One small step for Pizza

[Fish Wheels]

Re: One small step for Pizza

The recommended size for a 42" is 8" a 6" flu is ok for 36" ovens from my reading on this site. Good luck with your build.

Rod

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Thank you all for responding. Yes I know that 8" is recomended for the 42" oven, and I know the 6" would work if I make the chimney high enough, but this is not what I want to do.
I really wanted to use this gift but I might not be able to do so.

[Fish Wheels]

Re: One small step for Pizza

You could use an 8" clay flu and taper it to 6" by splitting it down the centre and then cement it back together. Add the 6" on top.

Rod

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Well my subcontractor and I (my wife calls him our son) finished installing the perlite concrete on top of the hearth. A few lessons learned:
1. DO NOT USE WHITE PORTLAND CEMENT when mixing it with perlite. You sure can't tell when you have the proper mix.
2. When handling perlite USE A RESPERATOR!!!

I hope to start the brick work next week!

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Need some advice here.
I purchased two gallons of what Boral Brick told me was fire clay, even though it stated on the bucket "mortar". I called up the manufacturer and found out it was in fact high temp mortar.
Now lacking any fire clay can I do any of the following:
1. Just install a leveling course of sand down under the floor?
2. Mix some of the sand with the mortar and use that as leveling
3. Try to find a fire clay and how much? I am buiding a 42" ID oven.

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Dino,

Thanks for the response on the fire clay for the floor. Thats what I thought. I've just discovered that since I only get to work on the oven about 1 day on every other week I tend to do the following:
1. Over think the build
2. Make mountains out of mole hills
3. Forget all of my construction experience and knowledge
4. Try to come up with money saving ideas that normally cost me more money!

Guys thanks for all the help so far, but to be honest it would really be helpful if some of you would just drop by and lay a brick or two while I'm away. My wife would not mind and neither would my Prime subcontractor, who by the way my wife has told me to address him correctly, so now he is not going to be refered to as my subcontractor but my Soncontractor!

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

You all have heard the old saying "Those who can DO, those who CAN'T teach" I am finding out that I am one hell of a teacher!

Here are some progress photos. I made a major Boo Boo. Can you all spot the mistake(s).

Gary

[SCChris]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Gary,
I picked up your message re cutting bricks from front to back to achieve the dome from Dino's thread. It's really up to you how it's acomplished To cut, taper, the bricks adds a bit more cutting but saves on mortar and bricks. I cut and was looking for the minimum mortar joint size I could get. If I were to do another oven, I'd taper again. I always try to point out that half bricks placed with loads of mortar and full taper cut ovens cook great pizzas and roasts and both seem to hold up just fine. The lack of insulation is more of a day to day issue and will cost you in heatup times and days or hours of usability. If you decide to taper, set up a jig and cut a bunch all at once. I cut 1/2" off the front and let the blade come out the side of the brick about 1" short of the 4.5' depth. Mortar fills the gap just fine.



Chris

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Thanks Chris

Thats what I thought. However what I am really after is someone who can come down to my house and provide me with some hands on instructions. In fact I don't really have to be there. Let me know if you need the address and you can tell me what you like to drink so I can arrange to have it on hand.

Gary

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Well Gary, I drink ice tea all afternoon, if you work too hard and I break a sweat watching, I'll have a beer, then move on to wine later. I'll be right over to help .

Your brick work pics look good. The tool you made for keeping round looks good too. I assume you've mortared those soldiers and are doing your 1st row above it? Regarding your question on my thread about tying in, here's what we do:

At this point, you need to install your inner arch or else the rows have nothing to "finish" on. Your inner arch is made up of the top arch (of course) that sits on a left and right vertical pieces. My arch walls are 3 bricks high, others went 3.5 or 4 bricks, it depends: my inner arch opening is 8.25" at the sides (up to 9" is standard) and 11.5-12" in the middle. See my pic below. You can see the 3 bricks at the sides of the arch are straight, stacked. Then I begin my arch bricks. Those side-arch bricks have an angle to them you can't see that meet the 1st 3 rows nicely. The 4th row (almost finished on the right side) will need a "pac-man-like-mouth" cut out of it, facing the arch a mortared in. You will need 2-3 difficult cuts like this but then you cross the top and it's easy after that...really . Oh, and mortar can make up for any little gaps when your cutting isn't perfect.

-Dino

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Thanks guys for your replys. I did get the drink orders but for some reason I don't think you are serious since no one has asked for my address!
Dino again thanks and yes I WILL mortar the soulder course but the pics shown was just a trial layout. I am going to have to shift the whole oven back about 3-4" then I will mortar.

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Just an update here.

This weekend kicked my butt!! HOT HOT HOT. What I was able to do was to move my oven back about 4" which in the previous photos I have posted was only a trial fit. In addition, I got the shoulder course motared and cut the brick for the 1st chain and I build the form for the inner arch.
This was all done without the help of my prime soncontractor who was in Colorado fly fishing!

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Ok going home for the holiday!!! So I will be laying more brick. Quick question for you all.

On the inner arch, how is the brick positioned? Is the brick 9" high and 4" wide as you are looking in from the front or rear?
I can't really tell from looking at all of your photos and the instructions?

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: One small step for Pizza

The inner arch (outer too) is usually just a 9 brick cut in half. As you look from the inside or outside of the dome, you are looking at a 2.5" wide brick that is 4" tall. It use to be 9" tall until you cut that brick in half. It is also 4.5" deep. Here 2 sketchup pics I used to do mine. You will notice I also cut a 1" notch in those bricks for a reveal to accept the oven door tightly. I hope you are planning on a full 1" reveal (sides and top). It makes for nice tight oven door.
Hopefully the dimension lines came out readable on these sketchup pics. The 1st pic is from the inside looking out. 2nd is from front however in I made my arch-wall depth 1 and half bricks deep, not the 1 brick deep you see here.

[gdest]

Re: One small step for Pizza

Boy its the pits just working on the oven only every other weekend. But I do get excited whenever I do see progress!