Block Stand Question - Pompeii 42"

[gastagg]

We talked last year about getting together, but I think our builds went late into the fall. Need to get Mr. Chipster in on it too. I haven't heard from him in a while.

[Yeager]

Would love to meet you guys - feel like we've known each other for a while now!

[RandyJ]

That would be fun to get together sometime. I would love to see your oven when it is done. Or at least close to done.

Randy

[thomasmn]

Great job Thomas! Very clean brickwork. I live right down the road from you in Burnsville! Is that Insulated Brick on the bottom? The one item to keep an eye on is ensure that courses always overlap underlying joints. I had to occasionally cut a small piece to get things back in the middle. I now have my saw right next to my oven and it takes about 2 hours a course to cut and install. Each course gets a little easier and then creates their own challenge! You quickly start to learn on what you can get away with and what is worth the time to make right as I am sure you know!

I see you are waiting on building your arch also - have you picked a design yet?

-Yeager

I've tried to keep the joints a way from each other even if it is just ever so slightly, but not entirely in the middle as I'm sure I'd have to go through a lot more bricks. I have been pretty impressed with how well the bricks stay together when using the dome calc google sheet. The brick is all Smithfields from SSFBS, but the ones laying next to the insulation are just there to keep interested parties finger's out of the insulation.. already had a few people poke at it a few times! I have to say though, with the new design on the HF saw it seems like we have it a whole lot easier in cutting dome bricks. I made a wooden jig for the side angle and with the tilt the saw is able to do it takes really no time to cut all the brick once you wrap your head around the concept!

I do have a design for my vent already and I have to get started on the form for it today. My stand is entirely based on Dino's design and the oven itself is very close to RandyJ's design with a few slight modifications.

Given our close proximity we should plan a meetup.. with RandyJ and gastagg as well!

[Yeager]

Great job Thomas! Very clean brickwork. I live right down the road from you in Burnsville! Is that Insulated Brick on the bottom? The one item to keep an eye on is ensure that courses always overlap underlying joints. I had to occasionally cut a small piece to get things back in the middle. I now have my saw right next to my oven and it takes about 2 hours a course to cut and install. Each course gets a little easier and then creates their own challenge! You quickly start to learn on what you can get away with and what is worth the time to make right as I am sure you know!

I see you are waiting on building your arch also - have you picked a design yet?

-Yeager

[thomasmn]

Was chewing on that, but my HF Saw doesn't fit the bricks 4.5" tall through well. It says its a 10" saw, but behaves more like a 9.5" saw! Also, I wouldn't have a fancy spreadsheet to follow instructions on either - would likely have to figure out the angle myself! Having complained all of that, I'll try it out tomorrow.

I could also buy the pre beveled brick, but I not sure which one to get (No 1, No 2, or No 3 arch from link below). I think it would be Arch No 1. My simple sketchup shows it going from 2 1/2" down to 2 1/16".

Btw, did anyone end up buying the estimated 224 bricks for a 42" Oven and realize they were going to be way short? I think I am going to need another 50 or so to finish (maybe more). My neighbors tell me that they know when I am home because they hear the saw constantly going lately! I don't feel too bad because they'll be the first to come over for pizza when its done.

I've gotten 210 so far from SSFBS and I'm sure I'll have to go back for more. I've done all the cuts up until now inside, but decided that tonight was the night to take the saw outside. I finally got my cutting down and was able to do my 3rd course entirely in less than 3 hours including building a small jig to do all the cuts with.. I started with the bare hearth Friday morning and this is where I've gotten so far. My IT is a piece of cherry attached to a 3" lazy susan from Rockler and it seems to be working just fine for now. I have had to clean up one brick on the inside so far..

[Yeager]

Was chewing on that, but my HF Saw doesn't fit the bricks 4.5" tall through well. It says its a 10" saw, but behaves more like a 9.5" saw! Also, I wouldn't have a fancy spreadsheet to follow instructions on either - would likely have to figure out the angle myself! Having complained all of that, I'll try it out tomorrow.

I could also buy the pre beveled brick, but I not sure which one to get (No 1, No 2, or No 3 arch from link below). I think it would be Arch No 1. My simple sketchup shows it going from 2 1/2" down to 2 1/16".

Btw, did anyone end up buying the estimated 224 bricks for a 42" Oven and realize they were going to be way short? I think I am going to need another 50 or so to finish (maybe more). My neighbors tell me that they know when I am home because they hear the saw constantly going lately! I don't feel too bad because they'll be the first to come over for pizza when its done.

[UtahBeehiver]

Since you so good at tapering your bricks, why not do the arch as well, nice even mortar joints.

[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

[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.

[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

[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

[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.

[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.

[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?