Saint Helena Oven

[james]

Flashing to smooth out the form

Using inexpensive, and somewhat flexible aluminum flashing to smooth out the top of the form for the last few chains seems to be a good idea. JC, if it's OK with you, I'm going to add your photos to the standard set of plans, and update the text.

Does that seem to be the "best practice" (my old IT days showing through) method for the last few chains? Marcel, does that work for you, or are you ready to recommend the beach ball?

Patrick, it seems as though we should start the process of reaching consensus on some of these more tricky areas, which would make it easier to finalize and produce a PDF set of plans. What do you think?

Let me know what you recent builders think.
James

[redbricknick]

Hey mate, what recipe did you use for your refractory mortar? I can't find heat stop in Los Angeles. Anyone used furnace cement? The black stuff?

[captain]

captain

hey, the whole stand and dome look great realy cant wait to start mine there are so many good looking jobs out there i am stating to get confussed. how long till you start the flue would love to see pictures of that. good lucke ,looks great.
Ronnie

[jahysea]

(M) Some of your images suggest that you used a beach ball for support. If so, would you share the size, __ and particulars as to where you got it? __

Thanks and

Ciao,

Marcel

Hi Marcel, It does look like a beach ball in the pictues, but it is not. I used 1" insulation board to make forms for the dome and placed them inside before I started. Toward the end I covered those vertical forms with lightweight aluminum flashing to get as smooth a surface as possible to set the final 4-5 chains onto.

I think the beach ball is a good idea though. If I were starting over I'd use shims to get as far up as possible, then I'd use a beach ball or wood form from the inside to set the final chains. I think my chains would have come out much more flush with that method.

[Marcel]

Beach ball support ?

(M) GREAT WORK, jahysea!

(M) Some of your images suggest that you used a beach ball for support. If so, would you share the size, __ and particulars as to where you got it? __

Thanks and

Ciao,

Marcel

[jahysea]

Thanks

dmun, thanks. My brickwork is preschool compared to yours but I'll take it.

James of course I just stuck my arm in to take the photo, but I did crawl in there (upper torso only) a couple of times to clean. I did it a couple of times because it took about 30 seconds after crawling in the first time to realize I absolutely needed my safety glasses. Mortar raining down on me lying on my back!.. More cleaning needed today, I might send one of the six year olds in with a promise to go to the ice cream store if he does a good job!

Maver, I think you are right. I was able to correct alignment of that last little row a little bit and remortar the outside as well, so I know those bricks are all settled and standing on their own. And there was no issue with anything falling in. I took the forms out 5 minutes after setting the last brick.


Probably going to see if I can get the front arch complete with hole for chimney vent today so that can cure for a week or so with the oven before I light a small fire.

[maver]

Those tapered bricks at the peak of the dome look great, well done! I haven't heard others who built with forms taking the forms out right away after completing the doome but to me it seems like the right thing to do. If your lower dome is firm it should be quite stable immediately and it's good to have the weight of the bricks leaning in on those mortar joints rather than risk having the form prevent compression on the mortar and ending with a loose joint. I bet that's the reason for some of the brick dome cracks that have been reported here. Here's to no cracks in your dome !

[james]

Excellent work. The dome is beautiful.

Who climbed into the oven to take the dome photo?

James

[dmun]

What a great fit. It's not easy to get the top of your dome looking that good, and you've done a great job. Congratulations.

[jahysea]

Finished Dome

Immediately after closing up the dome I ripped out all the forms and climbed inside to wipe down a bit. I'll scrub it out tomorrow, but I got the worst of the mortar off the last few courses today while it was still wet.

I'll go read all the posts about curing now.

[jahysea]

Closing the Dome

The rain in Nor Cal held off today and I made great progress and got the dome closed.

I did as suggested and placed some flashing over the forms to get a smoother surface. I disliked not having access to the bottoms of the bricks, and I did lose alignment some between courses and even between individual bricks.

I continued to make trapezoids with more aggressive angles as I went upward. I made the second to last course out of shallower half bricks, came out well.

[arevalo53anos]

Jahysea:


Yes, you could correct the unleveled ones later. I believe that could be easier to level them early.
Thinking about the gaps, I could see now that your door is going to close the semi circumference completely. Sorry by this mistake.

Go for your dream!



Luis

[jahysea]

Hi Luis, thanks. I have some aluminum flashing left from the roll I put on top of the blocks, I could use that.

The floor is somewhat level. The bricks at the front in the photo's are not yet set. There are gaps in the ones that are set, partially because the bricks at our building supply place are not particularly clean and square. I sorted through and used the best ones for the floor but still got some gaps. I expect those gaps will fill with ash over time. From what I've read I can sand or grind off irregularities in height later if they are bothersome.

The two soldier bricks at the entrace are left intruding into the arch by design, as a stop for the door as you say. I don't understand why the gaps in front of them will be a problem? I plan to have a door fabricated using my wood form as a template, the door will sit on the outside of the soldier bricks and those gaps on top of them will be on the other side of the door. Just as the form goes in and leaves little to no gap.

[arevalo53anos]

Jahysea:



Nice job!

In the following steps you would like to cover the vanes with a plastic or aluminum sheet (this last is better in both, structural and cleaning ways), just because the bricks will be leaned and the cement try to obey the gravity laws. J

By other way, the pictures show some gaps or different brick levels in your landing area. Not to much worry if you are thinking in leveling latter. Is expected that your oven hearth be leveled at this time!

In the picture that shows your entry front, I am not seeing a good ?shape? to your future door. The two soldier bricks are almost covered by the entry bricks (the door is going to rest over these bricks) and over these soldiers there are a space left between the arch of the entry and them that could be difficult to close with your future door.

I hope this help.



Luis

[jahysea]

The redwood is doing great, I think it actually grew more this year than last. It's pretty young or I couldn't have moved it. I put a circular drip line around it fairly close to the trunk. I need to move that outward to get the roots to spread.

From memory the shim for the 5th chain was 3/16 of an inch, and the next chain was more like 1/4 inch. I didn't actually measure that one. I grabbed a scrap that looked right, made 2 cuts and liked the angle of the bricks.