Another Texas oven

[wlively]

Howdy All

All the recent posts finally prompted me to post my progress. A big thanks to James for this website and everyone else who share their progress, ideas, and advice. I am building a 42" and am going to try an expanding arch doorway. Also, special thanks to whoever posted the Harbor Freight tile saw, awesome buy!

Wade

Pict# 1 . Is outside hearth forms just removed. You can still see 2x4 braces that are supporting the Durock floor.

http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1363601imgpi5.jpg

# 2. Insblock 19 just mortared down.



# 3. Trying to visualize entry

http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1373754imgij7.jpg

# 4. Course 1 and 2 of the dome done.

http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1373758imgdg9.jpg

Lastly, the reason I am not moving as fast as you other guys. My other project.

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

OK, I am ready to take my lumps about my masonary technique.

Finally getting around to posting some more progress. I have the dome almost finished. I will be capping the dome with a poured piece of KS-4 (about 9" in dia) instead of the jumble of cut pieces. I am tired of cutting bricks and thought I would take a short cut.

Sorry, James, I did not take alot of pictures of the casting of the vent transition. I was a little to eager to cast it and I was using more KS-4 than I wanted to so the transition looks pretty ugly and I cut it short of true round. Will try and cast an extension when I pour the dome cap. KS-4 by the way is awesome stuff. It is so dense that when I hit it with a hammer it makes a nice ping, like when you hit a block of steel. If I were to do another I would cast the entire vent arch opening with it. Don't use aluminium foil as a mold release by the way. Found out is sticks incredibly well to KS-4 and it has taken alot of work to get only about 60% off.

Notes about my frankenstien. My expanding arch opening was not as much a pain to make as I thought, but it is making the vent transition difficult. We will see how well it pulls the smoke later and I hope it makes moving around the peel and tools easier. You will notice an unusual shape to the dome. I started out with 1/2 bricks and after reading posting here I decided to transition to 1/3 bricks near the top. The 8th ring is made with alternating 1/2 and 1/3 bricks, hence the unusual shape. Thought I had enough thermal mass and would not hurt to make the top of the dome a bit lighter.

[james]

Re: Another Texas oven

Way to go Wade. Looks great to me -- it will be fun to see how you cast and set the top of the dome.

Has everyone notice that there are lot of photos of oven construction taken at dusk? I've done that -- just working until you can barely see in the dark, and then taken a handful of photos. Working late is kind of a mix between being fun, and just wanting to get it the heck finished.

Also, I am noticing many new ovens have brick vents.

Is that becoming the preferred method? Maybe we need a poll.
James

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

Well I poured my KS-4 cap without much fuss. A piece of pink foam board, backed up by a piece of 1x6 and held up by a 2x4 worked well for the floor. Lined hole with thin plastic and poured. Covered with 2 wet towels, plastic sheet, and another piece of foam board and then a tarp and let cure for 48 hrs.

I was concerned about how much left I had so I embedded a keystone cut firebrick in the center and drilled a hole in it for a thermocouple. Used the thermocouple hole to pull it right out of the dome, pretty easy. Last night I finished a 5 hr cure in the oven per manuf instructions and I dropped it in permanately today.

Now all I have to do is wait a week and then start the curing fires.

[Hendo]

Re: Another Texas oven

Wade,

Great job in what looks like a beautiful setting.

I like the idea of the plug, rather than messing around with lots of small bricks and zillions of cuts!

I notice that the sixth ring is made up of what looks like quarter-size bricks, then above this half size bricks again. What was your reasoning for this, as a matter of interest? It looks great, but I guess you had another reason, rather than purely aesthetics?

Cheers, Paul.

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

Thanks allot Paul.

I live on the north end of the runway in an airpark. So, that wide open space way behind the oven is the runway.

Your attention to detail is very impressive; you must be a very good engineer. I have been pondering what story to say for those that noticed that. Artistic expression... Engineering load distribution device..... But real reason is.... I started by using 1/2 bricks and for the first few courses and that works fine. Then the overlapping bricks start to protrude from the lower level seams and I was not happy with the appearance. I then tried cutting indentions in the faces to match but that was a real pain and had inconsistent results. So next logical solution was to reduce segment length of the arc so I split the bricks. The consequence of that was it took twice as long to lay then next course. Well I have too many projects plus two toddlers, so I can only afford patience on one (the airplane). Well then it was back to half bricks.

[christo]

Re: Another Texas oven

Wade,

How are the drying fires progressing? Cooked anything yet?

Chris

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

Murphy's law reared it ugly head!

We have had 7 inches of rain, that started on the day I was to start fire number 1. In fact it is rainning again today and the same for tomorrow.

So my oven has been sitting under a tarp for almost a week. Hopefully wednesday.

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

Finally the rain has stopped!

So back to work. Got the oven insulated, TC's wired and 3/4 of the walls up.

And about 1 hour ago the first fire! Really amazed how much heat remained in the dome after just a couple of paper balls were finished burning. I guess it is offically an oven.

The icing on the cake is a friend at work has granite connections. My one piece countertop is being made next week out of Sicilian granite. What could be more perfect?

[james]

Re: Another Texas oven

The first fire! That's a well-earned great feeling. Now there is a race -- which is will happen first? Seven days of curing and your first pizzas, or the framing on the enclosure gets done? :-)

James

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

Houston we have PIZZA!

Made the first pizza's today. They were perfect and delicious. Did not do so great on the heat management for the fire up, but got the heat were I wanted it anyway.

Seems with the amount of mass I have, I may be more on the side of 2 hr firing to temp. Too busy with all the family to record heat up rate or take alot of pictures, but will start recording the downward ramp now. With fire at slow glowing coals, the inside of the top dome brick got to 598 deg.

ImageShack - Hosting :: 1424203imguc8.jpg

[wlively]

Re: Another Texas oven

A few more pict's.

[telehort]

Re: Another Texas oven

Wade - Congratulations!! Oven looks great!

[Kemo]

Re: Another Texas oven

Can't wait for the finish out. Excellent job so far.

[james]

Re: Another Texas oven

Hey Wade,

I'm glad your oven popped back up to the top of the queue. How is the firing going? I am sure you will bring your firing time down to an hour as your oven dries out.

Where are your thermocouples, and what are they saying with more recent fires? Also, are you comparing an infrared on the inner face of the oven with what the thermocouples are saying. That would be an interesting reading on how fast and far you are driving heat into the bricks, relative to the inside of the oven.

Great looking enclosure. Very traditional.
James