A pretty complete list of connecting dome struts, both metal and wood. At left is the system developed by Bill Woods of Dyna Domes in Phoenix, Arizona in the mid-’60s.
Funny, they omitted what I think was the best wooden dome hub system, the pipe-section hubs and stainless steel strap tightened with a banding device. This was developed by Fletcher Pence in the Virgin Islands in the early ’60s and was strong and elegant. I saw it used by architect Jeffery Lindsay in L. A. and we used this system at Pacific High School for 10 wood-framed domes in the early ’70s. https://shltr.net/domeconnex
Sent us by Kevin Kelly
About Lloyd Kahn
Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the
Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include
Shelter,
Shelter II (1978),
Home Work (2004),
Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008),
Tiny Homes (2012), and
Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:
A pretty complete list of connecting dome struts, both metal and wood. At left is the system developed by Bill Woods of Dyna Domes in Phoenix, Arizona in the mid-’60s.
Where can you get these today? I am trying to find a place that sells em.
http://www.domerama.com/dome-basics/geodesic-dome-hub-connectors/
Are Dyna Dome kits still available, what is the company status now?
I am looking to buy a couple of Dyna Dome connector kits. Any idea if anybody is still making them? I believe Bill passed away several years back. Hopefully his tooling and dies were saved by somebody. I built a 36′ – 5/8 and a 44′ – 1/2 back in the day. They are great connectors and i want to do a couple more before i get too old. Any info on how i could aquire the kits would be appreciated. My name is Randy. I can be reached at (816) 878-2882 or rhtrigger@gmail.com I am in Kansas City, Missouri
Randy, I live in 2 Bill Woods dyna domes in north Phoenix. My neighbor, Bill Bickel, worked for Dyna Dome in the 70’s when he built his 2 dome houses next door. The previous owner of my place was also named Bill. He also worked for Bill Woods in the 70’s. Yes, 3 guys named Bill all building domes together. I don’t think there are any kits around, but the fork design is fairly simple and easily copied. I could pull one and make a drafted design of it if you’d like. You can google my house, 3115 W Cavedale 85083 I could see if neighbor Bill knows anything about tooling and dies. 281-772-1211 Peter
I have a 40ft dyna dome connector kit I bought back in the late 70’s. I lost all the instruction papers with the different strut lengths,angles,plywood sizes and instructions on how to assemble it.It came from Bill Woods. Is there anyone on earth that might have this information.
Randy, will ask my neighbor Bill who worked for the company for a decade. Are you sure it’s a 40 ft exactly? I ask because I live in a 42 ft dome and if it’s the same as mine I could easily get you the exact dimensions. 2817721211 text first please or call and leave a voicemail. Peter
Peter,thank you for responding. Yes it’s 40 ft in diameter. the basement walls are 2 different lengths. 2 walls 9ft 2and 5/16 ” followed by 2 walls 6ft 4and 7/8″ then 2 long then 2 short all the way around for 16 walls total. The connectors are the pipe hubs with the brackets that bolt on the end of the 2 by 6 struts. I bought the kit in 1978, but changed jobs and moved before I had a chance to build it. Now I’m retired and thinking of doing something with it. Thanks again for responding to my message, Randy
Hello! Happy to report Bill & Bonnie Woods are still around today and somehow stay just as busy as back in the DynaDome days! I am Bill’s granddaughter and will be showing him this thread and proof that his legacy lives on.
Hi,
I am ready to purchase a set of these or other steel hubs for my 33′ diameter dome greenhouse build.
Are these hubs available or does anyone know of anyone who can build them?
Thank you.
Mark. 541.531.2670
Hi Alex. I went to high school with Brenda. Is Brenda your mom or is Brent your dad? My dad worked for Bill part time after his day job. I worked for Bill when I was in high school. We lived a couple blocks from his shop and had a dome for a garage. I learned a lot from Bill Woods
Hi Alex, I sincerely wish you and your family well. I’ve heard so many good things about Bill Woods and Dyna Domes over the years. Probably one of the best dome connector designs anywhere. It would be a great thing if ypur grandfather Bill would wrote a book. In this day and age dome building has exploded as you know. I am sure a book written by Bill would be received with great exuberance and be very popular. A book about his life, adventures, experiences in the dome building trade, photos and maybe a how to section. It would be a great legacy. Maybe you could help co-write it. I loved his octahedral domes, a very smart design. I know many would love it. God bless you and family.
I am writing about a theme park, Time Town, built in 1970 in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. A 1973 Montreal newspaper says the geodesic domes on the site were 80-foot “Dyna-Domes” resembling “half-grapefruits.” I would love to know something about them. With thanks.