3d printable Hexayurt cutter

[ratkins]

Hi everyone,

Here's a model for a 3d printable Hexayurt cutter. Print one, slide in a standard 18mm snap-off blade into one of the slots and push it across the edge of a polyiso panel to make perfect bevelled cuts at either 15° or 30°.

This is an alpha version as I'm not able to test it against a real sheet of polyiso—even if I could get one in Berlin it'd be some number of mm thick, rather than inches (though there's a provision for changing that in the source for the model.)

If anyone can try it out and report back how well it works, that would be great: https://github.com/ratkins/hexayurt-cutter

Cheers, Robert. (x-posted from the Hexayurt Google Group)

[Elderberry]

Beveling the edges sounds like a good idea in concept, but I'm not so sure it is as good of an idea in practice. Especially if the yurt will be deployed over the course of several years.

The material is not that strong and making it thinner on the edges can make it even weaker and less able to stand the bumps and bruises of assembling, disassembling, transporting and storage over the years.

[ratkins]

Fair point, but the angles aren’t that sharp so I’m not sure it’d be an issue. Many people already do it, I just had an idea to 3D print a jig to make it easier.

Can anyone who’s bevelled the edges of their yurt pipe up and tell us how well they wear after a few years?

[Canoe]

...The material is not that strong and making it thinner on the edges can make it even weaker and less able to stand the bumps and bruises of assembling, disassembling, transporting and storage over the years.

That's been the conscientious for some time. If bevelled, you need to have the fit/install done exactly right, or you're loading a thinner/weaker edge.

... but the angles aren’t that sharp so I’m not sure it’d be an issue. Many people already do it, ...

It has been reported back that doing so is a problem with panel breakage at that edge, but some report success. I don't recall if the issues were damage while transporting, when the yurt flexes under wind load or when raising/disassembling. I do recall one where the issue was damage while unfolding to raise on playa with some wind.

For those wanting/trying a bevelled edge, it seems a handy tool. And one could always cut the bevel, then trim the "point" back a bit (1/4"?, 3/8"?) square to the sheet, for a somewhat less fragile edge.

But, when bevelled and perfectly fit together, you don't have the gap for the six inch wide tape to cross, from one panel to the adjacent. That means more of the tape is gripping the panel surface (surface includes the foil tape that is wrapped over the cut edge to seal the sheet's fibres inside). This gives you more of a fighting chance of the tape holding under wind load if you're using tape under six inches wide and there's a wind beyond breeze or light. No gap is charted as "Butt Joint" in the chart below and at the link.

See this post and the one below it.
viewtopic.php?t=65276&p=955753#p955763

[Elderberry]

We use, I believe it was the Camp Danger's method, of taping the edges to that everything is basically assembled before even bringing it to the playa. We've never had a problem with light, wind, lose fittings, etc. We did entertain the idea of beveling until their taping method basically made it unnecessary.

We've been bringing a two room yurt to the Playa since learning about them at Greenman when one was on display. I believe the inventory was there too, but that was many years ago. I think we've only had to replace may two or three panels in all of that time. None because of issues with the hinges.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuCYAnDkUuuxraBuM2YmT3fGerJB7A

[Vansam]

Are some people bringing even bigger yurts than that?