39" Stargate Pompeii

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Weather was a mixed bag today. Lovely sunny morning so I modified and replaced the IT centrepiece to give it a bit more stability. I removed the arch form, mixed some mortar and then the rain started which turned to hail and finally to a few snowflakes. I covered up again but the sun came back within half an hour and the rest of the day was perfect, so I got row 2 finished and row 3 started. I must say I am really enjoying building this oven. I can't imagine the same sense of satisfaction from building a vaulted oven. Frost promised tonight so I threw an old blanket over the dome before covering.
Here are the pics. I cleaned the few bricks around the arch outside for the photos, otherwise I am only cleaning the inside.
Sharkey that system of cardboard templates worked great

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Hi turkey
Yes I was thinking about it earlier on - but with some dry weather I decided I have enough garbage already. Anyway I need a break from it and I have a few other things to do to keep the missus onside. I'm not sure she's entirely convinced of the value of this project
Aidan

[turkey]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

can you not get a cheap gazebo type thing from a local garden store? keep the rain off the build and builder?

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Thanks Sharkey -perfect - you know I was just lying in bed this morning thinking, why not use two cardboard templates? I've used a cardboard template already to cut the wooden arch jig so it should have ocurred to me sooner.
Misty rain today so no building.
Aidan

[Sharkey]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Row 1 finished - started the 2nd row. I can see the dome to arch cuts getting increasingly difficult - more difficult to mark than cut. I don't have any system for marking the awkward ones so far - just "eyeballing" as you say here, and hope for the best. I bet some "brickie" has a few tricks of the trade?

Cut templates out of cardboard to the shape using your eyeball method. You can check whether it fits and trim appropriately until it is perfect. Then trace your shape onto the brick. You can do a template for the top and the bottom and then just draw a line from top corner to bottom corner down the side of the brick.

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Row 1 finished - started the 2nd row. I can see the dome to arch cuts getting increasingly difficult - more difficult to mark than cut. I don't have any system for marking the awkward ones so far - just "eyeballing" as you say here, and hope for the best. I bet some "brickie" has a few tricks of the trade?
I realised that I should have made the centre piece of the IT a triangle rather than a square. I noticed, late as usual, it was drifting on me yesterday, so there are a few on the first row a few millimetres out of line. Not worth fixing though.
It is about time I gave some thought to the vent, chimney, and whether I should go for igloo or gabled enclosure. I like the igloo look but I don't think it could easily be made resistant to our weather so I don't think I have a real choice. I like Sharkeys large vent - but I think I will make the vent area shallower. Would 4.5" by say 8" or 9" be too small?
Amac

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

The Red square is the adjusted position of the brick with a shorter IT. The corner at 'A' must remain in the same position and you tilt the brick inwards. It will still work out, it just doesn't sit squarely in the IT anymore because you have changed the angles. Each subsequent adjustment means it will be further out of alignment.

Of course - I'm an idiot wipe that.

We have had the wettest summer for a long time

Here - in the middle of winter - the weather is exceptionally mild (last year it was down to -15C) but constantly threatening rain and often delivering - so I get to build in between showers. This is a retirement project for me so I have time to think and read the forum, (and contribute rambling incoherent posts)

I need to do some serious drainage work when it finally stops raining and dries out.

I suspect I will also need to do some remedial drainage works later as I rushed into laying my slab on ground behind a retaining wall which slopes towrds the slab.

[Sharkey]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

perfect Sharkey - what's your favourite topping?

They're all good. I haven't had a bad pizza out of these ovens. For something different I like dessert pizza's ala Karangi Dude.

BTW there was something you had said back on Aceves thread - that the IT would no longer grip the bricks if I change the radius towards the top of the dome. After thinking a bit more on it I think it should work as normal. Just the rows will tilt in a bit more.

In the (very) rough diagram attached:

The IT is the blue thing.

The green square is the position of the next brick if you did not shorten the IT. Note it aligns with the IT.

The Red square is the adjusted position of the brick with a shorter IT. The corner at 'A' must remain in the same position and you tilt the brick inwards. It will still work out, it just doesn't sit squarely in the IT anymore because you have changed the angles. Each subsequent adjustment means it will be further out of alignment.

Btw I am awaiting activity on the "rock and hard place" thread. How is it going?

I haven't done any work on it for months. We have had the wettest summer for a long time and there is water seeping out of the rocks. I need to do some serious drainage work when it finally stops raining and dries out.

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

perfect Sharkey - what's your favourite topping?
It would have saved me (and my blade) some work and I did want to have a slightly thicker opening, It narrows to around 3 1/4" at the opening. Just let me flip the brick. There - I actually drew that using the same wooden jig which I used to cut the arch bricks - just slid it towards the middle.

The two non 90 degree angles are a function of the dome/arch combination. In mine they work out at 135 and 145 degrees to make up the 540 degrees of the pentagon. Of course there is no need to work out all those angles. They will just happen once you draw it out as I have shown in the second pic. Better to do it on a full scale.

BTW there was something you had said back on Aceves thread - that the IT would no longer grip the bricks if I change the radius towards the top of the dome. After thinking a bit more on it I think it should work as normal. Just the rows will tilt in a bit more.

Good to see you making progress Aidan. I've been waiting to see how your arch-dome transition turns out.

Well other than bad or careless workmanship (and I've already had my share of that) - I can't see how it can go wrong, and it should, if my theory is correct, follow the internal curve of the dome naturally - without any "reaching"

Btw I am awaiting activity on the "rock and hard place" thread. How is it going?

[Sharkey]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Good to see you making progress Aidan. I've been waiting to see how your arch-dome transition turns out.

You could have got 2 arch bricks out of a single brick with the 3 cuts in my attachment - green cut first. The angles are slightly different but it would probably still work.

Keep up the good work.

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Good try Gianni - I guess I should have said "straight cuts". I would have killed myself trying to cut those with the kickback from my cutter

Also the horizontal line only looks like it is at the centre of the bricks. In reality the arch brick extends slightly past halfway. The solution is on the back of the brick.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Ah, shucks Aidan! I thought you meant two cuts for two arch bricks! I really wanted that pizza! My bad!
John

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

Weather is holding up nicely, just a bit cloudy and about 7 or 8 C so I finished the 1/2 brick soldier course. I wouldn't like to do anything more than a 1/2 brick - those side joints are awkward. Also started on course 1 of the dome proper. This is where both the 10.5" arch and 39" dome begin - 1.5" above the floor.. I added the clamp attachment to the IT, having removed the arch "block" from it. So far so good and nothing unexpected.

No takers on my "arch cut" puzzle? - so I have include a pic of how I did the three cuts for the existing arch. A clue is that the new cuts will result in a slighly bigger arch brick that would still fit my dome and arch perfectly with no change to the arch radius

[Amac]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

During some breaks in the rain I managed to get the arch built. I think it is best to start with the arch. The dome should fit to it unless something goes seriously wrong as I was able to use the IT as a guide for the arch by turning the head slightly - up to a 1/4 turn in each direction which is negligible difference to the radius used for the rest of the dome construction. I did mix two batches and that worked out Ok. I had to make the mix wetter tham I expected.
Mu keystone looks a little dinky. I had to slice my last brick in two, The mortar joints were a bit thicker than I expected.

Heres a few pics - front, rear, and top view (which show up my bad cuts. Then I had to cover for rain. We are lucky with weather though. Even Rome is covered in snow. Rugby was cancelled in Paris as pitch was frozen.
I laid a few of the soldier course later.

BTW when I was cutting a few extra arch bricks I realised (too late for this oven) I could have done with much fewer cuts. I cut each brick for the arch with 3 cuts. With the new method I could have cut two arch bricks with just three cuts - and reduced wastage.

Thers's a free pizza (by stargate delivery) for the first correct answer to that puzzle Solution will be posted at the end of the build.
Amac

[Neil2]

Re: 39" Stargate Pompeii

"I guess I can make two mixes at once"

This is what I do. Two mixes, one for the narrow part of the joints and one for the wider parts. This also minimizes cracking.