36" in Seattle

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Started building the planter walls. It was frustratingly slow work. I was trying to ensure that the wall is perfectly vertical and perfectly level. I'm a very slow brick-layer.

It's hard to see in the second photo, but many of the drain hole cuts are actually cut on two axes since they occur at corners of the wall and need to be a consistent width as they project through the wall. Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Someday I'll finish this oven.

Cheers!

[sjmeff]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I would tend to think that because you have a semi-circular arch, the weight of the arch and the bricks above it will keep the arch structurally sound.

I have a hairline crack in my inner arch (same position as the picture you first posted), but the weight of the dome and the rest of the arch keep it solidly in place.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Two more almost-hairline cracks, one in each of the two layers of my inner arch, the arch into which the dome merges.

As stated before, these seem to have appeared long after any firing. It has been, um, two weeks I think since I fired the oven.

I hope it's all okay.

Ah me.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Hey Keb,
Your oven is great, I dodnt think your crack is horrible or even bad... Just keep an eye on it,,, Maybe you can clean it out with a dremel and repoint it ?? or if you have any cutting dust left pack it in and mist it with water, You could try doing it while the oven is hot (just after cooking and cooling down) and the crack is a little larger from expansion.. It is a thin tight joint perhaps there just wasnt enough mortar in there to grab and you lost too much moisture from the bricks sucking it in... Either way, I would just keep an eye on it, then decide what you want to do.. Your oven was one of the best jobs I have seen here in quite a while.. relax and enjoy
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

As promised (long ago), here's a shot showing how my vent transitions to my steel pipe. The vent opening is about 6"x9" and the steel pipe is 8" interior, 10" exterior. It isn't optimal, but it's not too bad either.

Cheers!

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I noticed a pretty complete crack in my entry arch tonight. It's a hairline on the right side of the keystone and seems to run most of the length of the entire joint. I'm a little perplexed because I haven't fired the oven in quite a while, a week or two I'd guess. I'm not sure how a crack suddenly appeared.

Grrr...I hope it's okay. My concern is obviously that in the worst case the arch could actually settle or (unthinkably) collapse. I think that is highly unlikely, but I am a little concerned that it might settle and that consequently much of the brickwork above it could crack as well. It is a very "important" joint in that it is vertical and near the keystone. In a more horizontal joint, the adjoining bricks would simply press against one another, but in this vertical joint I'm worried that there may be a significant amount of sheer that could permit the disconnected pieces to slide relative to one another.

Ironically, this crack seems to have developed along one of my thinnest, tightest joints. Seems a little odd to me.

<sigh>

[Raffy]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

It's a fine line between meticulous and obsessive-compulsive and a slippery rope between obsessive compulsive and debilitatingly slow.

I totally understand the obsessive compulsive part. If it's worth doing it's worth being done right (or it's worth over-doing). As slow as you think you went, you have made an amazing oven.

Bravo on such great work.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

The people living in that house now like it too, or I should say their Dog loves it. They put a plywood roof on it and it is now his castle.

[bruced]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

That castle is creative, and functional. You are a great dad. Wish I had thought of that for my three daughters!

[kebwi]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

It's a fine line between meticulous and obsessive-compulsive and a slippery rope between obsessive compulsive and debilitatingly slow.

Thank you for the compliment.

[Raffy]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

OMG, Keith. Your brickwork is FLAWLESS. Next time I build (if there ever is a next time) I'll try to make mine as precise as yours. Simply awesome. And the design... what can I say but very inspiring!

Raffy

[kebwi]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

Parged the upper terrace, 4:1:1. Also mortared a few small pieces of hardibacker to the vermicrete where they had fallen off after the initial terrace pours (pieces that were too small to justify a bolt/washer lock). All in all, a slow weekend. I threw my back out last week so that prevented me from doing almost any work. Oh well.

Cheers!

[kebwi]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

Gee whiz, that's awesome.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

Hey Kebwi, I found this old pic this weekend. It is an SBC castle I built for my daughters when they were little. It is drystacked CMU and the crenelated turrets are bricks, kind of like what you are doing. In the 5 years of many small children swarming the castle, none of the bricks ever broke loose, if that makes you feel any better.

[kebwi]

Re: 36&quot; in Seattle

Parged the lower two terraces 4:1:1 sand/portland/lime. I'll do the top terrace tomorrow. My reasoning for doing this is two-fold. First, the vermicrete is very loose in some places, like a full half inch of loose rubble that I can dig through before hitting a hard concrete. Not everywhere, not over the entire terrace area, but in a few places it's that bad. Two, by smoothing out the working surface, I'm hoping my SBC will go further. I would hate to run out.

Also shown are a pile of little bricks that I'll use to make the walls of the planter beds. They are quarters cut from the large flat slabs shown in an earlier post.

Cheers!