My Old Kentucky Dome

[rlf5]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

I may just have to load up on ceramic blanket b/c my left and right sides aren't going to leave any room for vermiculite if I go with the enclosure.

Ken

In other news, I'm off to the lab in NM next week. Just in time for the annual hot air balloon fiesta! I guess thats good reason to stop construction for a bit

[Ken524]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

and sorry for hijacking your thread Ken.

No apology necessary! This is all good reading no matter who's thread it's on.

I'm in the same boat as Ron, can't decide on a dome or enclosure. My wife is happy with either . If I do an enclosure, I think I will have the room but it will be tight. I like the idea of framing against the block to create an extra 3.5" on each side. The extra 7" would certainly solve any insulation issues.

Acoma, thanks for the insulation "recipe". That sounds like a good plan!

[asudavew]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Yes I plan on using metal studs, but hopefully I'll still have room on the hearth for them. The problem with going against the concrete blocks is that i'm awful close to the edge of my slab on the left. We'll see how this all works out..lol. OH and sorry for hijacking your thread Ken.

Me too Ken, but one more thing.
Metal studs and track can be found in 1 5/8" width. This should help with your problem.

[rlf5]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Yes I plan on using metal studs, but hopefully I'll still have room on the hearth for them. The problem with going against the concrete blocks is that i'm awful close to the edge of my slab on the left. We'll see how this all works out..lol. OH and sorry for hijacking your thread Ken.

[Acoma]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

If your wife is pushing for enclosure and you agree, is it possible to use metal studs to shape your enclosure from outside the hearth? You can possible add area around the hearth if you screw them into the cinder blocks. Doing this will take a little creativity. Your call. Someone may have a better idea to that as well.

[asudavew]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Looking awesome Ken.

Jealousy exudes from every pore of my body.

[rlf5]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

I originally planned for a dome, hence the short clearance to the edge...but the wife is pushing me towards an enclosure b/c its looks nice. She's not really a fan of the dome at all. I already have 25 sqft of 2" ceramic blanket, and 50 sqft of 1". I plan on getting another box of the 2"for the top and middle of the dome. I just hope I have enough room on the sides to incorporate the enclosure walls...

[Acoma]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Well, I would hope Jim can confirm this but I will throw out an idea. Hopefully the more expert builders will back up or dismiss this.
1" Refmix, 2*1" of Insulfrax, followed by Loose vermiculite if enclosed, or the
3" of Matrilite 18 if opened. Again, my suggestion is based on my readings and correspondence for efficient heat.

[rlf5]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Ken, I will likely go with 1" Refmix on the dome, 2*1" Insulfrax, followed by Matrilite 18 (3" sides, 5" at top). The dome will then be enclosed, with the enclosure filled with loose vermiculite. I have corresponded with Jim on this, and from his expertize, it takes a little longer to heat up, but the heat is maintained longer. I hope this detail may help you.

That sounds like a pretty good setup if you can spare the room. My problem is that I only have about 6 inches or so to the edge of my hearth slab.

[Acoma]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Ken, I will likely go with 1" Refmix on the dome, 2*1" Insulfrax, followed by Matrilite 18 (3" sides, 5" at top). The dome will then be enclosed, with the enclosure filled with loose vermiculite. I have corresponded with Jim on this, and from his expertize, it takes a little longer to heat up, but the heat is maintained longer. I hope this detail may help you.

[Ken524]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Ken, regarding the inch around the dome on the oven floor, is that to help you for the inch of mortar? You are cutting sets of bricks per layer, not cutting per brick, per fit. Still, this looks solid. Free form to the end?

The stuff you see sticking out an inch under the floor is insulation board. I don't have a definite plan for how I'm going to finish the dome yet, so I left a bit of excess insulation sticking out for flexibility.

I haven't decided if I'm going to clad the dome with 1" of mortar or just leave it clean and cover with insulation blankets. I like the idea of a clean dome so I can remove the blankets if there is cracking or other problems. Any opinions? Do I need to cover the dome with an inch of mortar before insulating?? Other than adding thermal mass, is there any benefit to cladding?

I'm cutting most of the bricks for each course in one shot. I figure the correct slope, then the angles for the edges and start cutting. The bricks touching the arch will be custom cut one at a time.

Free form to the end?

I'll let you know . So far, there hasn't been a need for any support forms. Things are getting noticeably steeper now. I'll try free forming it as long as I can. It's a fun challenge.

[rlf5]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Looks great! You'll be curing your oven in no time!

[wlively]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Great looking work so far Ken.

[Acoma]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Ken, regarding the inch around the dome on the oven floor, is that to help you for the inch of mortar? You are cutting sets of bricks per layer, not cutting per brick, per fit. Still, this looks solid. Free form to the end?

[Ken524]

Re: My Old Kentucky Dome

Finished 4th course and cut the bricks for the 5th today.

Les: take a look; I have some UGLY joints in this course <grin>.





The close-up shows the first stage of the dome/arch transition.