Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Use a rubber mallet to help use tap the brick joints tight. Also soaking the bricks buys you a little more time in setting a brick. Me being a novice brick layer needed all the time I could get to position the brick.

[mrchipster]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Use a rubber mallet to help use tap the brick joints tight. Also soaking the bricks buys you a little more time in setting a brick. Me being a novice brick layer needed all the time I could get to position the brick.

Another piece of advice, mix very small batches of mortar until you get the hang of laying the bricks. I also made sure I placed one or two bricks on the next course up at the end of the workday, it made it easier to start the course with one or two bricks solidly fixed.

[ronwass]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Good advice Mr. Chipster and Mr. Beehiver. Thank you.

[ronwass]

my system for compound cuts on the saw.

This is my system. Shall I stick to it? I'm trying to build this oven, the simplest easiest way. If that includes eyeballing the angles, so be it.

[ronwass]

dry stacking the beginning of course two.

As you can see, I am not cutting weird angles on the transition bricks as I did on the first course. I'm filling in the little empty triangles with mortar.

Anyone see a problem with this?

[ronwass]

second course. To taper or not?

I have side tapered in the first brick. (my salvage bricks are all factory tapered from outside to inside of oven in this laying sequence.) The rest so far I am not going to taper side to side. That leaves a lot of space for mortar.

My thought is to do it this way for the first few courses, and then by the time that the courses start facing down towards the floor, I will side taper more for key strength. (of course by then the "side to side" taper will be pretty close to vertical.)

This leaves a lot a mortar in the oven. The bricks I am using are very hard and dense, so it seems to me that there will be enough thermal mass.

Am I deluding myself?

I'm also using brick wedges as shims. I think that for a low course, the bricks will need more than just mortar to hold the angle over the years.

[deejayoh]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

It might be just me, but your mortar looks to be awfully dry and sparingly applied in the pictures - like it may not really be bonded to the brick. It needs to be wet and oozing out the sides of the joint when you lay the brick, then you cut off the snots with your trowel.

also - the brick chips are good for getting the angle right on your dome courses - but the mortar is more than sufficient to hold the bricks apart over time. That's why there is sand in it. I used them once in a while but it's really just one more step that is not necessary and you can save time if you can get the angle you want with just mortar.

[ronwass]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Ok, good to know. Thanks. There is much discussion here about dryness and amount of mortar. Some say the less the better, and not too wet, or is that concrete?

I was shooting for middle of the road. I'll try your way the rest of this course.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Gudday
My builds a lot like yours I used minimal cuts as I built with brick bulster and angle grinder. Of course there a lot more mortar in the construction than an oven with bricks cut top and sides. It's good your using home brew mortar as it will span any gapes better than the specialized stuff. Because its lime based I believe the mortars better able to handle the stresses of the oven expanding and contracting. I have no cracks in the dome only a couple of hairline ones in the entrance in the mortar not the brick.
I built on ply guide and burnt it out at the end. I don't recommend doing it that way far bigger fire than you would expect... But my oven did survived it with no damage!
Regards dave

[ronwass]

Days and days of rain.

You can't really see the rain coming down in the picture, but the puddle sure is visible. This is going to go on for days, probably through the fourth of July.

I certainly didn't want to take up the two tarps so I spent the day working on the expanded deck that is to the right of the oven stand, that you can't see.

It was raining, but warm, and I basically got covered in mud from head to toe, and so did my tools, but it was way fun.

[mrchipster]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

Put an upside down trash can in the middle of the oven to get the water to run off otherwise your floor is going to get wet, those blue tarps leak when made into a tub.

[ronwass]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

I had the brick form under there, but it fell over. That's why I put two tarps on there. I should get two newer ones though. Thanks.

Weather report is starting to improve for the fourth of July.

[zeker]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

SWMBO ='s She Who Must Be Obeyed ? one's wife or female partner

I used to have one of those. now its SWLE.. she who lives elsewhere

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Rockland County, NY 36" build with pictures.

I used to have one of those. now its SWLE.. she who lives elsewhere

Yup!!! that got me laughing.

Also been laughing all day at the hoax of pilot names that crashed in SF. "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow"

[ronwass]

I had to finish this deck first

I've been away from the oven for a couple of weeks. Been travelling, and then, for various reasons, had to finish this expansion of my deck.