Acoma 42" Tuscan

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

DMUN, thanks for the information. 24 is out, and they do a lot of breads and foods, not pizzas so I see her thought as well.
Looking at the inside of Ken's dome via photos, it looks bigger than 20 inches as described in his thread. Ken, is it still 20 inches floor to internal peak?

[dmun]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I had my mother-in-law over and she suggested going 24 inches internal dome instead of 21 inches. She stated that their ovens in New Mexico are approximately that high, and that for the diameter of the oven, that it would be better. I would like to request input from some of you as to impact of that height. We are only talking 3 inches.

I have no doubt that a higher oven would heat up and cook, but if pizza is your primary interest, a higher ceiling may leave you with less radiant heat for the top of your pizza, in other words, a pizza that will blacken on the bottom before the toppings melt. That's why pizza fanatics opt for a lower dome (Naples style) even though it sacrifices the ability to build huge fires and cook roasts.

I would think about a better reason to deviate from the hemisphere than "someone said something".

[Ken524]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

the wet saw with tarp in the back (works great).

Nice job on the saw stand. I really like the little extension table. That's a great idea.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

James, regarding clean cut side only comment, I agree. This is obviously a great idea for all pieces that would be seen internally or visible upon completion. I went with all four sides for the floor area only.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,

You may have to resort to sanding the floor as many of us had to do. These bricks are cut with a wire so they are far from identical.

Les...

Les, that will happen once the bricks are on the hearth. My garage floor is not perfect, being the location that I am doing prep work right now. Peel Perfect is my goal on the oven floor. Once I get the bricks cut to the shape of the oven and entry, I will then get to work on the insulation board. Once these are done, outside goes the floor bricks and insulation board, then the sanding of the surface to the bricks. That is definately a great idea, and should be on the Pompei instructions too (idea).
Dusty, I am looking at going back down there within the next two weeks to get the 2nd batch. Family gathering in Vallejo, and with school out for Christmas, I say...why not. Only thing is that my SUV maxes at 1250lbs. so the amount will be less, but the quality will be better.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, I made progress this evening. I did the herringbone design of the bricks and cut the floor template. I had my mother-in-law over and she suggested going 24 inches internal dome instead of 21 inches. She stated that their ovens in New Mexico are approximately that high, and that for the diameter of the oven, that it would be better. I would like to request imput from some of you as to impact of that height. We are only talking 3 inches.
I have attached the photo of the bricks that were cut on all four sides and shaped for the oven floor, the wet saw with tarp in the back (works great), and the template for the oven floor.
As for tomorrow evening, I will have the floor bricks cut. Rain possible over the next few days and snow is expected by Friday.

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

So far so good

[dusty]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I think that carefully trimming the floor bricks and then cutting a curved floor is an excellent start as it gives you a feel for the saw. Soon, if you are anything like me, you will be finishing a cut with the brick in your hand. Or, you will be holding it up to the blade and polishing the last little imperfection off of it as if the blade were a grinding wheel.
You have made amazing progress so far Robert. At the rate you're going, I wouldn't be suprized if you need more bricks by xmas!

dusty

[Les]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,

You may have to resort to sanding the floor as many of us had to do. These bricks are cut with a wire so they are far from identical.

Les...

[james]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I was thinking about the construction term "factory edge in." Basically you get to use the clean edge anywhere it shows, and then face the part that you cut outward. That's true for wood, bricks, drywall, hardibaker, and probably some other things.

I think this definitely applies to cutting bricks. The cut side never gets seem.

In fact, I've been told by professional oven builders that they score and break the dome bricks, with the rough side out -- because they don't want to pay the cost of burning through blades.

Rough can be good.
James

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Thank you George. I was a little nervous about the four sides cleaned up after several replys. I looked at them this morning and they look great. I will verify complete match ups when the floor design is done. Again, The dome pieces will get cuts as needed, and another 150 will be picked up this month, weather permitting.
Ken and Jim, I modified your wet saw idea and it works great in the garage. Photo to come.

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

You keep trucking along at warp speed and you'll have this thing knocked out in no time. Great diligence! The floor doesn't take that long once you get started on it. Suddenly, after all that hard work on the base, stand and floor, you're going vertical. That is an awesome feeling. It becomes hard not to go outside and just sit there and stare at it between your work sessions.

Enjoy the ride!
George

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, all floor brick edges are done. As for overkill, I am going to take it step by step, adjusting the game plan as needed for the overall benefit. I will work on the template and herringbone design tomorrow, all pieces to be flush. Any bricks not flush will be for the solder, realizing that I have 85 pieces of brick and 60 are in excellant form. Once the herringbone design is done (pre-cut) I will take a photo to display the tightness. Trust me, overkill is not my gameplan.
As for the additional ones that I have not touched yet, I will only clean the sides, shaping them as needed.

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,
Good idea trimming the floor bricks though. Just be sure they are all the same size when done.
dusty

I second what Dusty said.

Be careful cutting floor bricks to square them up. It may cause more problems then it solves.


My 2 cents

Dave

[dusty]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,
Cleaning every edge of every brick may be overkill since: A: the outside edge of the dome bricks doesn't matter - it is on the outside. And B: the edges that do matter will have to have an angle cut on them anyway. In other words, you will be throwing lots of little wedges with perfectly trimmed edges into the scrap bucket. Good idea trimming the floor bricks though. Just be sure they are all the same size when done.

dusty