100 cm oven build, Sweden

[ugnsnisse]

Hello people! Today was the day that I started laying the bricks. So far so good.

I started with a soldier course and the IT is made so I can reduce the height of the dome to 45 cm.

I started of course with the floor and marked all bricks with permanent marker, I really hope that it will burn away with time.

The whole thing is situated on an old stone wall that I leveled nicely. For insulation I started with 8 cm of leca balls mixed with portland cement and topped it with 2 cm vermicrete, if I build a second oven (I sure will), then I will try to find a suitable board because my solution didn't really save any money and it took lots of time.

I'm cutting the bricks perfectly well with a mitre saw and an inexpensive diamond blade from ebay. For complicated cuts I'm using an angle grinder.

Most of the material is salvaged scrap, the only problem with the red dome bricks is that I've had to clean them.

If the weather stays nice tomorrow and nothing weird happens I should be able to get some way up the dome.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Not sure how to put more than 6 pics in one post so here comes the rest. The last one is a bonus and shows a smoker we built this christmas for lamb shanks and other.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

G'day
Your making great progress.
Couple of questions what are leca balls?
Are you using firebrick as the hearth brick? As you have said your using red commons for the dome but the hearth is a different colour from the pics of the red brick.

Regards dave

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Hello,
LECA is short for Light Expanded Clay Aggregate, they are as the name says, light and made from expanded clay.
The hearth-bricks are "medium duty" yellow firebrick, the dome is low duty red firebrick, they come from an old chimney and some of them are really toasted but still intact and rock hard, so I have full confidence in them.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

I am interest to see how the LECA ball work, at least from the 10,000 foot level they seem to be similar to Vermiculite or Perlite which are expanded shale rock. It would seem that the LECAs would have more compressive strength. IMHO. Out of the box thinking is good.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

I am interest to see how the LECA ball work, at least from the 10,000 foot level they seem to be similar to Vermiculite or Perlite which are expanded shale rock. It would seem that the LECAs would have more compressive strength. IMHO. Out of the box thinking is good.

I think they will do fine, there's 10 cm of them so insulation should be up to standard and compressive strength is great, houses are built on top of blocks of these.

Today was rainy here so could'nt get too much work done.

Instead of wood wedges I'm using cut of pieces of brick that will stay there until it's all cured and then be cut of. (2nd pic)

I had a go with the angle grinder on the arch to smooth some edges out.

Will continue tomorrow.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Torrential rain today, no good for mortaring.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Getting on with the 4th course. Things are not lining up horizontally, I must start to think in 3 dimensions.
To have the pivot point 4 cm up from the bottom as my IT has isn't any good for anyone who tries to make a lower dome than it is wide.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Got the 5th layer laid today, the towel in the pic is a try to keep the mortar from drying out in the sun.
Also got a new blade from ebay. This one is segmented and cuts so much faster than the smooth edged one.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

The arch-dome transitioning is working out nice. Next course will probably be the last before the gym-ball enters the dome. I will also cut the bricks in thirds for the remaining dome, or maybe I'll wait one more course.

Is it a good idea to mortar the joint between inner arch and landing/vent-arch?

[stonecutter]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

I am interest to see how the LECA ball work, at least from the 10,000 foot level they seem to be similar to Vermiculite or Perlite which are expanded shale rock. It would seem that the LECAs would have more compressive strength. IMHO. Out of the box thinking is good.

It's the primary insulation used by Neapolitan oven builders. You're correct about greater compressive strength.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Continued on the 7th course with a mix of ? and ⅓ bricks. Looking at the pictures I can see that I have some wythes lining up somewhat. It have been complicated to keep track of all parameters at once.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Got use for a gymball for todays second and last course, the 9th I think. Also remembered to put a k-sensor in there.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

Finished the dome today. The final shape has a slight lean of the center towards front/side.
Skipped on the wedges a while ago. Just too much work compared to not using them.
To clean the joints in the top was extremely difficult from the stepladder I used, so there will be some brushing of the interior while firing to get rid of loose sand.

For entry I'm thinking a similar arch as the inner, that is, 3 bricks, then a brick cut 45? followed by the arch.
This will support a 100-150 cm SS flue pipe of 200 mm diameter. Some sort of base for the pipe will also be needed.

I see ovens built with buttressed archs and ovens that don't have them.
I'd rather not have any but if it's needed leave your opinion.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100 cm oven build, Sweden

There's just so many knotts (sand flies) here that I can get no work done. Annoying!