Arch design

[JohnR]

I am building a wfo for the purpose of pizza, bread, and other dishes. I am planning a barrel vault design that is 36" wide and 42" deep (these numbers can be bigger or smaller, but this is the size I am leaning towards. I have posted a picture of a possible arch design which uses 17 no. 2 arches and 8 regular bricks. This arch is 15" high at the center and can be built upon 2 or 3 courses of brick laid flat (sorry I do not know the correct terms) which would give an internal height of 20" or 22.5". The inside width is 36". There will be buttressing.

I have a lot of no. 2 arches and that is why I am incorporating them into the oven.

My question: Are there any pitfalls of this arch? Should I change the configuration of where the regular bricks are placed vs. where the arch bricks are placed?

Thanks in advance for all comments and advice.

[stonecutter]

Re: Arch design

What is a no.2 arch?

[SableSprings]

Re: Arch design

What is a no.2 arch?

I was also curious about arch bricks...so according to Google...Arch bricks are simply industry standard shapes made tapered specifically to construct arches. If John's brick is a 2 1/2" brick, as a #2 arch brick it will be tapered from 2 1/2" to 1 3/4" in thickness along its entire length. 2 1/2" arch bricks can be #1, #2, or # 3 -each with a different taper. If he's using a 3" brick, then a #2 would taper from 3" to 2 1/2". The 3 inch bricks have four standard tapers ... #1 tapers from 3" to 2 3/4" whereas a #4 tapers from 3" to 1". Looking closely at John's laid-out arch picture, it's pretty easy to pick out the arch bricks from the standards. FYI: The other kind of brick used in arches is the wedge where the taper is lengthwise (not by width).

John - the arch you've laid out looks good. Remember that when you actually start putting it together, it will get slightly larger with the mortar. Space the bricks out a bit to simulate the mortar addition...those little slivers of mortar do add up! The arch will be plenty strong as long as you buttress it properly (along the base line to prevent the arch bricks from pushing out at the bottom.)

I wish I would have known about these when I was in the planning/building process of my oven!

[JohnR]

Re: Arch design

I just got lucky with this arch bricks (they are 2 1/2" tapered to 1 3/4"). I bought a load of bricks from someone on craigslist for $50 and part of the load included over 100 of these arch bricks.

Thanks for the feed back, I'll lay them out with some spacing.

Another question... Is "refractory flue set" the right mortar to use?

[stonecutter]

Re: Arch design

..so according to Google...

That's why I never heard that term before.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Arch design

Nice deal on brick. I believe Flue Set mortar has a really quick flash time, something like 15 minutes. For me being a novice mason, I need more time to set bricks. Have you considered using "home brew", inexpensive and more forgiving for the DIY mason.

[JohnR]

Re: Arch design

I would use the "homebrew" but I have 5 bags of the Asley Flue Set that I got for next to nothing... so it is less expensive than going out and purchasing the ingredients. I'll mix a little at a time and work carefully.

I am learning a lot from this forum... greatly appreciate all the knowledge.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Arch design

Well can't beat next to nuttin.....

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Arch design

Hi John,

Nice score on your tapered bricks. Too bad you didn't have more of them - they'd make for a nice dome.

You may want to test your flue set make sure its still viable. Here's a brief discussion about your product:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/t...tar-20029.html

Looking forward to seeing your oven design.

John

[JohnR]

Re: Arch design

Thanks for the heads up John. The date stamp on the bag is #121015 (which I interpret based on the other thread regarding this product as yr. 2012, month October, day 15th. So that means the stuff I have is 2 years old. It is dry and stored indoors. I am going to do a test as suggested. I just bought it from a hardscape/outdoor fireplace company 5 months ago. They were going out of business and I got a whole pallet of masonry stuff (which included 5 bags of this flue set) for $25. I'll contact Alsey in the morning, but I'm sure they'll tell me it will be fine as long as it is still dry.