30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

[RandyJ]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

That mk blade should be good. I used the rigid segmented blades from home depot they are like 65$ but cut great. Now i see what it went so fast. And it took me till after the 2nd or 3rd course to feel like I knew what I was doing. Everything looks great. Keep up the good work.

Randy

[gastagg]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Thanks guys. I can understand "getting the hang of it" and hoping it will happen when it gets to the detail work closer to top. I like wetter mortar for sure and it goes much quicker. I find that I put too much on initially and its too thick. Starting to get the hang of it maybe. And the rubber mallet greatly helped positioning...didn't get that figured out til day 2.

I used the DeWalt blade that came with the saw. It's a continuous rim tile blade with a very short rim and it cut great at the beginning. Am cutting wet. Didn't finish the cutting before the blade was finished. Went to the local hardware store to get through my last few cuts and bought one of those composite blades for $7 (only thing they had!). Very rough and dusty, but got me through til my Amazon order came today. I bought an MK segmented blade with a much deeper rim and the reviews are good for it being able to handle hundreds of cuts. We'll see.

[mrchipster]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Are you cutting wet or dry.

Btw it looks great.

[RandyJ]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Looking great. I see you were busy today. I am a little surprised that you are on your 2nd blade already. What kind did you put on for the new blade? I think I made it to the top of the arch with mine before I had to switch, and I did a paver sidewalk with it first. After I finished my dome I thought if I had a full week to myself I could do it again from the finished base up in a week. It starts going pretty fast after you get the hang of it.

Randy

[gastagg]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Here's what I got done through today. Almost 2 courses on top of the base. I sketched out a drawing to see where my dome would intersect with the inner arch and it looks like it's going to work out fine. The dotted line is the height of the opening.

I'll start curving up on next course. On my second blade...

[RandyJ]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Hey just fo reference I think my opening is 12.5 inches high by 19.5 wide. And it takes a few batches of mortar to figure out how you like it. And you will find a point where it will still squish but is very sticky. That is what you want up high. In the lower corse's it doesn't matter as much. Good luck on getting a bunch done today. You will soon catch up to me.

Randy

[gastagg]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Thanks for the comments and input guys. This forum has improved everything in this process. To address the questions:

It seems like a common regret that I've heard from people is that they didn't build their openings big enough. And I'm only building a 32" oven, which limits my height already. So, I wanted to get a few inches more by starting the hemisphere higher. I was originally planning a soldier course like many builds, but after a chat with Mr. Chipster, who is the Minneapolis/St. Paul WFO guru, he recommended turning the bricks flat for strength. I thought that was a great idea. So, I'm looking at a 13-14" opening height now instead of 11-12".

Randy, you may be right about not needing the 2nd IT tool. I figured that since I had the extra supplies already, why not make 2? I don't want to use forms because I don't like the idea of not having access to the interior while I'm building. And as I mentioned before, I've never mortared anything and didn't know setup time on the mortar. Of the two batches I mixed yesterday, one was definitely more wet than the other and I noticed a longer set time. I'm going to try to minimize set time if I can. Sounds like you had a good experience.

I'm going try to get 2 courses on today. Nice warm day

[RandyJ]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

I don't think I ever really needed to have 2 It tools. By the time I got the next brick buttered up it was ready to move. If it works for you that is great but I never thought I would be able to move faster with 2.

Randy

[Greenman]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

The dual IT is interesting. Has to speed the job up if you are not using forms or balls or the like. I am interested in why you would want a higher dome. A hemisphere is standard and most go lower rather than higher.

There is no need to stick your insulation to the base or the first bricks either. Gravity will take care of that.

Good luck with the really rewarding part of the build. It is a real buzz watching it come together.

[gastagg]

Re: 33" Pompeii in Minneapolis

I was happy with the work today. Got the floor set and the first course of bricks mortared. This was the first mortar job I've ever done. I thought it went well. I guess the end product will tell.

I was inspired by Mr Chipster's dual IT (p.2) to speed install time, but the magnet setup was beyond me. This was my version of it. I am going to have two more courses on the dome wall before I start curving the walls up...wanted a little higher dome. The IT pivot height is set to the elevation of the bottom of the course that will begin the curve up.

Rained last night...was glad to have set the canopy up the night before.

[gastagg]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Chip, should I adhere the first course to the insulation? You said not to put anything down on the cooking surface bricks to adhere them to the insulation, but I'm wondering about the bricks around.

Also, should I adhere the insulation to the stand slab?

[mrchipster]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

If you are considering a heat break I would put it at the outside of the inner arch. Approx. where the middle of the brick at the point where you transition to the outer arch.

[gastagg]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

OK, I was wondering if I should put a thermal break in the floor and saw pictures both ways. How do I do that at this point with the floor? I've got my location set for the reveal blocks. Do I just cut everything back to the front of the reveal? Any pics? As you can see, it's still sitting on my saw horses...nothing is permanent yet

I was looking at renting but since I'm going to need for a while, I thought I would try buying a saw and then sell it when I'm done. I ended up getting the DeWalt 2400 10" saw. It's a popular job-site saw and the reviews were good, so I thought if I could sell for $100-$200 less than what I paid, that would work well. Actually have a friend interested in buying it. It has a decent diamond-blade that is going through these bricks quite well. I was surprised.

[RandyJ]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

Good point Chip I had not noticed that. Easy to do at this point but not much longer.

Randy

[mrchipster]

Re: 30" Pompeii in Minneapolis

No heat break?