Yet another Adelaidian

[Himzo]

Hi Folks,

I wasn't planning on joining for a while, just planned on lurking in the background and doing research. However while looking for fire bricks I came accross these available in Melbourne and thought they may be usefull to someone on these Forums. (hope the link works)

350 LOT Fire Bricks fireplace Wood Oven Heat Proof A++ - eBay, Other Building Materials, Building Materials, DIY, Home. (end time 13-Dec-08 14:54:37 AEDST)

We are looking at building our Ovens some time down the track. In the mean time I plan to do as much research as possible.

Himzo.

[nissanneill]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Hi Himzo. and another welcome aboard to a fellow Adelaidian.
Gee, we might be going for a record on this forum for sheer numbers.
What part of the Hills are you from. I am at Flagstaff Hill, Tim is at Woodside and Cooter at Norton Summit. So some possibly close to you.
Read and assk questions. Feel free to contact anyone specific but keep us informed of your intentions.

Yhe Melbourne firebricks look OK but will cost you plenty to either drive over to pick the up or get a transport company to collect.
Often you might get a removalist to collect back freight but if you get into strife, I have a contact who brings wrecked vehicles over and often has room for the odd palette.

Cheers.

Neill

[Himzo]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Hi Neil,

I'm at Crafers West, just off the freeway.

I have no intention of getting those bricks. I posted the link so that anybody in Melbourne that is a member of this Forum might be able to. It's not the cost, more the travel time involved that stops me getting them..

I haven't decided on the location of the Oven(s) as yet. We are still arguing over House plans, as we intend to rebuild. There is going to be an indoor one and an outdoor one. In the mean time I plan to try and learn as much as I can.

One question I have, ok two,
How do people cut their bricks?
&
Is there an equivalant of the Harbor Freight 10" saw in Aus?


Himzo

[Tim F]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

I found another link a while back that has some interstate suppliers for firebricks a little cheaper than locally, and some shipping companies with prices. Haven't called any of them but here it is in case it's useful!

Where in the hills are you?

Adelaide - Building Materials

[Himzo]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Hi Guys, Thanks for the welcome

I'm at Crafers West, just off the freeway.

At the moment I'm just doing research. I came accross those on Ebay and thought somebody on this Forum could use them. ( It's a bit of a pay back for all the information I gained while lurking )

I'm not ready for construction yet, Still trying to work out the right sight. We plan on re-building our house and want to have an WFO inside as well as one for outdoor entertainment.

At the moment, we have a very rough idea as to where to put the outdoor oven, but I want to plan it out properly, possibly as an outdoor Kitchen. It also means digging into the hillside, and I've done enough of that for one year.

I still have some other fairly major projects on the go which need to be completed before I start on the Oven.

TimF thanks for the link, took a quick glance, it looks usefull.

I plan to ask a lot of questions and look at as many project pages as I can over the next few months while I slowly build up my tools and supplies.

Himzo.

[Cooter]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Hizmo
welcome aboard
cutting bricks...ideally it would be nice to have a water cooled brick cutter,and afriend who had one would be a friend indeed
depending on how you construct there is a LOT of cutting spread out over many sessions which makes hiring one a pain in the bum and expensive
I have used a drop saw with a $30 diamond blade in it for the bulk of my Pompei and have been really impressed by the durability. Its really dusty and you need a proper respirator style dust mask ($60 from Bianco's)
I have also used a small 4 inch diamond blade in a hand held cutter a lot to do all the fine tuning
Look forward to watching your progress
cheers cooter

[Tim F]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

I used a GMC 14" drop saw to cut my bricks. I did a slight modification by taping pads of the green nylon scourers over the intakes to block a bit of the brick dust. It is stunningly dusty and yes you will want goggles, ear muffs, a good respirator, and a shower cap wouldn't go astray I just used a carborundum blade (ended up needing 2) which was only $14 or so but I think a diamond blade would have been a better option. They seem to be $50 on ebay.

I also found a 5" angle grinder useful for the tricky bits, diamond blades for these are pretty cheap. When I was calling around I think mitre 10 at Mile End had some tile saws for a reasonable price - around 2-300 - but you would have to flip the brick to cut through. If I did it again I think I would get one anyway.

Having said all that I minimised my cutting by using a bolster for all of the dome bricks and would definitely recommend it.

[Himzo]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Bugger,

I was hopeing to avoid the dry cutting thing. I've been laying pavers around the place and the few cuts I've had to do, I did with an angle grinder. Let's just say I wound up looking like one of those mud men from tv documentaries.

Might see if I can figure out some sort of dust extraction, sort of like I have on my table saw..

Himzo.

[nissanneill]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Himzo

Dust extraction is so easy, just have a couple of small garden sprayers (you know, the type that has a very fin atomised mist spray, they use a lot less water as well) aimed either side of the blade, (preferably a diamond blade because they tend to produce much less dust than the friction masonry 3mm discs).
Just watch out that you don't squirt or spray water into the electrics of your saw or grinder.
Failing that, set up a rubbish bin behind the saw (where all the dust is going to be directed) and put your sprays into that, so that the dust passes through the spray. All the dust will be wet and fall as mud to the ground or rather into the bin!


Neill

[dmun]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Having said all that I minimised my cutting by using a bolster for all of the dome bricks and would definitely recommend it.

A bolster (brick-set to all us 'merkins)

is a tool that requires skill to use. It's not a skill that I've ever acquired. I can make a mess of brick fragments in one sharp whap with this tool. I think it's like glass cutting: either you get it or you don't.

Bolster's an interesting word, by the way. Looking for the image, I came upon the fat part of a knife where it attaches to the handle, a railroad flat car, the ubiquitous pillow, a battleship, and a bunch of other things.

[Himzo]

Re: Yet another Adelaidian

Himzo

Dust extraction is so easy, just have a couple of small garden sprayers (you know, the type that has a very fin atomised mist spray, they use a lot less water as well) aimed either side of the blade, (preferably a diamond blade because they tend to produce much less dust than the friction masonry 3mm discs).
Just watch out that you don't squirt or spray water into the electrics of your saw or grinder.
Failing that, set up a rubbish bin behind the saw (where all the dust is going to be directed) and put your sprays into that, so that the dust passes through the spray. All the dust will be wet and fall as mud to the ground or rather into the bin!


Neill

Love the idea, thanks..