so me n my stoner bud came up with idea for building a tipi with a fire pit and smoke flaps for this summer, and i've been usin my hatchet to cut down the right size trees for the job. for canvas, im going to get my mom to help (shes a good seamstress) sew 6 twin size bed sheets together each is 5.5x8ft and the the finished product will be 24x11ft my question is that the websites with info are never clear enough as to how the smoke flaps go on. and im trying to think of a method to be able to adjust them from inside the tipi. i also want to know if my adjusted idea will work in place of traditional ones. so in place of the flaps, you cut the canvas in the shape of a sideways H, hem the top and bottom and put a dowel rod through it to secure it, and secure that to the main body of the tent now if you attach strings that go inside, could you not just pull them and open the 'smoke curtains'? the finished product will be like 10' across. my math tells me that the height can only 9.8 ft with the amount of canvas i have. the firepit will be 1.5' across. what do i need to adjust? is 10' diameter big enough for ~4 people to sit indian style and smoke are the fire? will 'smoke curtains' work just as well as flaps, if they are placed correctly?
I would of thought the smoke flaps would open up on their own what with the heat and smoke rising. Then close on their own once the fire is out. That's if we are thinking of the same design.
the design you are thinking of, i dont think would work. google plains indian tipi and have a look. in order for smoke flaps to work, the wind goes in your door, and sweeps the smoke up and out through the flaps, and supplies oxygen for your fire. the flaps need to be big enough for that, and i think that if it were to open on its own, it would open all the way and the flaps would just flap around
you should pick a differrent fabric. i dont think cotton sheets would work to well if it rained. that could destroy your teepee try this on for size http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/native/skills/teepee.htm
im using what i have, and im probably going to cover it with tarps. my budget is the enemy, and im going to see if i can pull this off without buying anything and i found a guide i can actually understand now, and i think im gonna stick with the flaps as they have them. interested in having one for yourself? http://www.manataka.org/page191.html also, pics will be posted in the future.