Block Stand Question - Pompeii 42"

[Yeager]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the compliments. This is my first time working with brick, so am making lots of mistakes and learning from them!

Utah,
What you've shared is what I've been envisioning (or at least close!). I need to put some more thought into it for final design - I've been procrastinating on this step!

Thanks,
Yeager!

[gastagg]

Looking great! Looking forward to see how waiting to do the arch and the adjoining rows at the same time works.

[UtahBeehiver]

Stealing each others ideas is what the forum is all about......LOL. FYI, when you scribe you bricks for the tapered arch us a pencil attached to the IT and start with the top dead center brick (TDC) then work each way. Note that the brick face angles change from left or right or right to left. Also it takes more than a half a brick to make the tapered arch so scribe on a full brick..

[Yeager]

Thanks Russell! How do I determine the slope? I can envision on how to scribe the top line, it's where the top of brick touches the outer done plane/radius. The inner dome plane /radius is a line and not sure which point to choose?

[UtahBeehiver]

The slope is the same angle as the center of the rod on the IT. The inner arch line is the inside of the dome. The outer line is the outside of the dome so if you use half of a 9" brick. These lines will be abt 4.5" apart on a angle that the IT sets the brick for that course. It is a little confusing until you actually cut a brick.

[Yeager]

OK, Cool. I think I get the top slope. If I draw a line of the outer dome with the IT and then put a stringline (on the side of brick) from the Center of dome (floor) to the new line - that line becomes the top slope. Been staring at the photo to try and figure out the bottom slope - is there a way to determine that?

thanks!

[JRPizza]

See if this sketch helps. The curved lines are the inner and outer surfaces of the dome. The rectangular brick is the arch top brick, set where the bottom is the door height. If I understand your other question, the bottom slope is cut to match the inner surface of the dome, which should be about perpendicular to the line created by the IT (shown in the sketch). The top slope matches the slope of the brick that is going to sit on top of it . This only works though if you have your arch in the right place, front to back.

[UtahBeehiver]

JR did a great sketch up of determining and explaining the lower slope. You can use your IT, if you make a pencil attachment, turn pencil horizontal, start at arch form scribe arch upward (inside diameter of dome) to where it intersects top slope. I string and pencil may work but string needs to be really taunt. As mentioned before, the angles from one side of the brick to the other side are not symmetrical, It is really important, as JR mentioned that the forward/aft placement of the work is correct. Again use your IT to place. See pic.

[Yeager]

You guys are awesome!!! I totally get it now - just need to now do it! I have a few ideas in my mind to make a horizontal pencil attachment. Technically, the pencil tip would need to be at the tip of the IT rod, wouldn't it?

[UtahBeehiver]

Technically yes, but were not building rocket ships so our tolerance can have a little wiggle room. It gets us in the ball park and mortar is our friend.

[JRPizza]

Yeager, did you weld your IT? I just unscrewed the L bracket at the end of my rod and made the holder shown in the pic. Later in the build I also made and used a narrower L bracket, as the bricks tend to get skinny towards the top.

[Yeager]

Hi JR,
I have many tools, but no welders yet! I built my IT using parts from Home Depot that I could drill and assemble. I also just made a new IT bracket out of wood that is narrower. I think I can take a block of wood and use a drill to make a pencil holder. It's funny what a drill, a 3/8" threaded rod, block of wood, and nuts/washers can do!


thanks all!

-yeager

[RandyJ]

I would have to agree with you on that. I build all kinds of stuff at work just like that. 3\8" threaded rod and hardware is what holds most electrical insulations togather.

Randy

[UtahBeehiver]

Yeager,

My pencil holder is just one of the plastic carpenter pencil holder with a 3/8" nut epoxied to the holder. You can screw this on to your existing all thread IT.

[Yeager]

Making decent progress, but got held up by getting a gas line ran for my grill (the thought of never running out of gas again!!!!!)

Need your guys expert opinion. I started to play with spacing on my arch. I have three choices:

1a. Butt the bottom of the bricks together in the arch and have a smaller top middle
1b. Butt the bottom of the bricks together in the arch and have 2 slightly smaller sides
2. The second photo below where there is approximately 1/4"spacing at bottom corner

Suggestions/Thoughts? Next up.. starting to mark the bricks from behind on those complex cuts!

thanks,
Yeager