get the scales out next time (I will need to know this for the trailer and the car) Today was fitting the bits together and taking some measurements for the canvas. It does break down into pieces that can be comfortably carried by one person, just not too far...
I think I'll use some old army blankets to insulate the walls, I'm getting a couple to see how they do.
Blankets shoyuld work, it's not as if you will be using it in extrememly cold places. Will you be getting some sort of stove in as well?
I've seen a couple of very nice gas bottle build stoves and saw Toddy's wood stove in the geodome at Loch Tay. So that may be the next project... I think initially I'll try a double burner for cooking that we use just now in the tent.
pentrekeeper
24-04-2008, 16:03
Nice work, awesome project, will be interesting to have an idea how long it will take to put up from scratch once you have it finished.
Bet the neighbours think the circus has come to town.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtframe.jpg
with the good weather we got the frame out again this weekend for fittingthe wall canvas.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/grommets.jpg
the tension band made a huge difference to the stability of the frame, I could (briefly) put all my weight on the wheel with no problem.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/tensionband.jpg
It protected the wall canvas from the ends of the poles as well.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtwallcover-1.jpg
sewing +++ This is a domestic machine with upholstery thread (from a friend at church) and denim needles. It could stitch through 4 layers easily, and once through 6..
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/grommets2.jpg
More grommets
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtwallcover2.jpg
In place, for a fitting, there is a plastic fabric skirt being sewn on to this to reduce wicking into the canvas from the ground, it'll be some blue stuff from a costco groundsheet.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurttopview.jpg
and a look from above....
This week it'll be (weather permitting) sewing together the roof canvas, then fitting it to the frame...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/outside4.jpg
Doing the roof this weekend, we added the blue waterproof plastic strip to the wall.
It tucks under the wall frame, and got 4 of the 6 strips of canvas sewn together for the roof. The other 2 bits are cut and should get attached this week.
British Red
09-06-2008, 09:17
Nominated for "the most inspiring recent thread on BCUK"
masterly John!
Nominated for "the most inspiring recent thread on BCUK"
masterly John!
Have to second that, it's fantastic. Keep it coming John :You_Rock_
looks nice and cool mate
and just to add "oohh i want one"
raining on and off, but we finally finished off the roof and central wheel "cap"
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtjuly1.jpg
The roof has a series of grommets round the edge with a rope strung between them that draws the bottom of the roof in...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtjuly4.jpg
The roof cap (the 4 pointed star bit on the top) can be removed for ventilation and a bit of light. We kept it on today for the rain.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtjuly2.jpg
Inside looking up, the green is pretty restful inside....
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtjuly3.jpg
From the door, we were hanging some midge nets for size and had rolled up the ground sheet. We'll have some garden camping, and I'd like to see how it does it heavy rain (not long to wait for that I guess) then we're off for a week in it later next month.
Its been a fun project (so far) I think, looking at the notes I made, it took, spread over the last 6 months or so, about 2 weeks of work. But its been the odd hour here and there in evenings, waiting for funds to buy the next bit of wood or canvas etc. Than:) ks for the comments and suggestions folk have made, its helped a great deal, and influenced some of the work as it went along...
dommyracer
29-06-2008, 22:05
Nice work!
One question though, no felt insulation?
I hope to get away without it in good weather, but the backup plan is some old wool army blankets between the lattice and the canvas. I'dalso wondered about those sheets of cheap wool stuff that removal vans use...
British Red
29-06-2008, 22:14
John,
thats just.....fantastic
Red
Eric_Methven
29-06-2008, 22:19
I hope to get away without it in good weather, but the backup plan is some old wool army blankets between the lattice and the canvas. I'dalso wondered about those sheets of cheap wool stuff that removal vans use...
Very very nice John. On the subject of insulation, I've heard of some folks using carpet underfelt (the proper stuff) as it is treated as fire retardant and it comes on a big roll already.
A light dust sheet next the khana, then the underfelt, then the outer wall. That'll give you a white inner wall and no dust problems from the felt. Only if you're going winter camping mind you. You won't need it otherwise.
Eric
Thats not a bad idea at all Eric, I hadnt thought of carpet underfelt...
Bob_about
30-06-2008, 08:56
That looks absolutely fantastic
Really excellent project, you must be incredibly proud of what you have achieved.
We spent a short holiday in a Yurt in October a few years ago, wonderfully warm with the wood burner on tick over all the time. Unfortunately it rained most of the time so we had to keep the door shut - the only thing we really wished our Yurt had was a window in the door so we could see out?
Best wishes with all your finishing touches..
Wow John that is truly fantastic !!!!!!! :)
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurttopview.jpg
Fantastic John - but where is your poor lad going to play basketball now?:(
Grooveski
30-06-2008, 21:36
That's brilliant! Really coming together.
I know you likely have all sorts of work and refining ahead but there's something about just seeing the full shell for the first time.:D
Wow, how did I miss this. That is a fantastic project, one I would love to do if I had the space, I am always thumbing the yurt hand book and planning. Brilliant to see, well done!
Thank you for the comments... Its been up in the back garden for the last couple of nights in the rain and appears to be watertight (so far) Theres bits of tweaking to do on the cover and possibly oil or something on the wood. Jane's working on bags/housewife style hanging bags for stuff the tie on the walls to keep the floor clear.
Absolutely brilliant John, brilliant!!! So when you buying those Yaks? :D
Gobsmacked by just how good this is looking. Now if I had the time/space/patience and skill................
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/outside4.jpg
Jez !! Gooseberries in Scotland are huge !!!!!
Eric_Methven
02-07-2008, 19:57
Some little folding shelves would look good around the walls John, to keep odds and ends off the floor. A simple oblong of plywood with two long strings on one side and two short strings on the other. Tie the short strings to the khana wall where you want the shelf, and tie the longer strings a foot or so above, so the shelf juts out at right angles to the wall. Some pine quadrant glued round the edge will stop stuff rolling off, and it'll pack away to nowt.
Eric
Hi,
Looking good.
Topknot.
The shelf idea is one we're having a go at as well as the bags, we'll see what works best, I quite like the idea of some where where I can place something and still see it, rather than rummaging in a bag, so we might do both.
The rain test has been ok so far, so its been dismantled for fitting some loops and reinforcing patches at any stress points we found. With 2 of us it took less than 20 minutes to take apart and store/fold, packig onto a car/trailer would take a bit longer I guess.
http://www.progets.com/simpsons/pics/The%20comic%20book%20guy%20wit h%20his%20laptop.gif
"Best thread ever!"
headrox_inc
03-07-2008, 19:42
I'd deffo live in that haha sweeeeeet
Laters
The Survivalist
....Some little folding shelves would look good around the walls John, to keep odds and ends off the floor. A simple oblong of plywood with two long strings on one side and two short strings on the other.....
Eric
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/shelves.jpg
I made up these this weekend, I curved them slightly, thundering rain for most of this weekend, so we didnt do much yurt stuff, but I had a go at heat treating a knife I'm making
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/forge3.jpg
starting the fire, theres a foot pump out of shot that adds a bit of air...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/forge4.jpg
heating in up, it got to non magnetic, but ran out of hands, and assistant nowhere near...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/forge5.jpg
cooling in oil,
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/forge6.jpg
cleaned a bit, file skipped over it so it should be ready for putting in the oven...
Working on the handle next...
We were at a church event at St andrews all last week and took the yurt along...
It took about the same time as a regular tent to put up, perhaps a bit faster,
we borrowed a trailer to take some of the load, I think if we'd stuffed the car it might not have been required, but it made life easier...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/caryurt.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtclan1.jpg
Inside there was so much space, it is only 13' across but eveyone commented that it seemed more...
The shelves Eric suggested worked well
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtclan2.jpg
all the bedding and matresses were bungeed to the walls during the day, and there was enough room at night for 4 to sleep easily, we had 5 one night with no problem..
Wide angle makes it look bigger.;)
We cooked inside, no problems with ventilation, plenty of storage,
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtclan3.jpg
The oil lamp was enough to light the yurt, we had a maplin solar led strip as well..
It wasnt any warmer than a standard tent, but we didnt make any effort to heat it... during the day the wheel cover in the centre came off and let a good air through...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtclan4.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/Johnnyvariety/yurtclan5.jpg
Fantastic!!
I bet you are well pleased with your outcome.
Topknot
Eric_Methven
28-07-2008, 17:03
John, I am so impressed with that. It's perfect.
Eric
rancid badger
28-07-2008, 17:29
John, I am so impressed with that. It's perfect.
Eric
It really is very good;)
best wishes
R.B.
How many admiring glances and questions about where you got it from then?
It looks grand!
Thanks for the comments, we had quite a few people asking about it. Some were very interested in it as a future project, one guy is planning to make one as a ?summerhouse.
Well, you've done a grand job of it and you should be proud of your handy work. I take it it will now be a case of tinkering and adding bits and bobs until you get the setup you want for comfy living? It's late so it will have to wait till tomorrow, but I might have to give this thread another read from the start, the process looked very interesting as I recall. Do you think garden canes would be strong and flexible enough for the walls/lattice work?
I dont know about canes, there is a fair bit of tension and pressure applied, but it is evenly distributed,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mongolian-Cloud-Houses-Make-Comfortably/dp/0936070390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217315900&sr=1-1 in this book, the author Dan, has a picture of a bamboo yurt frame he makes, I think the poles were thicker that garden canes. The next project is trying to make a stove for heating, but I need to get practicing with welding..
Eric_Methven
29-07-2008, 10:04
Do you think garden canes would be strong and flexible enough for the walls/lattice work?
Garden canes will probably not be strong enough. Consider that you have to drill multiple holes to lace the pieces together to get the lattice. Those holes in garden cane will make them very weak. It'd be better (and cheaper) to buy lengths of roofing lath and cut them to size. They come as rough sawn and unfinished, but that'll add to the rustic charm. If you do go down the lath route, and the ones you get are very splintery, you can smooth them off a good bit with a blowlamp and a wire brush. That'll take all the splinters off and leave them looking even better for a project like this.
Eric
fred gordon
29-07-2008, 12:56
I'm not often lost for words, but I'm lost for words! It looks superb abd it looks like the family are really enjoying it:D
And the next project is?:)
Andy2112
29-07-2008, 13:07
Looks mighty fine, well done. It looked like a fantastic project.:D
Like the blowtorch and wire brush idea Eric, very quick and simple and leaves a good finish. Plus, the aroma! :D
lollywilli
27-07-2011, 16:25
wow, could i make one, is it a lot cheaper to make than buy? excuse my ignorance after googling eco living is when i found out what a yurt was, and that was 2 weeks ago, and i know that living in one is the missing link of my life, im looking at things to go in one even though i havent yet got one, would you need to possess certain skills do do what you are making, my oh is quite a handy man but he is nicked named Frank Spencer !! x
Hello, we're just back from a week in St Andrews in the yurt, still going strong... We didnt have an special skills, the woodworking involved was straightforward, the canvas work was more difficult, but we did a lot of "measuring twice" before cutting...
The book I used was the complete yurt handbook, paul king... I think there is a revised edition out.
Wow. Great to see someone make one & post it up on here. I have bought the book & want to make one myself but dont have the time/space at the moment. I am toying with doing all the woodwok stuff over the winter as a project & my sewing is starting to get better so I could try the cover in a bit. Well done & thanks for sharing.
Fantastic work john...very inspiring
mrcharly
01-08-2011, 14:18
For up to 11ft you can make a Chorama duh (not sure of spelling).
The main difference between these and a yurt is the lack of a 'wheel' in the centre, and the walls.
Instead of a wheel, the poles come together and are joined. One common technique is to use copper pipe over the end of the poles, leave 2.5" sticking past end of pole, hammer flat. Drill a hole through the flat bits and bolt all poles together.
The walls are made of a series of triangles /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\, joined with pipe and bolt just like the apex of the roof. Roof poles connect to the apex of the triangles. for greater strength you can add horizontal pieces joining the apex of triangle top and bottom.
Not as strong as a yurt, but uses much less timber. Can be easier to put up.
lollywilli
01-08-2011, 19:15
thankyou we are looking at the paul king book now x
Hi
I live in Ireland and my partner and I have made a 16 foot yurt with the help of a local carpenter..... we had it up for a while but rodents ate holes in the back of the plastic skirt which had a woven backing - so I need to replace it......... could I ask where you bought the plastic material for the skirting as i am having bit of trouble sourcing any here
ps your yurt looks great!
thanks!
Hello, the plastic was a heavy duty tarpaulin from Costco... I don't think it a
had a particular branding on it, it was a fair bit thicker than the usual blue/green tarps..
Good to hear that you've made a yurt! Please put a pic up if possible...
atb JohnC
Thanks John - think maybe i should be in hardware stores rather than fabric ones for this plastic..... I will try post a pic of our yurt...C:\Users\S\Pictures\yur tC:\Users\S\Pictures\yurt
sandbender
26-01-2012, 13:15
Thanks John - think maybe i should be in hardware stores rather than fabric ones for this plastic..... I will try post a pic of our yurt...C:\Users\S\Pictures\yur tC:\Users\S\Pictures\yurt
No that isn't working, there are lots of image hosting sites out there, you could try this one...
https://imgur.com/
Follow the instructions and you will be presented with several ways to share your image, the one you want is the link that appear below...
BBCode (message boards & forums)
http://i.imgur.com/m4P71.png
http://i.imgur.com/m4P71.png
Which will be similar to the link above but with IMG in square brackets on each side. Paste that link into a post and your Yurt picture will appear. :)
hughtrimble
26-01-2012, 13:39
Some little folding shelves would look good around the walls John, to keep odds and ends off the floor. A simple oblong of plywood with two long strings on one side and two short strings on the other. Tie the short strings to the khana wall where you want the shelf, and tie the longer strings a foot or so above, so the shelf juts out at right angles to the wall. Some pine quadrant glued round the edge will stop stuff rolling off, and it'll pack away to nowt.
Eric
Another nifty way of storing smaller items is just to tuck them into the roof beams - I 'lost' many an item in those, having not realised the family I was living with were storing some of my belongings in the beams to keep them out of harms way.