The Basic Yurt Kit
The Basic Yurt Kit is designed for those of you who have some woodworking skills and would like to do most of the work yourself, but lack the specialist equipment to make the hard-to-make parts such as the Roof Wheel (Tono) and Canvas. You will still require a table saw, router and drill press, so if you do not have access to these, perhaps a Full Kit would be a better option.
Roof Wheel (Tono)
The Roof Wheel either needs to be made from one long clear piece of Ash or Oak, steamed in a steam box and then formed around a mould, or laminate several layers of wood around a mould with a suitable clamping system. Both methods require a good deal of work and materials to build a mould, clamping system and steam box.
Roof and Wall Canvas
The canvas is the other part of yurt building that requires special equipment in the form of an industrial sewing machine. It is possible to use a basic sewing machine, but because of the thickness of 10-12oz canvas, the machine will have trouble penetrating seams and as the needles are not designed for thick material, you will break many.
It is for the reasons above we sell the Basic Kit. You get the enjoyment of building most of the yurt yourself without the trials and headaches of trying to make the Roof Wheel and Canvas. We have spent years refining our design and manufacturing methods and you will save many hours of frustration and wasted time buying the difficult parts from us.