Bellingham Bread Oven

[janprimus]

resizing

In Firefox, it is tools/optiions/advanced_tab and browsing "resize images..."

Thanks for the compliment. I have to tell you I did mine upside down from Mr Chengs video. I poured mine bottom down and used an edging tool to get the shape of the top edge I was looking for. It took some extra grinding with the diamond blade to shape everything the way I wanted, but it has come out nicely.

[janprimus]

getting closer

I am cruising up the sides of the dome now that the counters have been thin set in place. http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chad/c...transition.jpg
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chad/o...t%20stones.jpg It all seems to be coming along. I have yet to figure how I am going to handle the chimney if at all... The uncertainty is bothersome, but somethign will come to me. It always does.
Chad

[maver]

Continued beautiful work.

Chad, it looks like with that 3" gap you'll need to have a complicated taper (inward from the sides and outward front to back) to get to a 6' or 8" chimney pipe. Does your friend who could help you with the copper roof have the skill to fabricate a metal vent? My chimney is pretty big and it draws fine, but with my masonry chimney it helps to preheat it first before I start a fire in the dome. With the short front to back dimension a metal chimney would hopefully heat more quickly and begin to draw faster.

[janprimus]

allow me to vent

Maver, yes I have a stainless vent that can be modified to fit the opening. I need to get it and do my gazintas and see what I need to do to make it fit. I have a couple cool ideas now.
Chad

[maver]

progress?

Chad, any further headway with the brickwork and the countertop? I've poured my own countertop using a piece of melamine for the surface form, after unmolding and flipping it I have a pretty smooth surface with a few gaps that I have filled with a portland/grout mixture. I'll just sand it level and I think I have my smooth surface. Not glossy though. Once I get it out of the garage into good light (hopefully I can find 3 people to help me move it on sunday) I'll post some pictures.

I think I'm going to try sealing with the Cheng sealer - it's an inexpensive penetrating sealer - I think it's acrylic. They suggest to wax regularly to maintain. It's tough to find a foodsafe sealer that would hold up to the weather. Epoxy supposedly doesn't do UV well. I found one vendor though that sells an epoxy that can be layered with urethane over it - urethane handles UV better.

[janprimus]

no progress

Maver, I have not been doing anything for the last few weeks except trying to keep my head above water. I was just in Arizona for the last several days and it is still too damn hot there. I also missed my one chance to go to Pizzzeria Bianco. Oh well, next time...

[maver]

slow progress

I'm also finding it tough to find time, but I've been in town, just getting squeezed with work. I'm slowly completing my scratch coat of stucco and have my counter in place, although it needs to be leveled and set on mortar. Then it needs to be sealed.

I had a go at making mozzerella for the first time last night but my starter (buttermilk) did not really take off and it became too sour before I could get a clean break - more on that in another post later.

[Royal Fe]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

Chad, How's the project coming along?
Duke

[jengineer]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

Chad has probably been driven indoors until spring. The tempertures this week, if you can believe the data I got, says the daytime highs have been a brisk 38 F and there is a slight chance of rain.

[maver]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

I'm in roughly the same climate as Chad, although he is a bit more north and probably a tad colder. It has not been good weather for masonry. We've had an unusually cold winter in the northwest (for us) - just the past few days has it has reached the low 40's during the day. I've not done any masonry for about 2 months. But who's complaining - the skiing has been great!

[janprimus]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

I have been hiding out. My apologies for no news, but things are just fine. I have not done much of anything since october. Who wants to mix mud in the rain anyway? I did get out this last weekend and filled the spaces between the top of the walls and the counters. I also did some acid washing to get rid of haze and drips that were dirtying up the surface of my wall. The longer you let it sit, the harder even the haze gets. I was in for a lot of scrubbing, but it looks great. The few places I found with spots that did not want to "wash" off I used another brick to give it a bit of a scratch and that took the offending bits here and there right off. I will post pics soon.
Chad

[maver]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

Hey Chad, glad to hear from you again. The way the weather has been I'm guessing I'm still about a month away from mixing mortar again. Once you get going I'm interested to see your progress, particularly what you've worked out for your chimney.

Marc

[janprimus]

He's Baaaaack! And busted to an apprentice.... (sigh)

I actually mixed mortar last Saturday and did some more rock work on the dome. It is pretty slow going as the smaller stones require a lot of joint raking and such. It is actually very cool because I get to work on a more artistic level and work on a look that is appealing to me at least. Spring is here, the lilacs are blooming, as have the camellias and the trees are leafing out all over the place. It is a beautiful time of year in Bellingham. The rains are still kind of iffy, but life moves on inexorably! You can almost hear the grass grow. It is rather frightening really... ;-)
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chad/Waterfall_maybe.jpg
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chad/Swimming.jpg
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chad/Round%20back.jpg
This is all I got accomplished Saturday afternoon . I started late and finished fairly early though so...

[maver]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

Great to have you back on the forum. I continue to admire your design. The weather has been ready (no longer as cold at night) for us for a few weeks, but my schedule has not cooperated to allow me to finish my exterior brick work yet.

[janprimus]

Re: Bellingham Bread Oven

Great to have you back on the forum. I continue to admire your design. The weather has been ready (no longer as cold at night) for us for a few weeks, but my schedule has not cooperated to allow me to finish my exterior brick work yet.

Maver, I get a giggle when you talk about my design, it is really more a lack of design that makes it fun for me although I do get the beauty in order, straight lines and all. My buddy Todd commented that it looked like there wasn't a straight line in the whole thing. I informed him that the foundation and counters are absolutely level. That being said, there is nothing even remotely straight about the rest of it. I was a carpenter for many years and certainly have the ability to make things as tight and ordered as can be, but it is not required here so I am being a bad boy... Hence the Devil.