Cutting bricks

[mnl]

Hi all

I have been a long time lurker around these boards, however have finally decided to take the plunge with a pizza oven. I have after a war of attrition, convince my wife to let me have a go at building one rather than buying.

I have decided on a Allan Scott type barrel build with some modifications I have picked up from this forum, however I will post more about that latter to get some advice on do and don't.

My main question before I commit to this is how am I going to cut the fire bricks. The tools I have at my disposal are:

(a) a mitre saw (Ryobi 1200W 210mm Compound Mitre Saw I/N 6210392 | Bunnings Warehouse)

(b) a 5" inch angle grinder

Obviously would have to put a masonry blade on either of these if I was going to use them, soak the bricks in water before cutting and use appropriate PPE (dust mask, safety glasses and hearing protection)

What am I best of using? Will either of these work or should I just hire a wet saw? The problem is I will not be able to do them all in one day and will have to hire a wet saw multiple times.

Thanks

Mark

[boerwarrior]

Re: Cutting bricks

I don't know if you can do this down in Aussieland, but what I did (and several others have done) is buy a new wet saw, use it for the duration of the project, and then sell it on Craigslist (or whatever your favorite local classifieds site is)

All told I am only out about $90 - much cheaper than renting!

[cobblerdave]

Re: Cutting bricks

Gudday Mark
If you do cut dry you going to raise a bit of dust use a respirator and hope mums washing is upwind. But a barrel oven is not going to require that many fancy cuts as a dome does.
Regards Dave

[Tscarborough]

Re: Cutting bricks

They built ovens for a couple thousand years with no saws at all; a hammer and chisel is perfectly capable of making the cuts required.

[Toomulla]

Re: Cutting bricks

I did cut my bricks using a "Bosh" compound mitre saw (PCM 1800SD) fitted with diamond blade Smooth not toothed, I sprayed the blade with water using a garden sprayer.

It did a perfect job, you will need to clean and oil it each time you use it I used Inox

[brickie in oz]

Re: Cutting bricks

I have decided on a Allan Scott type barrel build with some modifications

I really hope you mean lots of modifications?

[mnl]

Re: Cutting bricks

I really hope you mean lots of modifications?

Hi Brickie

Yes I do mean some modifications. Yours is one build thread I have studied to look at what changes I should make. I noticed your book is no longer available for sale?

Regards

Mark

[tusr18a]

Re: Cutting bricks

When I started my project, I decided to go cheap and bought a diamond blade to install on my skill saw. After cutting one brick, I knew that it was a mistake. The dust, sparks, and lack of precision were minor concerns. The real one was the fear of losing a finger or worse. The next day, I went out and bought a wet saw. Made a mistake there too. I bought one that was designed to cut tile. Blew that up after a few days. Finally decided to sink the coin into buying a professional wet saw. Pricey but safe. The advice earlier in the thread to buy the right tool and sell it afterwords is great advice. I still have my saw in the basement. It has been there now for 4 years. Haven't touched in once. Maybe one day, I will build another oven.

With respect to the barrel vault, there is a lot more mass in that oven. You are going to find that more fuel will be needed to heat it. The Alan Scott ovens are seen more as bread ovens. The mass helps you get multiple loads of bread into the oven before it cools off.

[mnl]

Re: Cutting bricks

I really hope you mean lots of modifications?

Brickie - Yes, I do mean modifications. Yours is one of the builds I have studied for the basis of what I was thinking. The comments about it is too much thermal mass have been noted.

Cheers

Mark

[brickie in oz]

Re: Cutting bricks

Brickie - Yes, I do mean modifications. Yours is one of the builds I have studied for the basis of what I was thinking. The comments about it is too much thermal mass have been noted.

Cheers

Mark

Just making sure...... there are way too many who come on here after the event and complain about the poor efficiency of their AS oven.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Cutting bricks

I noticed your book is no longer available for sale?

Regards

Mark

Its still for sale to the USA and UK market, one of Amazons low sneaky tricks is to pay for sales from each country with a cheque from each country.

Sales have to hit the 100 credit mark, be it dollars, shells, pesos or what ever.
In the smaller markets I will never hit the magic 100 credits so Amazon just keeps the money.