36" pompeii in WI in the winter

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Aaron,

This may help, I did not do a completely isolated thermal break like Gulf did but my arch is similar to yours. I cut the bricks so there was minimal contact with the dome arch then stuffed the slot with a ceramic rope then used high temp caulk over the CF rope. Look at my Picassa album for more details.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Now a question. I've been throwing around ideas about how I'm going to make the vent landing arch. I am planning on a thermal break between it and the dome (something like Gulfs). I am thinking of making it one fire brick length deep,(9") with a 4" deep slot on top for the vent. This would leave 2.5" of brick on either side of the slot going over the top. Would that be strong enough with the arch being free standing, and not connected to the dome? Would I need to use some sort of buttressing?

Thanks
~Aaron

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

We're finished with the 9nth course now. The sheet metal form is really proving it's mettle.(excuse the pun) I bent the top 1/2" with a friends metal brake, and then cut notches to allow it to bend in a circle, as you can see in the pics. After seeing how well the form works, I think I will try finishing the dome with it instead of the exercise ball I got. One nice feature this form has is that the tabs can be can be bent individually, if necessary, to fine tune the brick placement. It also keeps the courses level and even.

Now I have to go figure out the angles for the next two courses.

~Aaron

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Depending upon your mortar, each brick should be self supporting, all the way to the top. I used this template at first to get it round, then eyeballed them in.

I know people have done it that way, but it seems my bricks want to slide a little. Maybe it's the mortar I'm using or something I'm not doing in the ideal way. I think it works better if you taper your bricks horizontally (like I'm not), or if the mortar joint isn't as big like on your build.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Depending upon your mortar, each brick should be self supporting, all the way to the top. I used this template at first to get it round, then eyeballed them in.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Thanks for the great idea.

No problem.....Have fun building!

[Salty]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Aaron,

That is a great idea. I am just starting my build, but I have been trying to think of a to support a whole row like you are doing. The only additional thought that I had was to cut a slot in each end of the sheet metal so you could add a screw and wingnut to adjust for each new row. Probably more effort than it is worth, but you never know.

Thanks for the great idea.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Here's some pics of the forming idea my brother came up with to keep the bricks from sliding down. A simple strip of sheet metal. I block it up until the top edge sticks up about 1/16-1/8" above the inside edge of the top course. I tighten the loop against the brick by pulling outwards on the ends of the strip and hold them in place with a self-tapping screw.

This setup still allows me to us the IT to set the angle of the brick and to make sure the course stays on track. It has sped up the brick laying process as we don't need to worry about the bricks sliding. After the course is done, I remove the form and clean up the mortar joints that have been blocked by the it.

So far it has worked well. However, as the angle of the courses gets steeper (the next course probably) I don't think it will work as well. At which point I think I will try to bend the top 1/2" of the sheet metal in to match the angle of the course, and cut Vs every 1" or so to allow it to bend in a circle. I'll let you know how it works.

Aaron

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

We're up to the 7th course now. It has a little dip going over the arch that I will try to correct in the next course. I will be switching from 1/2 bricks to 1/3 bricks for the 8th course. So far I have been doing just one cut for each brick with good success. I found I can even do compound angles that way. One side of the brick works for one course going one way, and the other side works for the next course going the other way. The angle changes slightly from course to course but, so far, by changing my cut every two courses it's worked well enough.

My brother thought up a simple and effective forming solution that works with an IT. It helps out a lot. I'll try to post some pics of it later today.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Good luck and it's looking great. I'll go back to lurking now.

Thanks. Here's a cheesy cellphone pic of what I have done so far.(I'll post better ones later) I finished the arch and the fifth course. I have to go back to work for a few days now so the mortar in the arch should have time to dry before I pull the form out. It's only 48-50 degrees F in the shop so the mortar dries somewhat sluggishly. It's great for strength and minimizing shrinkage cracks but I have to be careful not to bump things too much.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Thanks for the response. Your numbers changed a bit from an earlier post. My eye thought you had more then a cubic yard. I'm not a concrete guy but I do own a construction company so I have my fingers in all the trades.

Good to know that if the 9000 lb won't get the job done you have a backup with the sawmill.

Good luck and it's looking great. I'll go back to lurking now.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

I was thinking more along the lines of GFRC with maybe pencil rod at a few points. BUYING 10,000 PSI compressive, high flexural strength lightweight concrete is expensive, but mixing it yourself isn't.

I don't have any experience with GFRC (we don't do that kind of concrete work) and honestly didn't think much about such an option. It probably would be neat to do something like that though. Maybe on my next build

I am thinking of pouring a counter-top on the front of the oven. Mixing my own GFRC sound interesting. Could you give me (or point me to) some info on the subject?

[Tscarborough]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

I was thinking more along the lines of GFRC with maybe pencil rod at a few points. BUYING 10,000 PSI compressive, high flexural strength lightweight concrete is expensive, but mixing it yourself isn't.

[AaronTheGeek]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Yeah, it won't be a problem. I am curious though, being a concrete guy, why you didn't go for a high strength/lightweight mix at 2-3" thickness.

Oddly enough, the reason I didn't go for the high strength idea is because I am a concrete guy. We had a small job nearby for which the readymix plant's 3 yd minimum would've been too much. By using the extra for the base we were able to get some cheap concrete. High strength concrete is more expensive, and since I had access to heavy equipment I didn't worry about it.

After taking the forms of and seeing how sturdy things are, I'm thinking that 3.5", or maybe even 3" would work for the side walls with regular ready-mix. Providing, of course, that there is enough rebar, and that all the air bubbles get vibrated out. Getting a vibrator in that narrow of a wall with rebar can pose problems. We got ours stuck down in the bottom as it was, and ended up cutting a hole in the wall form too lose it.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 36" pompeii in WI in the winter

Yeah, it won't be a problem. I am curious though, being a concrete guy, why you didn't go for a high strength/lightweight mix at 2-3" thickness.