7.Now that all the holes are drilled, you can use a surform tool or wood file and sandpaper to remove any further imperfections, should you wish. I’ve even used some wood filler to make the surface perfectly smooth.

8.Finish the roof ring. Once you are happy with the shape, use thin but long screws to fix all the circles together. Be sure not to block any of the holes you drilled by screwing through it and pre-drill holes to prevent splitting where appropriate. After that’s done, give the whole circle a few coats of weather-resistant stain or varnish. I have also heard of people who used fiberglass to give the roof ring even more strength and increased protection from the elements. The ring in the photographs was rot-proofed before being painted with a few coats of gloss. I sanded the ring again between each coat to remove any imperfections. It’s worth the extra effort as the roof ring will quite literally be in the center of the ger, and the eye is automatically drawn to it by the roof poles.

AN ALTERNATIVE ROOF RING

Another method of making this roof ring is by creating a circle out of a 9-foot, 2-inch strip of metal. The holders for the roof poles can be created by getting some metal tubing with an inner diameter of about 1 inch and cutting little 3-inch lengths of tubing off. If you alternate a 25-degree cut with a straight cut, you’ll get lengths with one angled and one straight side, meaning that when you weld them onto the circle, you can angle them all down to accommodate the pitch of the roof. When making one of these, you may notice that the ring easily changes shape. Don’t worry about that, because once you’ve welded on the bits of tubing, there will be no flexibility left.

Making Roof Poles

At this point, we get to cut and shape the roof poles to the correct length.

1.Shape the poles. Use a sharp knife or wood file to round off the last 2 inches on one end of each of the 52 poles. This is the end which will be inserted into the roof ring. If you wanted, what you could do now is use a drawknife or something similar and shape the roof poles further along their length. You could also cut little notches around the edges to decorate. Staining, varnishing or painting is also a good option at this point. The poles in the images were carved, sanded and varnished.

2.Cut the poles. Remove 4 poles from the pile and set them to the side for the doorway later. Cut the remaining 48 poles to a length of 8 feet, measuring from the rounded end.

3.Fix loops to the bottom of the 48 cut poles. Once you are happy with your poles, about 1 inch away from the non-rounded ends (the wall-end), drill a hole. Drill a second hole about 1-1/2 inches from the same end. Thread a 12-inch piece of cord through both holes, and tie it off at both ends, so a 1-1/2-inch loop is formed on one side. This loop will allow you to hook the pole over the lattice wall to hold it in place.

Constructing the Roof

Before we can measure and cut the poles going from the roof ring to the door, we first need to erect the ger as we have it now. Following the steps in “Setting Up the Wall” on page 86, set up your wall again, and ensure the tension band or webbing strap is securely fastened around the ger to the top plated tie rings on the left and right side of the door.

1.Raise the roof ring. Take three roof poles and place them at equal intervals along the wall. Take the ends of two of them and loop them over the wall, with the rounded end lying on the ground near the center. Grab your roof ring, and bring it inside the circle. Holding the roof ring at the correct angle, count out the empty junctions between the two fastened poles. Count out the same number of gaps on the roof ring, and insert each pole in the space to either side of this gap. Holding the end of the third pole in one hand, lift the roof ring carefully with the other. As you lift it, at some point, you should be able to slide the end of the third pole into the roof ring. You should now be able to push the roof ring up as high as it must go, using the third roof pole only. Count out the gaps on the roof ring between the pole you’re holding and the next one along. You should then count out the same number along the spaces at the top of the wall. Once you found the junction where the pole belongs, carefully loop the pole over the wall, and very, very gently, allow the wall to take the weight. Be very careful, as the structure is extremely delicate. There are currently only three poles holding up the roof ring and pushing out on the walls, which are designed to be pushed out equally along the whole circle, so you can see the danger here. When there is a bit more sag than I’m happy with, I sometimes place a roof pole upright underneath the roof ring to help hold it up while I fit a few more poles.

2.Fit more roof poles. If it appears to be holding, carefully lift a fourth pole, and slot it in place somewhere halfway between two poles, making sure that the count is equal at the wall and the roof ring. Keep on going around the structure in this manner until all the poles are in place, except the door poles. Check that they are all seated correctly.

3.Fix the poles over the door. You can now place the four leftover poles in the spare slots in the roof ring and lay them across the door, roughly lining up with your notches. Mark them 1 through to 4. Mark the notches the same way and draw a line on the poles where they should be sawn off to correctly fit in the notches. Saw off the ends.

Congratulations! The framework of your ger is now complete! This will probably be your first opportunity to really see the wonderful mix of patterns and lines being created and will give you a feel for what it will be like to camp in. You can see how prominent the roof ring has become, with all the roof poles drawing the eye toward it.

4.Adjust the shape of the ger. Make sure that the bottom of the wall follows the same circle as the top of the wall. Sometimes, the ger may “lean” a little to one side, or have more of a muffin/cupcake shape. If this is the case, carefully move the bottom of the wall out a bit in the right locations. If there’s a lean, or if the roof ring isn’t horizontal, you can gently push the ger so it stands straight or use a roof pole to nudge the roof ring straight. If you feel that there’s not enough of a pitch to the roof, then you can shorten the original tension band. One way to do this is to temporarily tie a second tension band around the ger, tightening it so you have the shape you are looking for, and then re-tying the original tension band in place before removing the temporary one. Warning: Never remove the tension band while the roof is in place before replacing it with another one!