Elizabeth's oven

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Onward and upward. I have put on the insblock layer and the floor. It's a little ragged around the edges, but nothing is wobbly or unsupported, so I figure what gets covered up doesn't matter. George's motto applies here, I think. My bricks weren't all quite the same thickness, so I kept having to pick them up and add more dust to make the floor as level as possible.

Here's the floor and the soldier course laid out. Do my angled bricks at the edge of the door look like a viable way to start my arch? I figure 4 courses like that, then go sideways with the arch, peaking at 12 inches. I'll have to use a form, but I have plenty of foam to make one.

The inside diameter has worked out to 36 1/2 inches, which is pretty close to what I was working for.

[egalecki]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Which brings me to my next question: does this picture look like your layout for the courses of the dome? I'm shooting for a maximum of 20 inches to the ceiling, which this is, but it's kind of squatty-looking. I'm sure that I have a half-circle in my head, which I know it isn't.

Did all your gaps work out evenly between all the courses? Mine seem to be wider at the bottom and smaller at the top. If I try to make them even, it grows too tall. This is 12 courses. How many courses should I have for a 36 ish oven?

[dmun]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Looking good. I first thought I was seeing a double layer of splits on your floor, but realized that it was an artifact of cutting your bricks.

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. You're right though, you don't want much more than 20 for a 36 oven.

[thebadger]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Elizabeth,

I think the FB plans call for now mare than an 18" height for the "taller" version with the 36inch. I wanted between 16-18 for my 36 and ended up with 17 1/2.

Dick

I think I had about 10-11 courses (gets a little squisehd toward the top).

[asudavew]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Sorry I missed this thread.
Looks great so far.

Keep going!
the hard part begins!

thanks for posting

[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!

[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...

[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...

[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!

[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!

[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.

[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!

[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.

[asudavew]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

Woohoo... .The fun has begun.

Keep us up to date.

Looks good so far!

Dave

[Frances]

Re: Elizabeth's oven

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

Keep the picture coming...