Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

[WJW]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

Progress continues....

I was about done with my sidewalls when it occurred to me that, with the way I was going, they would not tie into the entry transition at all. So I tore out a couple of bricks to allow me some place to tie the the entray to the walls. (By the way, the home brew seems to set up diamond hard. Of the four bricks I took out, three had been aid somewhere between ten minutes and twelve hours earlier. No problem there. One of the bricks had been laid forty-eight hours earlier. Rock hard. Had to use my angle grinder to cut the joint.)

Anyway, the first pic is a shot of my entryway dry stacked. The second is a bird's eye view showing how I tied the entry way to the sidewalls. I did that on two courses....the ones below were too cured to do anything about.





Do most people tie the entry transition to the walls? I don't know that I've noticed one way or the other before...just seemed to me to make sense.

The final shot was tonight's work. Not the cleanest or straightest work I've seen...but just about ready to lay out my arch and make som forms.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

I dont know if Id be using a steel lintel to hold the front up, a really flat arch would do the job.
The arch only has to rise 10mm (3/8") or so to hold.

I did incorporate a steel lintel in my build but its wrapped in ceramic blanket at the fire face.

Edit:-
Those little triangle pieces you have cut for the inside of the oven will probably come adrift and fall off, small bits of brickwork tend to do that without the added heat, and with them working as the door stop even more so.

[WJW]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

I wondered about both of the issues you raise.

Am I better off cutting a larger peice of brick (which would be bonded to a larger surface)?

I've been worried about the expansion of a peice of steel..thinking of either an arch of some type or a concrete lintel.

Thoughts?

Bill

[brickie in oz]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

Try this......

[brickie in oz]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

some type or a concrete lintel.

As cast refractory concrete lintel would be far better.

[WJW]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

Anyone know if you can make up a refractry concrete by using an agregete, fireclay, lime, etc? The angle iron always has seemed like a weak link to me. I'm srongly leaning toward a flat arch (maybe by cutting bricks on each side), or a cast lintel.

Bill

[WJW]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

O.K. ...some design changes today. Based upon comments by Alan I've decided to drop the little trangular door stops and am planning to do an arch instead of angle iron.

[Dmendo]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

WJW: If you want to use steel frame safe you must consider the thermal expansion of the steel that is around 12 micron per Celsius degree. So for 400?C it is 400* 12*L micron (divided per 1 million for get milimeter). Suppoused 500 mm initial steel length and temperature increment of 400?C the expansion is 2,4 mm (aprox 1/100 inch). So the trick is leave such expansion in the ends of the steel bar an let it "move" freely. As Brickie in Oz has done wrapping the frame in ceramic foil or I would sugest (for this area) a silicone cord in both ends of the bar and maybe (for perfectionism) around the edges as it also expands but now is around 1/10 of the above length (supposed 50 mm wide and high bar). There are silicone foam ribbons that suit perfect for this appilcation.

Regards

[WJW]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

Thanks for that!

I think I've decided to go with the arch though. I like the look better.

Bill

[david s]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

WJW, very nice solution for the door rebate.
Demendo, exposed ceramic fibre in the oven is not a smart solution IMO (read the MSDS on the stuff)

[Dmendo]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

what is MSDS?

Regards

[david s]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

MSDS Materials Safety Data Sheet. There is one for every product.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

You should offset the doorway to one side or the other. Other than that, looks great.

[okn]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

What are the benefits of offsetting the doorway? Would you recommend offsetting it completely to one side? IMO it seems that an offset would mess up the symmetrical look of the oven.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Barrel Vault in So. Cal.

Are you building it to look at it or to cook in it? You will be having a live fire in there when cooking pizza, and if the opening is offset, you will have room on one side for the fire and easy access to the cooking surface. Fire in the back of the oven is not nearly as efficient as it is on the side. I left a small revel on mine, next time the right side of the arch will be flush with the wall.