Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

[jatsrt]

So, here I go. I started excavation this weekend and am ready for cement pour next weekend. I am doing a 42" oven on a 6'x 6'8" base. I have designed everything ahead of time in SketchUp, but we will see how long that model holds true.

I am also putting in a 10'x12' patio to go along with the oven.

Seems I can only post one picture per message right now, I'll try to follow up with more pictures.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Ahh, the images are too big, well here they are full size. Just a random set of day one pictures. I am going to try to take many pictures during this process.

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[lwood]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

That pic is huge, dimension-ally. Make it smaller.

[Lburou]

Great start!

Literally built on a rock

I laud your including the start date in your subject line -pure genius

If you upload your pictures, the software will reduce the size of your pictures. If not, you can google a free re-sizer easy enough and then include the actual picture in your posts.

Another way to do it is to go to your user control panel and start your own album there. You will have to downsizey our pictures there too.

Looks good so far.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

No problem downsizing the pictures, I'll do that a little later. I tend to rely on the browser downsizing to a viewable size. I'm going to keep the full size ones around too, I always look at the pictures and want to see some small detail that I cannot make out in a small picture.

I'll also post my SketchUp of my design as I go along. Modeling the oven in 3d definitely helps you work out silly detail that could be a major problem if discovered during the build.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Here they are smaller

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[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Adding a couple in the thread for those just browsing

[Neil2]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

One suggestion.

If I was doing it I would do the two pours separately. I would even complete the build of the oven and leave the patio till later. Just put the gravel layer down and pull the form work for now. This will allow you the option of altering the patio once you have seen the final oven shape. It will also give you a good working area for mortar mixing, insulation mixing, cutting, etc without having to worry about marking or damaging your patio finish.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Neil, thanks, I should clarify. The patio is going to just be pavers, no concrete. The reason it is framed out is that I currently have landscapers working around the area and I wanted them to know what to work around. No reason to sod an area that is going to get ripped up anyway.

You are completely right though, that will be my work area and when the oven is done, I'll finish that part off.

I also used pressure treated for the form, I plan on just leaving i there when I am done and let it rot out over the many coming years.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

33 Bags of cement mix today to do my slab. Pictures will be posted later. This was mu brother's and my first time working with cement. I think all things considered it came out pretty darn well. We will see after it sets up for a few days though.

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Here are some pictures from the before pour and after. I think we were a little too wet on the cement, but it went well and looks good. My brother Matt helped me and we used a mixer from Harbor Freight.

[rlodad]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Jake,
I may be missing something here (happens a lot). Is the size of your slab 6x6'8" or the size of your hearth? I built a 42" pompeii with 3" of blanket insulation and 3" of perlcrete, and it barely fit on my hearth which is about 7'2" wide. Are you using less insulation, or all blanket? I think it is going to be a tight fit on a 6' wide slab, even if the slab and hearth are the same width and length.

BTW, where are you in MA? I am in FL now, but have lived in Boston, Springfield, Charlton, Brookline and Albany, NY. You have to be close to one of those!

Good luck!

[Cheesesteak]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Jake,
I may be missing something here (happens a lot). Is the size of your slab 6x6'8" or the size of your hearth? I built a 42" pompeii with 3" of blanket insulation and 3" of perlcrete, and it barely fit on my hearth which is about 7'2" wide. Are you using less insulation, or all blanket? I think it is going to be a tight fit on a 6' wide slab, even if the slab and hearth are the same width and length.

BTW, where are you in MA? I am in FL now, but have lived in Boston, Springfield, Charlton, Brookline and Albany, NY. You have to be close to one of those!

Good luck!

I'm almost done with my 42" oven and my hearth slab is 65" wide. Here's where I am:

WFO

42" cooking surface, 9" of oven (brick) wall thickness total, 6" thickness of insulating blanket (3 " each side), 8" total for the metal studs and concrete board for exterior walls (4" each side) = 65".

[jatsrt]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

rlodad and cheesesteak

So, I pretty much doing the exact same type of install as cheesesteak. Rlodad, why did you do pelcrete and blanket? Either way even if I wanted to, with some creative framing you could get about 6" all around to the edges.

So my hearth is 6'5"x5'4". Just about the same as Cheesesteak. Good to see that he was able to fit the oven well.

I designed it in SketchUp with two or three different dimensions and this is the one that felt the best. I am going to have to very carefully watch the exact center location of my oven so that I have the correct tolerances. I also have backup plans to "adapt" if I need up to 4 more inches on each side.

Worse case, is after my soldier row, I decide to go a little smaller, but I think it will work out.

[rlodad]

Re: Jake's In Mass (Started July 3, 2011)

Agreed, but that's the hearth, not the slab. He said his slab width is 6 feet. That leaves 7/2" on either side of the slab, or 3.5". Not much, and if you use perlcrete instead of framing and board, it might be wider. (I don't think that 1" balnket overlapped in 3 layers is anything like 3". Mine is more like 4-5. I would have made the slab wider, and especially longer as per the FB plans.