Getting started

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

Got the insulating hearth pored tonight pics to follow was dark when I finished. Hopefully Sunday will start laying the cooking floor and maybe start the dome. Going to a Russian Festival in Kalamazoo tomorrow.

[mrchipster]

Re: Getting started

So the weather and time have all come together yesterday I got the strucrtural hearth poured and the form put together for the vermicrete insulating hearth. I didn't form up for the landing as I am planning a thermal break. So if I am thinking correctly because of the thermal break there is no need for the thermal hearth underneath it. Am I thinking correctly on this ? Oh and here's some pics.

you also want insulation under the landing there is still heat tranfered via a thermal break.

Chip

[Laku]

Re: Getting started

I honestly don't see much point in insulting beyond thermal break. Most of the heat transferred there will be radiated so it's not like it'll do much to prevent it in any case.

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

I made the jump and insulated under the landing. The insulative hearth is five inches thick of 7:1 vermiculite concrete. With a bit of luck will be laying the cooking floor tomorrow.

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

Finished installing the floor seems pretty flat has a couple of gaps between bricks larger than I like nothing major though. I have read about those that are planning on using a belt sander on their floor to make sure it's flat. Is this really necessary or are they over thinking?

I am starting my soldier course from the insulating hearth rather than sitting on the cooking floor as per the plans. The height of the brick above the cooking floor is 4.5" just like a brick cut in half. Is their any adjustment I need to make in building my IT for this? or is the radius of the dome the correct length. just don't want to end up with a too high dome. Any thoughts?

It was suggested to me that I might need to use an strap hinge to make my IT to compensate for the soldier height. I can't seem to find a thread about this situation.

Thanks

[mrchipster]

Re: Getting started

Look at post 25 of this link.

It gives the same type of geometry as a strap hinge but he calls it a lazy Susan.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/p...lia-14634.html

Chip

[Les]

Re: Getting started

In regard to sanding - I did it. If you can run an edge over the brick with it not catching - you are golden. About the IT - didn't use it. It seems to me that it will work for whatever radius you want. What size are you building?

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

A 36 inch oven

[rsandler]

Re: Getting started

I did my oven with a half soldier resting on the insulation board, didn't adjust anything else and my IT worked fine. The IT will place the bricks along a perfect half circle, centered on whatever height you have the pivot of the IT. The lazy susan idea that Chip linked to will give you a lower dome, but I believe that's independent of your soldier height. If your soldiers are especially tall, then your first non-soldier coarse won't line up perfectly, but probably not to enough to be particularly noticeable. Hopefully that makes sense?

-Ryan

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

Took advantage of the great weather today got the soldier course mortared in and the first chain all went together pretty fast. Just had to make some awkward cuts around the arch. (obviously a layout or math error somewhere but making it work.

Want to buitld the arch next using the method of extending the arch back to the curve of the dome just having a difficult time visualizing how to use my IT to mark the bricks. If my guesses are correct the length (depth ?) of the bricks at the top of the arch should be about 7 inches. I built my IT using the method that Mr. Chipster developed works great! Thanks Chip !

So any ideas on how these arch brick should be marked? Mine is not a pure arch as the opening in a 36" oven is too small this way. I have straight sides 7 inches high and then the arch starts going up to 12 inches. I'm just not getting the visualization of marking the bricks Help!!

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

Forgot to mention I'm using the FB homebrew. Any ideas for keeping the mortar warm until it cures as the temperatureare supposed to drop into the thirties this weekend. Was hoping to get the arch finished and maybe a couple more courses laid. Will be out of brick then and the brickyard is taking a long weekend.((

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Getting started

Maybe this will help. This is from GianniFoccacia's thread.

[Laku]

Re: Getting started

Forgot to mention I'm using the FB homebrew. Any ideas for keeping the mortar warm until it cures as the temperatureare supposed to drop into the thirties this weekend. Was hoping to get the arch finished and maybe a couple more courses laid. Will be out of brick then and the brickyard is taking a long weekend.((

Tarp it and have a space heater or lamp to keep the temperature under the tarp at sufficient level.

[bgreed]

Re: Getting started

Thanks for the replies. Here's a photo catually have the first chain on top of the soldier course.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Getting started

To help keeping mortar out of the crack between the floor and your soldier course put some duct tape over the crack. This will prevent mortar from getting in there and causing expansion issues later on.