Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Glad to see you are back. At some point you will need to change to half bricks. Don't waste too much energy trying to cut fulls to fit. Bricks chains are seldom equal numbers and sizes. Make corrections on the front half best work on the back half. This is what you see when you peer in. Good luck.

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Thanks for the advice Russel. I have not drawn out the whole oven, but I was hoping to just keep lining up the joints at the mid points of the bricks under them. As each course circumference decreases so will the size of the brick. I may waste more brick this way and there may not be any advantage, it's just another way to do it....Or am I totally missing something here?

Anyway, today I set the floor and am ready to lay the first course.

Joe

[mrchipster]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Thanks for the advice Russel. I have not drawn out the whole oven, but I was hoping to just keep lining up the joints at the mid points of the bricks under them. As each course circumference decreases so will the size of the brick. I may waste more brick this way and there may not be any advantage, it's just another way to do it....Or am I totally missing something here?

Anyway, today I set the floor and am ready to lay the first course.

Joe

It is significant work to try to cut each brick smaller, inside of the left and right of the inner arch will never be seen by anyone other than people watching you build the oven and after it is built the only way to see those bricks is with a mirror or to crawl into the oven. Both very unlikely.

Take Russel's advice and make adjustment bricks in the areas near the inner arch to the right and left. You will save much time and aggravation.

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Chip,
That's my plan. Make adjustments next to the arch. In looking around the forum it looks like everyone wrestles with joint alignment, but as you said, in the end all you ever see is what's right across from the opening and once you are cooking you don't even pay much attention to that!

Thanks for looking in and the advice.

Joe

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's Oven in Port Townsend

Lost a few days, but made a little progress today. The floor is in place and the first course mortared and second course cut. Then it started raining, so tomorrow I hope to proceed with the second course and start cutting third course bricks which are the first to start tilting inward. And of course, the arch.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

BJ,

Tip, run a strip of duct tape over the gap between the floor and dome wall. This will keep mortar from dropping down the gap and help minimize stress/cracking potential with the different thermal expansions between the floor and the dome.

[texman]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Joe

Are you using an IT for your build? IF so, better get it in there for the tilt.

Tracy

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

My progress got derailed by a few priority projects like window replacements in the house and due to salmon season, many fishing trips.

So here are a few photos of some real progress in the last few weeks. The dates on the pictures are not correct by the way.

[oasiscdm]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Whole bricks that's interesting. Won't that leave huge gaps around the floor of the oven.. what's the intention as you move up the oven.

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Collin,

Not sure what you're referring to, but here's a pic of the floor and first two courses. I left a little gap between the floor bricks and the wall bricks. I do have substantially more overhang by using full bricks. As I go up, the bricks get smaller. I'll post some more pics soon that will show how it has developed.

Thanks for your interest,

Joe

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

After much angst over the "arch and transition," once I got into it, it all started to make sense and before I knew it, I was fitting the bricks for the course above it. I am actually starting to think I might finish the dome in a few days!
I'll post progress pics in the next post.

[Breadjunkie]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Progress pics.

[mrchipster]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

After much angst over the "arch and transition," once I got into it, it all started to make sense and before I knew it, I was fitting the bricks for the course above it. I am actually starting to think I might finish the dome in a few days!
I'll post progress pics in the next post.

It appears to me that you did this very well.

[texman]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

BJ

Very nice job on that arch and dome tie in. Something to be proud of for sure.
Tex

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Joe's 42 in Port Townsend

Nice work, no sign of the dreaded droop at the arch, on the home stretch.