No prior experience. Is it a poor decision to try and do the masonry work myself?

[JABF99]

I'm usually a pretty handy DIY guy, and a quick learner. But I've never tried any masonry work. I was curious if others have had a good or bad experience trying to do their own masonry work with no prior experience. Any suggestions here? Thanks.

[Audionatic]

I'd never done any masonry work either. If you take your time, and follow the plans and great advice available here on this forum, you can build a heck of an oven.
It's a lot of work though.

[SableSprings]

It would be interesting to know how many of us had actual masonry/brick experience before we built an oven. I strongly suspect that the percentage of mortar neophytes is quite high. I was in pretty much the same boat as you when I began my project and have come to the conclusion that it's really just about being confident that you CAN do it that matters.

If you have that confidence, then willing to research and learn from the wealth of material available here and elsewhere makes the inexperience a lot less important. In fact, I think everyone who joins and actively uses a forum's resources is in effect building with a team of experienced folks at their back.

I used to tell my students to always use the "T" word (think). Here: Think about why you want a WFO. Think about whether you want the satisfaction of building it yourself or if you just want a working oven ASAP. Think about cover (or not) for the WFO...how about wood supply & storage? Think about the time you're willing to invest and how much space you've got to work with, etc. etc. etc. Once you have those answers and have decided to build, the rest of the process becomes a rewarding challenge. (Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that... )

Don't let a lack of expertise in masonry work be the major factor of your decision to build a WFO...again, there are a lot of folks here that can answer your building questions and be quite an effective support group. If you really want it...go for it!

[JABF99]

It would be interesting to know how many of us had actual masonry/brick experience before we built an oven. I strongly suspect that the percentage of mortar neophytes is quite high. I was in pretty much the same boat as you when I began my project and have come to the conclusion that it's really just about being confident that you CAN do it that matters.

If you have that confidence, then willing to research and learn from the wealth of material available here and elsewhere makes the inexperience a lot less important. In fact, I think everyone who joins and actively uses a forum's resources is in effect building with a team of experienced folks at their back.

I used to tell my students to always use the "T" word (think). Here: Think about why you want a WFO. Think about whether you want the satisfaction of building it yourself or if you just want a working oven ASAP. Think about cover (or not) for the WFO...how about wood supply & storage? Think about the time you're willing to invest and how much space you've got to work with, etc. etc. etc. Once you have those answers and have decided to build, the rest of the process becomes a rewarding challenge. (Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that... )

Don't let a lack of expertise in masonry work be the major factor of your decision to build a WFO...again, there are a lot of folks here that can answer your building questions and be quite an effective support group. If you really want it...go for it!

I would love to build it myself. I have always enjoyed learning new DIY skills. Time isn't an issue for me, so I can go at my own pace for the entire project.

[JRPizza]

Other than building a few planters using retaining wall block, I had never done any masonry work but I always wanted to build something out of brick. I think the hardest part for me (maybe most unfamiliar) was working with mortar. I would highly suggest picking up a heavy duty low speed drill if you don't already have one. I used mine with a mortar attachment to both mix all my dry ingredients for home brew mortar and for the wet mix. I started by hand mixing and was not getting good consistency. Using the power tool really saved my wrists and helped me get a consistent mortar.
I'd say if you have the time and inclination you should go for it.

[UtahBeehiver]

JAB,

I had very little masonry skill prior to building my oven. Did it take time, yes, did I make boo boos, yep. Building a WFO is not as bad as one would think. Give it a go. You are using a mix bag of fire brick sizes so strategic placement will be necessary. BTW, there have been several builds done in the UK with heater storage bricks. I think Bookemdanno used them on his floor.

[RandyJ]

As the rest have said I had no real mason experience when I started. I have done a small amount of concrete work at work like light pole bases and a few other things but not much. Also as others have said being willing to take the leap is more important than skill. You will get a feel for how the mortar goes on in the first row and then refine your technique as you get farther along. It is a major time commitment. I think I have 250 to 300 hours in to mine over the corse of about 5 months. I still have a few small details to finish but am very close to done.

Randy

[NCMan]

Great advice you're getting. This Forum is a great resource. You'll do fine.

[Rinrat86]

We had no prior experience really. DH and I had never mixed concrete - he'd helped his Dad a few times as a kid but not since. Our masonry experience consisted of me ripping off all the old fake rock trim on our house and watching the mason put the new stuff on. Our experience cutting rock/brick came from the prior year when we bought a small circular masonry saw to cut the flag stones for our path. Take your time, think and learn. It is an awesome experience and I'm sure the pizza tastes better knowing how much you put into it!

[thebigt]

I had never layed a brick in my life before I took on this project. While many people on this forum ha e built waaaayyyy nicer Ovens than mine, it still works and I'm sure glad that I did it myself.