Jim's Build for the Common Man

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Sounds like a good idea. But do you know why it says not to use coal in the FB pompeii plans?

[cobblerdave]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

G'day
Go for charcoal or charcoal heat beads. They make a heat source that doesn't need looking after and will produce heat over a number of hours. Best thing no flames to cause hot spots and uneven stresses. You'll need to go to wood in the end for higher temps but they'll do to dry things off
Regards dave

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

I am almost done with the vent, looking forward to pizza soon, I hope. However, I'm racing the weather, just N of NYC. If I finish the oven brick work by this coming weekend, I still have to let it sit a week. Then the curing could take a couple weeks, as I don't think I'll be able to tend to a six hour fire every week night. Then the insulation, as it seems to me best to let the oven cure without the insulation, so more water can escape.

I plan on finishing it with stucco and lathe, or maybe hardware cloth, which dmun once mentioned to keep more of a shape than chicken wire, but hopefully easier to work with than metal lathe. Is stucco the same as mortar, in that I can't use it when the weather dips below 40F at night?

If I fire up the oven at night, think that will make it just warm enough on the surface to apply stucco, even above 3" of ceramic fiber? I hate to think of having to go through one more winter, all just because I couldn't do the very last step.

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

So I've been planning on 12" deep vent. Is that enough room for an 8" flue?

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Thanks all! Every time, I get a kick out of hearing from people in Australia. I guess I'm still not used to this whole internet thing.

Steve - I like that - my build is "robust." I'm gonna keep using that.

Dave- The angle grinder was only used to shave a cone-ish plug. I definitely am not skilled enough to make bevel cuts with it. For that, and for all the side 5 degree cuts, I used my trusty jig, see pic. At first, I didn't think I could do a bevel with a 10" saw, but I didn't use a bottom, just propped it with a brick. The angle stayed pretty steady, and the rig stayed lower to the sled, which allowed me more cutting depth.

I'm suddenly feeling sentimental about the jig and IT. Maybe I'll have them bronzed. Or maybe I'll just burn them in the oven in a spectacular blaze of glory.

[Greenman]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Congratulations Jim - A great feeling when the plug goes in and if it sits a bit proud then why not! Onwards towards the first pizza cook, or the interesting pre-pizza cooks with the larger of the drying fires.

I have had the pleasure of helping a couple of people get their ovens built lately and have had the pleasure of dropping two keystones in place in the last 2 weeks. The owners both had a grin like a watermelon that has been hit with a machete.

Good job and if a pretty build cooks well it is hard to tell the difference between the food from the pretty oven and the 'robust' one.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

G'day Jim
Beveled cuts with an angle grinder.... Impressive!. Sounds like you up to speed and that entrance and vent area are sounding good already.
Congested from me
Regards
Dave

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Soweeet!!! Won't be long now!!!

Nice job, and don't worry about the neighbors. The memories of 10pm grinding noises will fade pretty quickly once they bite into one of your wood-fired masterpieces!

[deejayoh]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Congrats! I remember how good it felt to finish the dome. Pizza soon!

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Huzzah!

Finished the dome! I gotta say, although this ain't no precision build, I'm still amazed at how circular it came out. I made a two piece plug that looked kinda like two halves of a weird turd, but it all seems to work. If I had tried to make it fit more correctly to the flatter surfaces of the bricks in the last course, I would have driven myself insane.

When I added the mortar to set them, each half popped up a bit on the outside. I guess I could grind them down, but I'd rather not vibrate the dome. Besides, it'll all be covered. I've pretty much only used the diamond blade on my angle grinder for the plug, but it was worth it, as I was able to shave it down little by little until it fit in.

For the last course (not the final plug) I wanted to see if I could bevel the bricks just for fun. It does look a bit cooler, and they fit a bit tighter, but I'm glad I didn't do it for the whole dome, cause I was never able to get the bevel exactly right, and it would have slowed me down.

I've been doing a lot of work on this ever ending project at night, about twice a week. My neighbors must be annoyed, as I've been pushing it - doing a few cuts as late as 10:00PM a couple nights, and tonight I was shaving down the final plugs until about 9, but no complaints yet. I'll invite them for pizza and all will be forgotten.

Now on the the vent arch!

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Makes sense
neutralising the lime(base) with acid

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

I didn't believe the vinegar cure when I first read about it here back when, but I tried it and it really works.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

G'day
Wash your hands in ordinary vinegar first, takes away the string immediately. Will not cure the damage however, but that terrible itch is gone
Regards dave

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

Ouch!

Cement burns. No progress on dome, just wanted to post this pic. Cortisone creme helped a lot with the sting.

[jimkramer]

Re: Jim's Build for the Common Man

RIght, actually, I have been using a combination of all sizes to keep the breaks from lining up, and to keep it in circle. But I can see for this course overall, they have to be narrower.