Hmm, You could bevel the edges, run velcro strips on either side of joints and use 4 - 6" nylon webbing with velcro on it just like it was tape. The harness idea is really slick too. The webbing could all be fastened together, with rivets or something, into one big harness that holds the structure together and also transfers force to the tie-downs. It's some labor, for sure, but it could be very worth it. The design could lend itself to all sorts of board materials too. Then it could be as simple as having the harnesses manufactured commercially to bring cost down and keep it simple. The boards could be whatever is clever for the area you're in. Cut the boards, bevel the edges, run velcro on the boards and then apply the harness to set it all up.
Any thoughts? Spiral On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 1:31 PM, Steve Upstill <[email protected]> wrote: > In reality, is there any fundamental reason the boards need to be taped > together? I can envision a harness that has six diagonal downward straps > terminating in anchors. With those anchored firmly down, and a belt to go > around the wall tops (plus maybe one for the bottom), what else would you > need? [Pragmatically speaking, you'd probably want to patch-tape the panels > together while you fiddle with the belts, but once it was all cinched up it > would be self-sustaining--especially if you've bevelled your panels.] > > On Sep 14, 2010, at 2:26 PM, Spiral Syzygy wrote: > >> Velcro isn't an awful idea. I've seen Husky Hang-alls that use velcro >> and can support many hundreds of pounds. Perhaps a thin wood frame >> around the foam board would allow for bolting some heavy duty nylon >> webbing with Velcro to it. It would go up fast, come down fast, be >> reusable with out dropping $70 on tape everytime you want to put it >> up. It's a thought for anyone who would be willing to engineer >> something like this. >> >> Spiral >> >> On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 12:57 PM, Vinay Gupta (Hexayurt Shelter >> Project) <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> <grin> >>> >>> I couldn't get a hexayurt of that size to work with 2" tape - I'm just not >>> that precise a builder! >>> >>> Nice work, and I agree that the tape is becoming a weak link. We've >>> specified "hexayurt tape" before - six inches wide, different glues, foil >>> surface and when there was a company that was working with us to do a >>> commercial edition I thought we would be able to get a run produced. >>> >>> That was a few years back, and there's no ongoing commercial development of >>> tape right now that I'm aware of. >>> >>> But, yes, it's clearly an issue. I don't know what the smart answer is. >>> Velcro? >>> >>> Vinay >>> >>> On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 2:00 AM, Zippy <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi Y'all, >>>> >>>> We had an amazingly successful 2010 on the Playa with our first >>>> Hexayurt. It really made a difference to our experience. Thanks to >>>> everyone for sharing all of their great ideas, tips and tricks. >>>> >>>> One lesson among many that I came away with and want to share was >>>> related to tape. I was lucky enough to bump into a veteran hexa- >>>> yurter this past summer at a local Burn, and he warned me about the >>>> disadvantages of the 6" bi-filament tape. The fact that it is hard to >>>> handle, breaks down quickly due to heat, dryness and UV and is very >>>> expensive, not to mention ugly in terms of its appearance and carbon >>>> footprint. This drove me to find an alternative. >>>> >>>> I began by purchasing a 2" metallic tape, intending only to do my >>>> panel edges with it, rather than using the bi-filament, which is too >>>> wide for this purpose anyway. The product was: >>>> >>>> Nashua Tape Products - FlexFix Metallic Tape >>>> 1.89 In. x 120.3 Yd. (48 mm x 110 m) >>>> ~$11.00/Roll >>>> >>>> (Trust me, I don't work for or have affiliations with Nashua!!! I am >>>> an anti-corporate leftist Burner freak) >>>> >>>> It is a very thin, strong, shiny, metallic coated plastic tape that is >>>> more akin to regular packing tape than duct tape. It has a bit of >>>> stretch and is very sticky, thus adheres well to a variety of >>>> surfaces. To give an example of just how durable it is, today I was >>>> stripping some off my post-Playa yurt, and finished the day with an >>>> hour long soak in a very hot bath. After my bath, my wife spotted a >>>> small scrap of tape (1 cm2) that was still adhered to my elbow! >>>> >>>> As I became more familiar with the product, I debated whether it could >>>> be used for the structural joints. I did some test fitting beforehand >>>> and the joints felt strong so I decided to take the chance, but took >>>> the 6" bi-filament along as backup, just in case. I did use the 6" bi- >>>> filament tape for the main final roof joint only, due to the ease at >>>> which it can be strung over the structure with two people. >>>> >>>> We had early arrival, and set up the yurt only moments before the rain >>>> storm hit at noon on Saturday. I put a guy-line at each of the 6 >>>> corners, and had only taped the exterior seams. We were at 5:30 and C >>>> and the wind was very strong. I watched the poor yurt from a distance >>>> while I helped rescue our neighbors who had been caught mid-stride >>>> erecting their carport, not knowing whether it would hold up to the >>>> blast or not. Well, it did hold up, and after about a 45 minutes of >>>> pretty intense winds and rain, I realized one vertical wall joint >>>> hadn't even been taped. My wife had been inside the entire time and >>>> she said it was pretty scary, as the walls and roof panels had been >>>> flexing considerably under the wind load (1" R-MAX). >>>> >>>> After that I decided to tape all of the seams on the interior as well, >>>> and once done, I never looked back. The yurt was solid as a rock with >>>> two inch tape! No messy degraded 6" tape to deal with, and super easy >>>> to cut apart at the end of the week with a blade. The only difficult >>>> joint on the whole structure was the center roof joint that we taped >>>> with bi-filament tape, which was peeling and bubbling due to the heat >>>> and dryness. >>>> >>>> I am motivated to share the experience and encourage more people to >>>> consider going this route. Now, obviously there is risk, as the shear >>>> strength and strength of adhesion (due to smaller surface area) is >>>> unlikely to be as high as the 6" bi-filament tape. However, although >>>> there is no reasonable way to analyze such things on paper, and one >>>> success story does not mean anything, I was very impressed with this >>>> material. And, another thing I confirmed is that this material can >>>> stand up to rain with no trouble. >>>> >>>> In the past 8 years on the Playa, I have experienced larger storms, >>>> but Saturday's storm was formidable, and I feel confident my yurt >>>> could have handled much, much more than it did once I taped both >>>> sides. I'm a civil engineer in the default world, and I'll be >>>> returning to the Playa with this 2" tape (yeah okay ... I'll bring the >>>> 6", just in case ;)) >>>> >>>> CAVEAT! >>>> >>>> I beveled all of my joints and created a very tight, well-fitting, >>>> structure. This takes time and diligence and using 2" tape absolutely >>>> depends on this kind of accurate construction. If you have squared >>>> panel edges and rough construction skills, I'd stick with 6" Tape! >>>> >>>> Advantages: >>>> >>>> Much cheaper >>>> Much thinner, thus less buildup on yurt and long term maintenance >>>> Much prettier >>>> Much easier to cut during installation and teardown >>>> Much easier to handle, to avoid wrinkles and folds >>>> Much less material expended, therefore more environmentally friendly >>>> Holds up much better under UV, heat and the dryness of the Playa >>>> >>>> Disadvantages: >>>> >>>> Can not be used to span errors in construction >>>> Probably has lower strength of adhesion due to smaller surface area >>>> VERY probably has lower shear strength than bi-filament tape. >>>> >>>> Hope this helps someone! >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "hexayurt" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Vinay Gupta >>> Free Science and Engineering in the Global Public Interest >>> >>> http://hexayurt.com - free/open next generation human sheltering >>> http://hexayurt.com/plan - the whole systems, big picture vision >>> >>> "In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an >>> invincible summer" - Albert Camus >>> >>> Twitter/Skype/Gizmo/Gtalk/AIM: hexayurt >>> UK Cell : +44 (0) 7500 895568 / USA VOIP (+1) 775-743-1851 >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "hexayurt" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "hexayurt" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. >> > > -- > There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns > of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. > -- Mark Twain > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en.
