My Wood fired Redux

[Gulf]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Absolutely beautiful!

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

A few more hours today, and after it gets washed tomorrow, the front stonework is complete.

Texture shots....







Overview.



Tomorrow I am fabricating granite supports for the limestone chimney cap.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

What does sometimes mean?

Sometimes I do a patio or other flat work, and there isn't a good place for my mark....and sometimes I just forget!

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

I also put a few hours into the stonework. I forgot how junky most of this stone was...most of it has been picked over from two projects. The trick is not to fuss too much, and don't force a style that won't work...I think I'm on the right track, but who knows, I may wake up tomorrow and tear it down...or not.




I do like the rough texture so far.




My goal is to let the work look like it was done for functionality, not aesthetic. The Masons that built communal ovens could care less for the most part, it was more about getting it done. The beauty just kind of happened on it's own...that is the challenge for me, not to try and squeeze every stone tight on all sides.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

I took advantage of a schedule change and finished my stucco work on the chimney. The final finish will be something of an earth-tone paint..I have a bunch of different ones that have potential.

[oasiscdm]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

What does sometimes mean? Everything I have seen that you put on here is a bloody masterpiece of patience and art. I saw some guys over here build a fence no mortar. They ere there for months.

Sign them all......

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

I hope you sign them like an artist signs his paintings.

I do put my Masons Mark in a discreet area on a stone sometimes.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Thank you again everyone.

KKG, I can't take credit for that pizza, my wife came up with that idea. One thing we are doing differently is adding crumbled bacon. We didn't have any on hand when we made the one in the pic, and it really adds to the pizza in flavor and texture.

[kkgator]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Just finished your whole post. Absolutely blown away! Not only a great build w/quality details but your pies are in unison with the oven. I'm going to have to steal your jalapeno popper pizza idea! Looked delicious! I've been experimenting with Peppadew Peppers lately. Sweet w/a little heat. They pair well w/Monterey Jack Cheese. I agree w/Tscar about pizzamaking.com & dough issues although I'm sure there are plenty of folks here that can hold their own against those on that board. They are as passionate about dough & pizza as those on here although the focus here is on the build. I appreciate everyone on both sites!

[oasiscdm]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

A master craftsmen you are stonecutter. The beauty is these works of art will put last all of us. I hope you sign them like an artist signs his paintings.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Thank you for the kudos mirassou. I'm glad to see you are moving forward on building an oven...I'm sure you will get plenty of help from the forum if you get stuck. And I know you will thoroughly enjoy it when it is functioning.

[mirassou]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

That's a beautiful oven and wonderful craftsmanship. I hope this question isn't offensive, but I am curious - when you do stone work for others, do you just charge for the "labor" or also for the "art"? I mean, if you were selling a painting or a sculpture, the cost of the materials and how much time you put into it is somewhat irrelevant, you'd charge for the value of the finished artistic result. It seems to me that your stone work is definitely in the "art" category!

As a customer of stonecutter, I can tell you that his work is a labor of love mixed with personal works of art. He is among the best stone masons that I've seen, and, at the time, he warned me that I would become a stone critic after he finished our pool and patio. I believe that even the esteemed stone masons Charles McRaven and Toru Oba hailing from our area in Virginia would comment highly on his work. Stonecutter, when I saw that gothic arch being developed with the granite key, I was amazed and knew that beautiful things were coming, and they did. The dry stacked stone work is the epitomy of an oven base. The cast concrete became an orchestral crescendo, but when I looked at the pictures of the formation of that granite slab to completion of the carved granite arch, I felt like I was with friends back in the 80?s savoring bottles of 1959 Vintage Chateau LaTour at Harvey?s Restaurant in Bristol UK with a beautiful steak dinner. Congratulations on a wonderful creation!

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Thanks Chip. T, I may have to be more persuasive with this stone....its been picked over a couple times.

[Tscarborough]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

He doesn't have to convince very many stones on where they outta be, for sure.

[mrchipster]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Beautiful work indeed, you truly have an eyes for picking out pattern matches from freeform madness.