36" in Seattle

[fxpose]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Adding to Neil's comments above, I would like to see a center column or support under that slab, even though most of the oven weight will be concentrated near the perimeter of the slab. That was my initial reaction when I saw it. I would personally do that for the peace of mind.

[Neil2]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I hate to say this, but I don't like the look of your suspended slab. Too many voids - I think the concrete mix was way too dry (judging by the photos). Is it "crumbly" in any way ?

You may want to think about testing it somehow before continuing. Maybe give the edge a few soft wacks with a sledge hammer after it has cured a week or so.

At a minimum, you should parge all the voids on the sides and the bottom.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Thanks. Considering that virtually all of the parts (with the exception of the casters and the bolts) were already purchased for concrete forms, it didn't cost too much to build, far less than the HF $60.

However, considering the time that went into it, I would not recommend to any future readers of this thread that they go this route for the purpose of saving money over the $60 HF stand. It still cost some additional materials. In the end I might have saved $40, but it cost me three evenings after work and a chunk of my weekend!

I would only recommend this if you simply want to do it for fun...and that is certainly reason enough, but don't do it because you thing the HF stand costs too much. That's all I'm saying.

Cheers!

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Great looking stand. I always recommend getting the stand with the saw but yours has lots more character than the HF stand.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Took the forms off the hearth. I think it looks great. I love the sharp edges and corners. The stack of blocks inside the hearth will be removed of course.

And...my heavily over-engineered tile-saw stand. Compare it to my 3D model from earlier in the thread (or a slightly updated model in my album).

Time to start cutting and laying InsBlock 19.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: 36" in Seattle

hey.. it looks good.. I work with graphic artists that cant do that with new stuff... Sometimes its good to stick with what you know

Cheers
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Meshwork. It's old, but I don't want to pay for something newer.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: 36" in Seattle

hey keb,
looks cool,, I do some stuff in corel, sometimes i like to draw it first to lay it out on paper,, then its easier for me to build as i feel ive already done it..
Nice drawing.. what program
Cheers
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

While I wait for my hearth to set, here's my little subproject. Yes, I'm the kind of person who actually CADs a stand for his tile saw, but in the interest of chronicling my adventure, here it is. I hope to have this puppy up and running by this weekend so I can (after laying down the InsBlock) get to work!

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Kebwi,,
looks fine,,, I screeded mine with a 2 x 4 and just tried to finish the exposed area's.. In the spring i will extend mine for a bigger cooking shelf, then polish it..
cheers
mark

[fxpose]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Judging from that one photo of the pour the concrete looks a bit on the dry side, but I wouldn't worry about it. It should set up fine.

I have the habit of mixing concrete a bit on the wet side. I've had people tell me my mixes look too slushy and I used to get a lot of water floating to the top. But on my last few concrete mixes I think I've got them just right, adding either more water or more concrete to the mix while mixing to reach that just right slushiness.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Oh, just as a follow-up, I really wish my wife had taken photos of me working the concrete mixer up onto that retaining wall. I did it single-handedly by placing 2x6 planks the entire way, including a ramp. It would have made a hilarious time-lapse video.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Poured the hearth slab today. Phew! This is my third batch of concrete for this job (including filling the cores) and I still think it's too dry. I've mixed it wetter each time -- this time to the point where a fistful grabbed from the mixer was downright muddy -- and I'll be damned if I just can't get it to look wet after dumping and distributing it. After screeding, I pounded it down with a 4x6 (no kidding) end on, which reduced the height of the entire slab by a quarter inch. I didn't bother to add more concrete after that, so it came out slightly thinner than intended. Then, no "sweating": no water came to the surface. I eventually misted the surface to get enough water to actually use the float, which was only a partial success. In the end I still didn't achieve that really smooth look of concrete in which all the aggregate has sunken below the surface. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong...and I don't care anymore. I'm sick of how difficult smooth concrete has turned out to be. I thought it would be relatively straight-forward.

I'll probably flagstone the hearth at some point anyway, so in all honesty, it really doesn't matter.

Now, I desperately need to build a stand for my tile-saw. That's the next subproject.

Cheers!

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Spent the last week building the frame for the hearth slab. There will be a final layer of plastic over the plywood, just to prevent the concrete and the plywood from sticking.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Yeah, I already have the interior filled with plywood precariously balanced on a bunch of loose 2x4s. I'm going to screw the whole assembly together with frame anchors (L-shaped metal brackets) tonight, frame up the exterior with 2x8s tomorrow, and if all goes well, pour the hearth Saturday.

One of the hardest things to find is cheap wooden handles for making my own wood concrete float. I don't want to *pay* for a plank with a stupid handle on it.

I went back and forth on whether to protrude a curved lip over the front entry way (the short axis). If I want to do that, I suppose I need to put in a new piece of rebar hanging over the corresponding area. I dunno, probably not worth the trouble. I would prefer to avoid a perfectly rectangular shape, but whatever.