Building The Dixie Darling

[WarEagle90]

Thanks for the feedback, Joe. Where you measured 26" on yours, I'm at 27.75". I believe the difference is that my arches are elliptical so they stay wider longer than a constant radius arch. I was planning to bring the width in to match the 11" depth then go vertical a couple courses and then bring all four sides in together to get to the 8" x 8" final dimension. I assume when you say don't exceed 22 1/2 degrees you are talking about 22 1/2 from vertical??? When you got to the 8x8 dimension, you changed to shiners. Was that for a specific reason? i.e. save brick, match outside edge, etc.?

[Gulf]

I was planning to bring the width in to match the 11" depth then go vertical a couple courses and then bring all four sides in together to get to the 8" x 8" final dimension.

What you are describing is about what I did to accomodate room for the damper. In my case it works pretty well. It is just not necessary for a build without a damper. But, your plan will work imo.

I assume when you say don't exceed 22 1/2 degrees you are talking about 22 1/2 from vertical???

Correct. Look at the pic below. You can draw a line through the the head joints and get a feel for the thrust presure placed on the brick outside the double arches. Any flatter would require buttresing.imo.

When you got to the 8x8 dimension, you changed to shiners. Was that for a specific reason? i.e. save brick, match outside edge, etc.?

Actually, all of my brick above the arch are shiners.There is some waiste to this method. When you cut the angles for the step in, you will have to cut the shiner to match in order to interlock the corners. Once you go totally vertical, you can have full width shiners.

[WarEagle90]

Joe, my plan to go vertical for a few courses between the 11 x 11 step in and the 8 x 8 step in is simply architectural. Just wanted to give the impression to the casual onlooker that there was some thought that went into the design. Thanks for all your input. It’s quite comforting to know that I have the vast sea of knowledge found on this site available whenever I need it.

[Gulf]

Dan, I think that you are golden with your plan. With my last post I was conserned about my suggestion in post #118. I was getting my oven miixed up with my "bassackards" outdoor fireplace . The depth for it slopes from the arch in. But, there is a lot more meat in it's construction. The step-in on it is layed as stretchers. It is only beveled to 22 1/2 degerees on the inside. The old masons did not have brick saws. So, they kept the smoke chamber smooth by parging the step -ins. In the pic below you can see where I switched from $1 reclaimed firebrick brick to 6 bit clay pavers. I put them through sevearal test in my oven. They are fine for a liner imo.

[WarEagle90]

The pictures below do not portray a whole lot of progress, but I've only had 2 or 3 days to work on the oven over the last couple of weeks. I've been slowly bringing the sides of the vent in to match the 11" depth. Once I complete the last course shown in the photos, I'll have a 11"x11" vent. I'll then lay 3 courses with vertical sidewalls before I start the step in to 8x8. It will take less than 2 courses to get to 8" if I keep the 22 1/2 degree angle I am using currently. I may simply adjust the angle to make it work out to exactly 2 courses. That will be easier and more pleasing to the eye than splitting bricks horizontally. Thanks for following along.

[WarEagle90]

Just a quick update. The width and depth of the arch are now the same at 11" x 11". I started the two vertical courses late this afternoon and hopefully will be at 8" x 8" by EOD tomorrow.

[WarEagle90]

Depth and width of vent is now 8". Its all straight up from here, whew . I am glad to be done with angled cuts. Plan to go up 36" with the 8x8 vent and top her off then start curing with a heat lamp while I install the insulation. I think I have spent more time on the vent than I did the dome and I still have lots to do. Patience, Dan, patience

[rwiegand]

Very handsome!

[Gulf]

Dan,

It's looking great! That's a solid built entry and smoke chamber.

[SableSprings]

Great job Dan! I love the way these entry and smoke chambers flow visually (and I'm sure it will during firing as well ). Next stop...curing and beginning the culinary journey.

[WarEagle90]

Thanks RW, Joe and Mike. Its been a long journey and I can't quite see the end of the path yet, but I'm told its out there somewhere. The wife and I have started to discuss our options on finishing the oven. At a minimum, I plan to build a roof over the dome and brick the hearth stand to match the house.. An enclosure would be the easiest method for me but I am wrestling with myself over covering up all the hard work I put into the dome. I think the wife wants the enclosure simply because she can envision it better than she can a finished dome. I am concerned about being able to do a proper job on a partially exposed dome. Decision, decisions.

[SableSprings]

It was my wife who suggested that we enclosed the 18'x18' concrete pad and make it an enclosed/screened outside den. Our oven sits in the corner and is a focal point of the den...so all my hard work on making the oven look good isn't diminished by being inside (IMHO). You definitely want her solidly behind the final design. One additional selling point is that since we don't have AC in the house, during the summer we don't have to turn on the inside electric oven nearly as often. I also ended up building a prep room in the garage, so she was even happier I was making my dough away from "her kitchen".

Even when we're not baking, we love to go out into the den to read and just enjoy the fresh air. She often has some girl friends that come over and play cards in the den...and that's my quiet time in the house

[Gulf]

Dan,

Mike has a good point about screening in an area in front of the oven. That may be in the Queen's future. I'm sure that you have about the same problem that we have with the many types of flying critters here "next door" in MS

I had the same conserns as you. I could have easily bult an enclosure and that woud have been that. But, In the end, I could not bring myself to hide a perfect half sphere with a "doggie house". The oven, entry, and masonry flue are the hardest part. By this stage, a builder has acquired the skills and confidence to do anything related to masonry. They may need to take a short break from it all to recharge the "ambition", though.....................just sayin' .

[WarEagle90]

Mike, you make a good point about the screening. We do have those flying critters Joe mentioned, but what Joe failed to mention is not only do they fly, they bite, too. As the sun goes down in the summertime, it becomes an all out war and the flying critters usually win . We have talked about screening part of the deck, but the way our roof line is designed it would be a pain to tie back into the house roofing (see photo below). I've considered extending the gable end to cover what will eventually be an outdoor kitchen to the right of the oven in the photos below. But due to its odd angle with the oven, the roof would take some careful planning. Once I get the oven usable, I will certainly revisit this idea.

Joe, again, most of my inspiration comes from your oven and I do like the way you finished the dome and left it exposed but protected it with a roof. The wife works for an HVAC company that has a nice sheet metal shop and I've talked with the owner about making copper shingles to cover the oven. He said he would gladly do it if I just paid for the copper sheets. So that is certainly an option. I think Russell used copper on his oven ....... or am I just making that up ? And yes, we have those same winged critters. Ours just carry around pocket knives. How about yours?

Dome insulation question: I will install 3 inches of ceramic fiber blanket on the dome and I have enough insulating castable refractory mix to add 1-2 inches on top of the blanket. Do you think it is worth the effort to add it? If I do, would I still need to add an additional layer to attach any finishing material to or would the refractory be strong enough to support say the copper shingles? I got the stuff to seal around the thermal break after stuffing the void with ceramic rope and sealing with hi-temp caulk. I got a good deal so I bought enough to cover the dome too.

[Gulf]

Dan,

I think that your last question is better for Russell to answer. Since he has direct experience with attaching the copper shingles. I call Russel's very fine oven "The Copper Dragon" .