My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Hey Kbartman it doesn't appear that you have needed any sort of form yet for laying your rings. What are you plans when you approach the top of your dome?

Thanks all for the compliments

K79,
My goal is to not use any form, only the IT......... Although the last course was a bit challenging to do the dry fit. The next course will lie on a 30 degree angle, which may make dry fitting impossible. Dry fitting has attributed to my success thus far. The Premix mortar I?ve been using is pretty sticking so laying the course has been no problem. I try to lay and mortar the whole course at one time, making overall alignment easier. The last course I laid was done over two days which caused so alignment issues.

I?m considering a ply wood ring set on brick stacks that allows the IT to be used. I can remove; clean brick face and trim the ring for next course after completing each course?????..Just thinking about it is making my head spin???????. That being said I?m open for suggestions.

[cobblerdave]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Gudday
I have seem folk use thin sticks to hold the bricks up, freeing up your IT tool to position the next brick

Regards Dave

[Sharkey]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

I tried the sticks and they kept getting knocked out of place as I was working - it gets cramped in there towards the end. Plus you need longer sticks every row.

I ended up making some hooks that hung over the brick with a weight hanging on a bit of wire on the outside of the oven. Basically just two half brick sized bits of plywood screwed together at a right angle. Drill a whole through the bottom edge for your wire and hang something weighty from it. They work on any row and don't get in your way.

[Bec1208]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

The Premix mortar I?ve been using is pretty sticking so laying the course has been no problem.

Which premix are you using? I am using the harbison walker 413 mix and finding it difficult to work with. Doing better now that I making a thinner mix. What has been your experience? Bruce

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Which premix are you using? I am using the harbison walker 413 mix and finding it difficult to work with. Doing better now that I making a thinner mix. What has been your experience? Bruce

Bruce,
I'm using Super Demon by Plibrico. It?s made for tight joint 1/4" max. My first tilted course had some shrinkage issues with the larger joint. Brickie suggested I go back and fill any voids after drying some time, which I will do. I have been able at this point to control shrinkage by using my brick scraps wedges to fill the tilt voids. I thought of adding sand to the mortar mix for the shrinkage issue not sure how that would work........ I need more mortar. I may switch to a different mortar on the upper courses, though I don't like the idea of having different bonding materials . So I?ll probably stay with it. I thought the price was good at $ 38 per bucket, which should put me at about $120 total for high heat mortar.

[Bec1208]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Bruce,
I'm using Super Demon by Plibrico. It?s made for tight joint 1/4" max. My first tilted course had some shrinkage issues with the larger joint. Brickie suggested I go back and fill any voids after drying some time, which I will do. I have been able at this point to control shrinkage by using my brick scraps wedges to fill the tilt voids. I thought of adding sand to the mortar mix for the shrinkage issue not sure how that would work........ I need more mortar. I may switch to a different mortar on the upper courses, though I don't like the idea of having different bonding materials . So I?ll probably stay with it. I thought the price was good at $ 38 per bucket, which should put me at about $120 total for high heat mortar.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Spent some time reworking my jigs. Do you have any sense how much the top width of the bricks was reduced by the tilt angle in the early courses? Bruce

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Thanks for sharing your experience. Spent some time reworking my jigs. Do you have any sense how much the top width of the bricks was reduced by the tilt angle in the early courses? Bruce

Not much maybe a 1\8" each side to nothing a tiny more each course. Don’t recall measuring the top but tried to keep bottom over dimensions quoted in Dee’s dome sheet calculator. The bevel was cut the same time as the sides were cut. I basically laid out the cut with a Marks Alot marker on top and bottom then experimented by increasing the tilt, till I had the proper bevel angle making equal cuts on both sides. Otherwise the side angle will be thrown out in relation to brick face. As I sliced away I kept in mind to finish the bottom of cut with the marked bottom line. Once I established the proper cut and angle first couple of bricks. I used the best one as a template taking the brick and flipping small side down on top of new half cut brick and mark top of brick to use as a guide to end up at the proper bottom dimensions. Make sure to place both clean brick faces parallel and square one another. I made the mistake of not keeping them lined up, using the back edge of brick and not keeping quoted bottom dimensions, which made staggering joints of upper courses a challenge.

Hope my cut to fit approach helps aka: Geometry for Dummies………Ps the cut to fit approach has its disadvantages, one; saw blade wear, offset by brick savings. The savings lost with bad cuts do to my bad geometry calculations. I wish I had the mind of those Geometry pros that have gone before.

Posted quote from your thread to help keep continuity of conversation:

Bruce,
I think you may be thinking what I was thinking at this point in your build. Looking at the dome sheet calculator I input the needed parameters and ran the calculator. The 4th pic shows the spread sheet and the column labeled tilt I set my jig to 15.2 degrees and cut, and said to my self that right....... I think the sheet is talking about the tilt of brick as seen in the 2nd pic........The 1st pic is my jig which I was calling tilt the adjustment done with the long bolt and wing nut..........3rd Pic I'm calling side angle the taper of brick and adjusted by the wood back stop and wing nut............The bevel of the brick which get's rid of the inverted "V" which become more pronounced as the dome grows in courses is very small 1 to 2 degrees thus far.....I am on my 6th course I think it was about 2.5 degrees. I am adjusting the tilt of my jig to by placing my angle locator on the saw blade to find zero then placing it on the table adjusting the tilt accordingly………… trial and error at this point I not sure if this trial and error method will continue to be productive............I’m open to all others suggestions........I'm probably confused on my terms as usual but I hope this helps.

[brickie in oz]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

I'm using Super Demon by Plibrico.

If it the same sort of stuff I use which it loos like just a different brand name, dont splash it in your eyes as its a trip to the hospital....

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

If it the same sort of stuff I use which it loos like just a different brand name, dont splash it in your eyes as its a trip to the hospital....

I know it taste funny and sticks well to my glasses ............. Are speaking from "horsepistol" experience?

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Been slow going on this end, had a little cleaning up after some sloppy brick work. Completed 7th course, inner arch only 4 more bricks left.

[K79]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

beautiful.

[kbartman]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Thanks K79,

Finished inner arch and 8th course Dry fitting was a little easier, I used modeling clay to hold the bricks during the dry fit.....hoping it will work on the upper courses as well.

[K79]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Thanks K79,

Finished inner arch and 8th course Dry fitting was a little easier, I used modeling clay to hold the bricks during the dry fit.....hoping it will work on the upper courses as well.

Check out my thread to see how I'm holding up my brick. Doesn't work well when you dry fit as the bricks want to slip but to hold them in place with some mortar its awesome. Post 300.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Nice work clearing the arch.

[Calisdad]

Re: My 40" Inch pizza oven in Florida

Nice piece of work kbartman.

My saw just arrived yesterday so I'm a bit behind you. I like your arch transition and your use of firebrick shims on the dome. I haven't seen anyone else employ clay as an aid either. Good idea.