Brick arch help please?

[RichC]

Im trying to figure out the brick arch I want to build around the entrance to my oven. I bought some new red brick and my wife didnt like it so Ive to get some reclaimed bricks. Thats not a problem. I have and angle grinder with a diamond blade and I might be able to borrow a consaw.
1. Do most people build arches without cutting brick or is it essential to cut bricks to build a 'nice' arch?
2. If I want to build an arch with the minimum of cutting is it simply a matter of choosing a larger radius to achieve a gentel curve or is cutting essential to building a 'beautiful' arch?

Thanks

R

[Tscarborough]

Re: Brick arch help please?

The smaller the arch, the better it looks to cut wedges, as a rule. However, I didn't on my little arch, and even though I have big wedges of mortar, I like the look.

[Les]

Re: Brick arch help please?

The smaller the arch, the better it looks to cut wedges, as a rule. However, I didn't on my little arch, and even though I have big wedges of mortar, I like the look.

Ditto - the only cutting I did was to shape my keystone.

[RichC]

Re: Brick arch help please?

Thanks guys!
Having checked out your arches I going to build with the minimum of cuts, hopefully just the keystone. I'm confident that it can look great this way, like yours do.

Rich

[boerwarrior]

Re: Brick arch help please?

I have a total of 5 arches in my oven! Just like the others who commented, only the keystone was cut for the Pizza oven arches. For my wood storage arches there was no cutting - I used spacers to hold the bricks in place so they were equidistant from each other. After the mortar was in place and had set for an hour or so - then I pulled the spacers out.

[jeeppiper]

Re: Brick arch help please?

I didn't even use a keystone....I used straight bricks all across. I built a Styrofoam form that supported the bricks while the mortar set. Then removed the form.

My mortar joints are tapered, rather than the bricks. see attached.

[RichC]

Re: Brick arch help please?

Arch complete and looks OK despite being slightly off square(dont think anyone will notice). Im happy with it anyway and thanks for the help guys. I only had to cut the keystone. Just has to be pointed now!

[oasiscdm]

Re: Brick arch help please?

Hi

we can build arches or we can build arches. It is all in the building as too what we want to achieve. I went for perfection. I.e minimal gaps in all bricks.

what works works if we want something that just works ok if w want perfection then we get perfection.

[wotavidone]

Re: Brick arch help please?

Arch complete and looks OK despite being slightly off square(dont think anyone will notice

A semi circular arch cannot be "offsquare". How can a curved thing be off square? You must be hallucinatin'

[RichC]

Re: Brick arch help please?

A semi circular arch cannot be "offsquare". How can a curved thing be off square? You must be hallucinatin'

By off square, I mean the top keystone area doesn't rise plumb from the face of the base bricks. If I put a flat surface against the face of it the top few bricks wouldnt touch it.