Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

gene,
Altogether, we used about 200 firebrick; that includes the arches and around the vent throat. And despite careful cuts and skilled usage, there was still some waste.

Today, he is forming-up the enclosure so stay-tuned!

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Enclosure:
So we?ve started on the enclosure. Although we have pretty much decided on the design (only while building the oven floor!), our inspiration is only a small picture sourced on the net of a WFO face-on, so we are having to work out the build based on our materials and the oven?s position, as we go. (I must admit, last week we did seriously consider leaving the oven in its round state. However, the chimney needs to double-back to avoid the beam and glass of the future deck roof so an enclosure is necessary to hide the ?squirrel tail? of the chimney.)

Originally, Dave thought that he?d build the enclosure using steel studs and cement board. Then he thought he might as well build it using brick and block since he has the materials and it?s easier for him to do. However, before he started, he had an idea; if he is going to mix insulating concrete using the perlite to fill the inside of the masonry skin, why not just use the mix to make the whole enclosure, at least up to the vent level? So he formed the shape, using plywood and studs, bolting wood to the block foundation using his Hilti gun, and mixed the insulating concrete, pouring it in several batches, up to the first flue liner, before the chimney will change direction. Took LOTS of batches and used the 17 bags of perlite we had left!

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Today, Dave removed the forms. He will be building the narrower upper layer out of brick, hopefully this week. The final exterior will be stone, by the way.

We have had a couple of small fires to start curing. We have alot of moisture in the oven so it will take a while to dry. Since Dave has yet to crawl inside the oven to fit the ash-dump, we have contained the fires in a foil pan so he doesn't come out full of soot. We have been absolutely thrilled with the draw of the smoke; even without the finished height of the chimney, there has been virtually no smoke out the front arch. Decades of building fireplaces have paid off!

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Enclosure continued:
After stripping the forms, Dave continued the enclosure using brick, cutting the flue-liner to go backwards over the dome and then building it vertically. Since we have slanted sides for the enclosure, sort of a flat-topped pyramid, he staggered the brick courses until we had a suitable square dimension for the chimney cap. This cap will be formed and out of exposed concrete and will be approximately 3? thick with sloping sides for run-off with a top to prevent the rain from entering. Until that?s done, it will be temporarily covered with skagit, unless we?re using the oven (WF turkey this Christmas?!).

Once the brickwork was complete, Dave plastered the whole enclosure with a stucco mix to seal the WFO. He then made another curing fire - our 3rd, I believe, and it is drawing magnificently. Oh, and our ash-dump arrived so he was able to crawl in the oven and place it in the built-in space.

Since our company has a large brick project beginning shortly, Dave?s main concern was getting the WFO pretty water-tight and useable as the outer stone may not be completed for a few months.

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Decorative Arch:
A few weeks ago, Dave formed and poured a decorative arch of exposed concrete for the front of the WFO. Today, he cemented it to the front of the oven. Yay!!
Eventually, the stone will butt-up against it as will the concrete counter/landing pad that is yet to be formed/poured.

The cap for the chimney will be made the same way.

Karen

[dsgreco]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

I really like that poured decorative arch. Very nice work overall.

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Thanks - our old company made precast counters and fireplaces.
We'll be pouring the cap and landing area counters the same except we'll polish the tops. That will be the next step but may not happen for a bit (Dave has a brick facade to do on a 10,000 sq ft house, out of town) but I am expecting to be cooking in there soon!

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Chimney cap:
Well, Every time I think we're done for a bit, he's back out there! The oven has certainly become a labour of love for Dave.


Dave formed the cap at the top of the chimney using plywood, leaving a portion of the last flue liner installed. He poured the concrete, angling a slight slope on the top of the cap for run-off, and stripped the forms the next day. Then he wire-brushed and rinsed to expose the aggregate.

Yesterday, we had a fourth curing fire to about 400 degrees; the dome is getting quite hot but the floor not as much. From what we have read here on FB and knowing the amount of moisture we have in the build, we will have to have patience and cure for quite a while. We were delighted to find the oven was still at 200 degrees today at 11 am. I think I will pop something in there to slow-cook overnight after today's fire, just for fun.

I am calling around on wood; we have tons of Doug fir here on the Island (including our property) but am looking for something more optimal (less smoke). Looks like I can get Maple and Arbutus quite readily so will let you know what we choose.

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Countertop:
Since this used to be our business, it made sense to do them out of concrete. It was also the cheapest option since this beast has an appetite for dollars, not just wood!
Dave formed the counter and supports using wood, ensuring the cantilevered area was well-supported for the pour and that the final dimension of the counter over-hangs the future stone cladding by 2?. He used re-bar for support, installing it by hammering the dowels into pre-drilled holes.

For those considering doing their own concrete counters: we did not need to use our special countertop mix - a 3:1 mix using Type 10 Portland and Navvy-jack is sufficient (since it is outdoors, more rustic and subject to the elements) and much cheaper than any pre-bagged mix. If you are going to be grinding/polishing to expose stone, don't pay for special aggregate for the whole mix; just 'seed' your chosen stone/glass/shells, etc., onto the top of the wet concrete when finishing, using a magnesium float to smooth it.

As you can see from the pictures, we also poured our wall caps at the same time.

Karen

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Countertop continued:
The front forms were stripped the day after the pour to ease the exposing of the aggregate, which Dave did using a wire brush and water. The support forms were not removed until the following day.

Dave will be wet-polishing the top within the week, I believe, and then allowing it to cure for a bit before sealing it.

We have continued to have a fire, almost every day, and are up to somewhere around 700 or so degrees. The infra-red thermometre my son bought me for Mother's Day, doesn't seem to be consistent as it will change the numbers even though you are repeating the same 'shot'. Our on-going joke is "what temperature do you want it to be?" as we can get almost every number if you shoot it enough times! With our wet and cold weather right now, finding enough dry-ish wood around the property is difficult. I think we're off to get some maple tomorrow.

Karen

[C5dad]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Hey Karen,

Tell that underachiever, Dave that he really needs to step it up a notch - LOL.

All I can say is WOW - what a great build and truly a great job. What size bricks do you have on the floor - they look to be fairly large.

Also, it looks like the rebar for the counter went into the vermicucrete layer - am I wrong about that?

Tell Dave thanks for the inspiration!!

Chris

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Hi, Chris,
Thanks for the morning chuckle!! I've passed along the kudos. He really appreciates the feedback.

In return here's some answers:
The firebrick are 12x24 and are called 'skagits'; not sure if that's a regional name but Dave had not heard of the name before. He figures fewer seams are better for the floor. Also, he wanted me to emphasis that the dome should not be built on the firebrick, IHHO, but on the base; otherwise the cut edges of the firebrick are likely to buckle under the weight of the total dome with the high temps.

The re-bar was drilled into a layer of brick. I've attached a pic showing the layer of brick under the oven floor when the outer arch was completed. The beginning of our build was more detailed on this thread:
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f21/...ose-14632.html
so there might be more info there. Hope that helps.
FB is a great site for inspiration, isn't it? We learn something every time we visit.

Karen

[fluxia]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

Thank you Karen

today I have started insulating the dome. I applied a fiberglass blanket and the mix (vermiculite-cement) on top of it. i am not going to build an enclosure so I need to rely on the coat of cement and vermiculite to do the job (this will be approx 4" thick, I hope that's enough).

I ll take your advise to ensure the curing is slow and long, and probably I will also leave it for a week or so before firing it up.

Will post some pics soon....

Andrea

[C5dad]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

That picture is much more explanatory! I too am building on the vermacrete layer. but alas, I am down for the weekend. my neighbor/doctor told me it is a strained wrist and to just use ice frequently. oh well. Time to start planning the wood fired grill.

[peterlyn]

Re: Pompeii in Nanoose Bay!

So here's a pic I took today. I hear Christmas is coming!

I'm so happy that Dave pretty much finished the structure; he's now away working so not a day too soon.

Karen