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I am starting my first brick oven in my own backyard and have waited many years to do this because of not being a homeowner. I was a mason in my previous life and have constructed many regular fireplaces but this is my first brick oven. I am debating on a 36" or 42" oven and leaning towards the smaller size. This is my first stage of my planned outdoor kitchen. I intend to add a natural gas insert grill, a sink, a refrigerator, and a spot for my little Davy Crockett Green Mountain smoker grill. I have plans to form my hearth tonight and pour tomorrow and hopefully start laying fire brick for my dome on Saturday and Sunday. I am hoping to be able to make some pizza the first week in July are my ambitions to high?
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Welcome. Quick Q - is there a slab or footer under your base? You're going to be putting a lot of weight on that, and it will settle. I think the plans recommend a 5-6 inch concrete slab under the oven.
Cooking pizza first week in July is an ambitious goal - but most builders didn't have masonry experience before starting this, so if you can get an oven up over the weekend - then more power to you! -
I have a 12" footing under my block. I am not sure if I am going to have it completed this weekend because my goal is to have uniformity in my joints and keeping each brick on half bond.Comment
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I am thinking the most tedious process may be curing the oven by slowly getting up to temperature and allowing to cool before reheating again.Comment
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welcome! its a great site if you havent figured it out already... i too am building a cinder block formed outdoor kitchen, with drop in BBQ, frig and spot for a garbage container. check out my build progress so far.
https://community.fornobravo.com/for...2-corner-build
sounds like you are planning for the most minimal mortar exposure, which will mean cutting a lot of bricks to get to that point. my oven (42") is going to take around 200 cut bricks. i have been cutting bricks on worknights and laying them on the weekends. I dont have a lot of time (2 kids) to work on it so its taking a while for me. but the time you allocate towards it is unique to the individual. i didnt have any real experience with laying brick, so i needed to get over a learning curve myself.
are you planning on an igloo or dog house? will the dome walls sit on top of the floor ? or will the floor be inside the walls? I opted for having the walls sit on top of the floor to eliminate some cuts.
good luck!
JoeComment
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They will sit on the floor.
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Update: My goal is looking far more unattainable and second week is looking much more realistic.
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You are ambitious. One thing I see is it looks like your joints are lining up in one of the pictures. I know it is hard sometimes to keep them apart but it is a good plan.
RandyComment
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I hadn't even noticed until I was wiping them down and I will throw a smaller piece in the middle going forward to get back on bond. All of this besides the base and the concrete pad was done in approx. six hours by myself.. The problem with using a solid brick is "bond" is really not there without the brick having holes in them for the mortar to adhere to. If I was not at my home without my 4 year old and my wife, had a labor to mix mud and make the cuts with some scaffolding, I could easily lay this entire oven in a day or less.Comment
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I guess when you have the skills as second nature then you can just sail throttle project. I know having the right tools and competent help makes all the difference in the world. Keep up the good work.
RandyComment
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Not quite the latest because I have another arch in front of this one now and I am ready to set my flue liner. I had purchased a flue liner but I was standing on top of base finishing the dome and not knocked a brick down which fell directly on my flue liner breaking both.Comment
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looks great! are you doing any type of venting in the perl/cement layer?
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