Corner Build in South East PA

[UtahBeehiver]

You may want to experiment with the refractory mortar before you use it on the whole oven. It is an air set but a heat cure. Ovens typically may not get hot enough for a heat cure. You should run these products by the blog before you purchase.

[Chach]

You may want to experiment with the refractory mortar before you use it on the whole oven. It is an air set but a heat cure. Ovens typically may not get hot enough for a heat cure. You should run these products by the blog before you purchase.

I agree with Russell...it gets very exciting to start and when you see a deal I understand the feeling of wanting to jump on it, but you have to make sure the product your buying is going to be right for the application it was intended for. This forum is a great resource for these types of questions don't hold back. My experience with refractory mortars is this I used heat stop 50 on my outdoor fireplace and it worked good but expensive. I used the homebrew for the actual oven and I liked that much better and was very easy to work with. I would use it again if I built another.

Ricky

[Chris inPA]

Question in placement of the inner arch:

I believe that the outermost edge of the inner arch should touch the edge of the line which indicates the circumference. Is that correct? Or is it the innermost edge that should touch?

[Chach]

Here us a picture of where the inside of the arch should be set. The inside of the arch should touch the ovens inside circumference. note my picture looks like the arch is away from the inner circumference but that is because I cut the floor about 1/8"-3/16" shorter for expansion.

Ricky

[Chris inPA]

Chach Perfect. Thank you again. How deep was your inner arch form?

[UtahBeehiver]

Pic 1 incorrect, pic 2 correct. Be sure leave a release under your arch form, at least 1/2" so you can drop form out without disturbing the arch.
Chalch's placement of the arch is correct. Your arch template width is fine, you don't want it too wide.

[Chach]

Chach Perfect. Thank you again. How deep was your inner arch form?

Like 5" or so I think that part doesn't matter as you need it just to hold the brick a little when assembling and putting the arch together it will stick to the brick next and hold it the form is just that to keep the form your shooting for and provide some support. Russell is correct you want to shim that form off the ground so you're not beating the form out. My picture does not show this part as I did not do it until later. Here is my picture showing this.

Ricky

[Chris inPA]

I haven't uploaded anything in a while. Today I mixed mortar for bricks for the 1st time. I mortared the 1st course and started cutting the inner arch tapers.

[Chris inPA]

I stripped the forms off of the insulating hearth this morning at 7 AM and worked all day.

[Chris inPA]

I put an expansion joint/heat break in the hearth. It's filled with crushed up low density fire bricks and the ends are filled in with Kaowool tape "glued" in with rtv sealant.

[Neil.B]

Great progress, well done.

I used a 2" piece of polystyrene for my arch form. As soon as I placed the last brick I took it out to clean up the joints... i don't advise doing this.

[Chris inPA]

This is the last row that the inner arch intersects.

[Chris inPA]

More pictures as I haven't posted in a while.

[Chris inPA]

More pictures

[Chris inPA]

I had a few scraps of laminate flooring from my daughters room. I laid them on the cooking floor to keep it clean. Notice: the seams run parallel to the opening so that I can get it out when I'm done.