Elizabeth's oven

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Looks really good Elizabeth. Enjoy your build, because its over before you know it. Now that I'm done with all the hard work, I actually miss the struggles.

Ha! I think I will be struggling afterward with sourdough and its mysteries, achieving the perfect crust, and figuring out how to get more in the oven than will fit!

[PizzaJNKY]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Looks really good Elizabeth. Enjoy your build, because its over before you know it. Now that I'm done with all the hard work, I actually miss the struggles.

[thebadger]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Elizabeth,

Looks great...

I think the arches caused me great angst as well. What I did was used a styrofoam form and place all my bricks in place with wedges to space the accordingly. I then just pushend in mortar from the front and packed it in. I waited awhile, took out my shims and packed in mortar from the back. I used a small trowel and my "gloved" hands.

I'm sure masons are 'rolling over' but this worked for me...

Keep up the great work.

Dick

I haven't official finished, but already I see what everyone says in that it doesn't matter what it looks like.

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

It goes more slowly than I wish. The arch was nearly the death of me- trying to get the bricks cut the way I needed nearly made my head explode. At the top on the right and left, I have 2 bricks combined in a trapezoid sort of shape, to be wide enough to support the 1/2 bricks in the arch. I had to cut one off at an angle so it didn't encroach into the dome area, and my saw wouldn't do it. I finally got a blade for my husband's 10 inch chop saw and did it with that. Dusty as all get out, but it worked.

Then, my lack of mason's skills was manifested during the building of the arch. Not enough hands and I never seem to get the mortar the right consistency. I'm only making a little up at a time, so it doesn't go hard on me, but all told, I think I would rather mix up mortar for tile any day! More predictable, and I don't have to stick it on something and then turn it upside down....

I have a bit of the second ring done too. I'm using Ken's string system to align the brick, it's working well. I am also using an ungodly number of shims to get the correct angle.

Lots of cutting tomorrow so I can go faster on the dome- I'll try to get better pictures too.

[Frances]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Great! I have the feeling you're just going to breeze through this.

Keep the picture coming...

[asudavew]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Woohoo... .The fun has begun.

Keep us up to date.

Looks good so far!

Dave

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

At last! I can work again! No more company, no more sick kids (and thankfully, no mononucleosis!) and the weather is finally normal for June, not late August. Although it's still too hot to wear my overalls...

I did the soldier course and the sides of the arch today. The it went pretty well, I think. I put a strip of newspaper under the soldiers so I didn't inadvertently mortar them to the hearth.

Tomorrow I am going to work out the arch, make the form, and start the first ring. I hope.

[Frances]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Time to do all those things you've dreamed of all these years.

...like building a WFO? And hey, where are you dungarees anyway??

It must be lovely seeing your grown up children doing well. Congratulations!

[gjbingham]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Congrats on the graduation. You're new life awaits you. Time to do all those things you've dreamed of all these years.

[mfiore]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

totally off topic, but hey, I'm proud of them!

You've every reason to be proud, honors and everything! Congratulations!

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

There's been no progress on the oven front- the weekend went to graduation and a family reunion. And my parents arrived a day earlier than I expected, so I was on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floor when they got here! And my brother, who I was not expecting until the next day, arrived as well- he called when he was an hour away and so I spent the next hour frantically rearranging furniture so he and his wife could stay in the room where our children in transit store their furniture... (they don't move back in, just their stuff...) not my usual thing to do at 10 at night, but it was all ok.

I did manage not to cry all over the girls, but it was a struggle. If you look carefully in the second picture, Mr. Wilson appears without a hat, but still with his sunglasses...

totally off topic, but hey, I'm proud of them!

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Its looking really good! You'll be fitting your keystone in no time...

Oh and btw, I've been meaning to say... you don't look old enough to have kids who are leaving home...

Thank you most sincerely. I assure you I am. My oldest actually turns 21 this year.

Rain today, so I'll clean house, since my mom and dad are coming for graduation. I have doggie tumbleweeds the size of Texas to vacuum up. The keystone will have to wait a bit...

[Frances]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Its looking really good! You'll be fitting your keystone in no time...

Oh and btw, I've been meaning to say... you don't look old enough to have kids who are leaving home...

[gjbingham]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Your dome will progress sort of the way it wants. Once you start slinging mud, you will find your dreams of ideal geometry will fade.

Wow! That's a quote worth writing down and committing to memory. I think dmun should have further specified "quicky fade", but otherwise, a complete an accurate description of the building process.

Liz - work naked. That will keep your neighbor's mouth shut about man's work. Looking good so far!

[asudavew]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Sorry I missed this thread.
Looks great so far.

Keep going!
the hard part begins!

thanks for posting