The six-foot diameter custom crafted wood dome above is truly a masterpiece of construction. It was hand-built by one of Dwight Yoder’s carpenters from poplar wood and took approximately six weeks to construct.
The first step involved building a wooden frame in close approximation to the final shape of the dome. Flexible furring strips (shown in black in photos) were then added to this frame to further refine the shape.
The finished surface is actually comprised of 64 individual tapered segments, each curved in two directions – top to bottom and side to side. The curvature from top to bottom was accomplished by bending wood laminations on a 3’ radius (half of the 6’ diameter).
The curvature from “side to side” was a bit more difficult to achieve. It varies from the bottom of the dome where the diameter is 6’ to the top of the dome where the diameter is 1’. Our carpenter ground a rotary-mounted knife which sculpted this curvature. The actual finished wood surface consisting of these 64 pieces was then fastened upon the substructure.
We chose to paint this dome but hardwoods, such as cherry, oak, or maple, could also be utilized and stained and lacquered for a different look.
