My Wood fired Redux

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Where are you headed to? That oven should certainly help sell the house.

Somewhere not in SC. .... and thank goodness, there is stone in the ground!

[NCMan]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Where are you headed to? That oven should certainly help sell the house.

[Tscarborough]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

If you don't, you are crazy. Now you get to build another one, Cool!

[GarnerAC]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Looks like we are going to bid adieu to our oven and this locale in a few months. I should add a pic like this to the MLS listing....

[ATTACH]45184[/ATTACH]

Free house with oven purchase.

Dude!!!!!!

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Looks like we are going to bid adieu to our oven and this locale in a few months. I should add a pic like this to the MLS listing....



Free house with oven purchase.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

G'day stonecutter
Sounded a bit crazy at first, but I know myself sometimes you do things for yourself that you would never do for someone else. If you have only yourself to please you'll do whatever . Your whatever is still pretty impressive though
Regards dave

Building a structure without a concrete footing is just about knowing your material, subgrade structure, load forces, material limits, etc,etc,etc. I have rebuilt many load bearing dry stone structures and foundations for early homes and barns with no concrete footing, but the ground was prepped for it-top soil removed to subgrade, riprap, then small aggregate. And you need to make sure the base is free draining, or you just created a bathtub. The dry stone method works, lasts for centuries and in some ways and applications it's better than concrete.

I have done it for others, many of them are paying clients. But you won't see me RECOMMENDING others to build that way...not unless they are experienced in the craft of stone building. There are way too many variables, too many things that could go wrong at every step.

You are not simply 'dry stacking' the stone. Stacking is for firewood.

[cobblerdave]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Another aspect of this oven is that there is no concrete footing, because as mentioned, the project was never intended for what you see now. Also, the stone base itself has no mortar in it, except the top course- that is the bond beam for the watertable pieces that separate the base from the enclosure. I know how to build solid drystone structures, having done arched bridges and foundations for old homes, but all those have solid footings. So far I see no evidence if settling, as I check the vault, and bed joints of the watertable for cracking. This project was mostly driven by firsts...first load bearing gothic vault, first cedar roof, first handcarved one piece arch, etc. At some point, if I start to see any evidence that the structure is settling too much, then I will take this oven down, pour a slab, then build anew!


Wood framing is a common building method in North America and Europe, and can last for centuries if cared for.

G'day stonecutter
Sounded a bit crazy at first, but I know myself sometimes you do things for yourself that you would never do for someone else. If you have only yourself to please you'll do whatever . Your whatever is still pretty impressive though
Regards dave

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

How is wood framing "cared for"? I'm starting to look differently at wood.

For one thing, you have to know your material ( true of any natural product ) and be mindful of how it weathers. You need to pay attention to flashing, capillary breaks, condensation points and possible insect damage. Allowing the wood to 'breathe' is important, trapped water causes rot and attracts wood eating insects. Good quality stains, paint, sealers, oil and even wax can help preserve wood. Wood has better tensile strength than masonry, and of course it's a lot lighter..sometimes that is a needed feature.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

That makes the project original; regarding the firsts, and authentic; being like the ancient Roman structures laid directly on the ground. I started to understand your philosophy of the oven. I hope it will not settle to prove the validity of this stonework. The whole thing is a brilliant idea.

Believe it or not, most structures in Ancient Rome ( and other great stone structures) had legitimate foundations, if they were not set on bed rock. As to the validity of the stonework, building a dry stone structure can be as solid than one build with mortar...in some cases it is superior! If there's one thing consistent with my build, it that recycled material makes a decent final product. I appreciate your thoughts on my build.

[v12spirit]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

This project was mostly driven by firsts...first load bearing gothic vault, first cedar roof, first handcarved one piece arch, etc. At some point, if I start to see any evidence that the structure is settling too much, then I will take this oven down, pour a slab, then build anew!


Wood framing is a common building method in North America and Europe, and can last for centuries if cared for.

That makes the project original; regarding the firsts, and authentic; being like the ancient Roman structures laid directly on the ground. I started to understand your philosophy of the oven. I hope it will not settle to prove the validity of this stonework. The whole thing is a brilliant idea.

How is wood framing "cared for"? I'm starting to look differently at wood.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

Regardless of the wood involved in the finishing, I believe that this oven could keep its perfect shape for decades, though I'm still not convinced why stonecutter involved wood in the finishing...,

Another aspect of this oven is that there is no concrete footing, because as mentioned, the project was never intended for what you see now. Also, the stone base itself has no mortar in it, except the top course- that is the bond beam for the watertable pieces that separate the base from the enclosure. I know how to build solid drystone structures, having done arched bridges and foundations for old homes, but all those have solid footings. So far I see no evidence if settling, as I check the vault, and bed joints of the watertable for cracking. This project was mostly driven by firsts...first load bearing gothic vault, first cedar roof, first handcarved one piece arch, etc. At some point, if I start to see any evidence that the structure is settling too much, then I will take this oven down, pour a slab, then build anew!


Wood framing is a common building method in North America and Europe, and can last for centuries if cared for.

[stonecutter]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

You ain't fooling me, you built this oven because you wanted to play with the Gothic arch. I only built mine because I wanted to build something utilizing the Guastavino vaulting method so I understand exactly.

The original plan was a round footprint for the stone base and a cob oven. Once I started building with the stone I had, I realized that shaping them for a round base would take as much time as building a larger square base. And as for the vault, you are sort of right....I did want to do something different. But what I intended to do, was a cross ( groin ) vault, possibly a ribbed cross vault. I needed to simplify the vault for the sake of time, because I was involved in a huge commercial project at the time.

I have been given creative license for the oven at my friends home. I am planning it out now, and I'm going to built a ribbed cross vault for his base. It'll probably make me jealous! This one won't have an enclosure either, I'm going to do some kind of tile mosaic over the dome.

I would love to do a Guastavino vault someday too, I just need to order the clay tile...I did find a company online that makes them. I'll probably build a small gazebo so I can do the roof with the vault.

[Tscarborough]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

You ain't fooling me, you built this oven because you wanted to play with the Gothic arch. I only built mine because I wanted to build something utilizing the Guastavino vaulting method so I understand exactly.

[v12spirit]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

What can withstand consecutive summers and winters or even rough users for quite many decades without even changing its color more than a stone? Regardless of the wood involved in the finishing, I believe that this oven could keep its perfect shape for decades, though I'm still not convinced why stonecutter involved wood in the finishing, and when he was talking about tearing down, he was behaving modestly, who wood reconstruct a strong running perfect looking classic Rolls Royce? Hope you live to see it tearing

[Gulf]

Re: My Wood fired Redux

"Therefore what god has joined together let no man put asunder" .............................Not even the man "what built it"