Help Please - about to start work!!

[brokencookie]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Bruce, never mind my comment on the other thread. I see what got you going. Mmmhumuos is at fault!

All I ever do is find good ideas, clean them up a bit, and take credit
Then if things go bad I have someone else to blame.

When I do something really bad, I just blame you George

Bruce

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

On which note:-

=mmmhumous;30651]Got to love wikipedia!

forgot to add "and ultimately lay all blame at the door of....." lol

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

More bricks..... more photos:

and a kind donation of a wheelbarrow full of roof tiles from my next door neighbour!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Anyone got any thoughts on where I should place the oven door , in the front arch (green), or flush against the lintel at the front of the oven (red)??

I'm planning to use two sheets of metal bolted together and separated by a layer of vermicucrete. I'm going to have a hole running through the whole thing, covered with an ajustable metal vent cover at the front.

[Frances]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Red definately!

The reason being you need to stop the retained heat from escaping up the chimney. The door needs to completely seal the oven dome (or vault in this case ) against the outside.

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Cheers Frances!! that's the answer I was hoping for (like you, I don't think exact measurements and metal work will be my forte and didn't fancy fitting metal sheets to the archway).

You Mozaic work is looking great!!

[james]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Also, when you door completely closes off the oven chamber, you can cut off the oxygen supply and kill your fire, or accurately limit airflow.

I've told this story before, but I cooked in a poorly designed WFO in France (two different summers), where the door closed off the vent arch, not the oven chamber. I tried to kill the fired one evening after a no-fired alert had been issued (it was very hot and dry, and there were pine trees everywhere) -- and the fire kept breathing in air through the chimney. Bad.

James

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Thanks James.

Luckily, fire warnings aren't really an issue here in sunny Manchester. (for those not familiar with Mancunian weather, unmbrellas outnumber people 2 to 1).

Brickwork finally finnished! just the roof and door left to go!

Used a couple of the roof tiles to finnish off the landing at the front of the oven.

[Frances]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Looking good!

Hey that was so fast - how long has it taken you, couple of weeks?

I like all those red bricks, gives it a witchy feel somehow. I think you should have some ivy or honneysuckle growing over it once its finished.

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Cheers Frances

It's been 6 weeks from laying the foundation, 5 since starting the oven itself.... hopefully should all be done and dusted within 2 months total!! Just in time for summer.

There's a winter flower honeysuckle next to it, so that could be a real option (we want to train it up the pergola, have to see how quickly it grows.

Got my second wind this evening, and put in the rafters, final layer of rockwool insulation and some weather protection.

Just needs the battons and tiles now!!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Started work on the roof last night (raided my brother-in-law's back garden for the battons):

[gjbingham]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Beautiful! Gorgeous work!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Thanks GJ, it's getting there

Did the other side of the roof tonight, just the flashing, door and bardge boards left!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Now that the end's in sight, just a quick, but very big thank you to everyone who has given help and advice on this thread and elsewhere on the forum, it has been really useful and prevented me from making some big mistakes.

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!!!!!!!

[mmmhumous]

Re: Help Please - about to start work!!

Costings:-

Bricks

1 Pallet (~450bricks) of engineering Grade B bricks - ?114
80 Scotch corner Bricks (?0.42 each) - ?33.60
40 Firebricks (?2 each) - ?80

Insulation

Vermiculite 3x100L @ ?9.39, 1x50L @ ?11.99 - ?40.15
Loft insulation (free curtsey of warm front) - ?0

Mortar etc.

Mortar (20kg blue circle) 5@?2.90, 21@?2.97 - ?76.87
Cement (25kg blue circle) 3@?3.70 - ?11.10
Postcrete (25kg) 10@?2.95 - ?29.50
Clay (curtsey of my, now well draining garden) - ?0
Bricklaying tools - ?14.97

Misc

Paving Slabs (free courtesy of next door) - ?0
Metal rebar for interior lintel - ?4.99
Edging slabs 3@?2.99 - ?8.97
Lintel - ?4.97
Roof tiles and nails (free courtesy of next door) - ?0
Battons (free courtesy of brother-in-law) - ?0


Total (or as near as dammit) - ?419.12 ($827.72, €537.72)