Before i get started i would like to say to everyone on this forum thanks so far for all the knowledge and your personal insights for your specific build there are so many techniques and build styles it makes a job like this seem less intense then one may make it out to be.
Without further ado LETS GET INTO IT!!
So to start I had a my patio poured last July 2022
After that I built my outdoor kitchen with fridge and two storage compartments and my lovely 40" Summerset Sizzler Pro. IF your interested in that build i can go more into details on how that went.
Anywho last November before the freeze we went ahead and began building our base for the pizza oven which sits at the end of the outdoor island and closes off the patio. For this I poured a 5 - 6 inch slab reinforced with about 5/8s to 1" rebar left over from one of my job sites ( plenty of pictures to come just need to get them off my drone and old phone)
This went pretty good i think in total we used around 21 80# bags of concrete and i was able to use my air hammer to vibrate the forms and rebar to get the concrete to fill all the voids nice. In the end I believe the base measured 65X65 just big enough for what i wanted to build.
After this i actually built tent over the base and let it sit with a heater on full blast for a week straight since we were having days dropping below freezing outside and i did not want to risk structural integrity of the base.
Now this is where we are gonna have some fun with the reactions of this forum since i have yet to see a build done with my method.
Due to weight concerns on my patio. Pricing of materials and skill set i chose to build the "stand" of my base out of wood versus the traditional method of cinderblock. Now i know immediately you probably think i am crazy but let me explain first.
The frame is built from a combination of 4x6's 4x4's and 2x4's all pressure treated.
So lets get into the numbers:
there are 5 vertical posts each a 4x6 spanning each post is a upper and lower 4x4 all lag bolted into each 4x6.
at the center of each wall ( excluding the 5th "entrance" wall) there is a 4x4 post supporting the upper 4x4 at each end there is a 2x4 and in between the ends and the center 4x4 post there is another 2x4 for support.
this gives us an range of 8 - 12" on center depending on the wall.
Now for the math:
first off a 4x4 vertically can withstand 6,000 psi before breaking and more when properly supported so a 4x6 is even higher then that so lets leave that there and continue again at 8 ft total length
a singular 4x4 post spanning 8 ft can withstand 500 lbs at the center before sagging. again this is a 8 foot span and all the weight at the weakest point.
a singular 4x4 post spanning 8 ft can withstand 1000lbs spread evenly across it before sagging/breaking
a singular 4x4 post spanning 8 ft can withstand a total weight of 4000lbs approx 2 tons! t when supported at 16" on center.
So i have 5 walls with 4x4s spanning just around 5 feet with supports found at 12" or less on center and the center stud being a 4x4 for increased strength over a standard 2x4.
Therefore I technically can support up to 20,000lbs before failure.
Now the second issue comes into play is the stands shear capability. although it can hold 20K in weight cant i just run into the stand and it will simply break apart and fall to one side or another....
well we addressed that concern in 3 ways.
first way is the top was also doweled into the existing countertops of the kitchen
secondly we created was is considered a fixed end. my base top was poured onto the stand not pre fabbed and carried over and placed ontop of my stand. when i poured the stand the belly of the "hearth"
actually sits between 2 and 3 inches below the tops of the 4x6 posts and around 1- 2 inches below the top 4x4 posts that make of the wall this is also the case on the outsides of the walls as i sat the floor of the outer form for the over hand around .5 to 1 inches lower. What this allows for it the concrete to form around the posts and create a hold on the tops that mitigates side to side movement. all wood coming into contact with the concrete was protected/coated.
thirdly across the walls we have a diagonal 2x6 lagged to the 4x4 center studs and screwed into the remaining studs for increased shear force.
Although i wont consider it added strength the walls will also be faced with concrete board and faced with a stone veneer.
So in total i believe my base is very strong and capable of holding and lasting a long time and i can always go back and add in cinderblock walls inside the base in future if needed.
Wood will also be stained and coated for longevity purposes.
Also everything was fastened using very expensive structural screws etc.
So i estimated my total weight on this stand may reach 5,000# MAX so i am confident my stand in built just fine
If your still doubtful i gave it the good ole' donkey kick test and nothing moved side to side also my brother is a professional engineer and he gave it a throghough inspection and signed off on its abilities to perform the job.
Moving on:
We get to where i am at right now which is 6 days into the curing of my insulating layer I did a 5.5" thick V-crete slab to build my oven on. i believe my ratio came out to 8-1 vermiculite to portland cement with about 4 parts water, i work with concrete alot so i slowly added in the water until i got consistency that held together and didnt just look like kitty liter soaking up some engine oil. To build the form for that i used 2x6s and some masonite form went together super easily and the diameter right now sits at just about 49 inches.
SO this week i will finally begin my oven floor and finally begin the oven dome! my goal is to be completed by beginning of June. I do plan on beveling my brick to help with the V so we will see how much that cuts into my build progress but hopefully a few jigs or my experience with all the tile jobs ive done i will be able to cruise through it.
Luckily for me i am young and have no kids or responsibilities outside of work so a few works lights and we will be working well into the nights ( i finished pourings and cleaning up from the pour of the V-crete @ 11:40 pm last week) which should help with my progress my goal is a row or more a day of block with 11 rows total i believe so we will see how that goes!
Final part of this introduction:
My plan is to build a 40" pompeii oven, made from high grade fire brick followed by 3 inches of Fiber Blanket , and a mortar covering and topped off with a nice natural stone shell to hold it all in and keep out the water.
i will be building out of brick or creating a form to extend my landing out more past my hearth for a nice finish ( more on that when it comes ) i am building a oven similiar to "artisan made things" on youtube.
Plan on doing a clay chimney flute and a nice brick wrap for that.
Looking forward to sharing more with you guys and building this thing finally!