New Build - 42" with Santa Maria Grill in So. Cal

[Damer419]

Holy crap I cannot believe that I am starting a build thread. After literally years of lurking, taking notes, and day-dreaming the time has finally come! Don’t know if I am really excited or gonna soil my britches……or maybe both!!!! So my plan consists of a 42” oven flanked by a 48” Santa Maria (it is a California thang) grill that I had made in Santa Maria a few months ago and an equal length counter on the other side.

Here is my original sketch that I did a few years ago. Few things have changed with regards to the house, but overall the concept is the same. My son and I made an awesome lego model too J

Damon

[Damer419]

Here is the space "before".......... I broke ground and poured the foundation 3 weeks ago and have since built the stand for the oven and poured the hearth this past weekend. Currently laying out the floor and fine tuning my IT. Look forward to the experience and having wisdom to lean upon when the going gets tough.

[JRPizza]

Love the Lego mock-up! It'll be fun going back to page 1 of your build thread and compare the concept with the finished product.

[Damer419]

Ok so I picked up some CalSi boards from a commercial insulation place in San Diego and I don't think they sold me the right stuff. It has V-Grooves down the length of each board. Thoughts? I am going to call tomorrow and see if they have "ungrooved" ones.

[UtahBeehiver]

V groove block are for curved or pipe insulation. You want "flat block" CaSi

[Damer419]

Since I blew in on the insulation purchase. Is this the right fire clay for home brew?

[UtahBeehiver]

HC Muddox is the right material for fire clay .

[Damer419]

Thank you for the quick response UB.........1 out 2 isnt too bad I guess!

[Damer419]

Made a lil bit of progress over the weekend. I bought these firebrick a few months ago on Craigslist from a guy who had plans to build a oven but ended up buying a modular. I got a sweet deal, however it wasn't until I started laying the floor that I realized these bricks are pretty worn on the edges, some are really chipped up. I think they'll be just fine but I am going to rely on ash to full some gaps in the floor and my edges on the dome might not as pretty as I wanted. Oh well.......progress is progress and I have to get this thing done by June as I just found out we are hosting my nephews wedding in our backyard. Nothing like pressure for motivation.

Onward and upward

D

[Damer419]

Opinions needed. I see in the FB plans that they recommend the angle iron flat opening but I have yet to see a build that uses that method. I had always planned on an arch but I am considering that approach because 1) it seems much simpler and faster than cutting bricks for the arch. 2) Seems tying in the chains would be a cinch compared to tying them in to an arch. I get the aesthetic appeal to an arch, and I dont want to look at my oven five years from now wishing I had not taken the easy way out. But this build cannot take me more that 5 months. I have read so many builds that go up to a year over the original schedule and I am desperately trying to avoid that at all costs. As mentioned before, we are hosting a wedding in June and I have 4 kids eight and under, and while I enjoy "my time" tinkering with the oven, my wife is already loosing her mind.

Any build threads that Ive missed that use the angle iron framed opening??

Thanks

Damon

[Ciabatta Lover]

Looking good Sir. I also planned the full arch and then realized it was over kill for the final front I wanted. A simple straight side with a basic arch on top did it for me. If you remember that the entry and chimney slides up against the oven and does not have to be integrated into the brick work of the oven, you’'ll find it much easier.

Mike

[Damer419]

Thanks CL.........That "Flue Run" of yours is pretty cool!

[SableSprings]

Opinions needed. I see in the FB plans that they recommend the angle iron flat opening but I have yet to see a build that uses that method. I had always planned on an arch but I am considering that approach because 1) it seems much simpler and faster than cutting bricks for the arch. 2) Seems tying in the chains would be a cinch compared to tying them in to an arch. I get the aesthetic appeal to an arch, and I dont want to look at my oven five years from now wishing I had not taken the easy way out. But this build cannot take me more that 5 months. I have read so many builds that go up to a year over the original schedule and I am desperately trying to avoid that at all costs. As mentioned before, we are hosting a wedding in June and I have 4 kids eight and under, and while I enjoy "my time" tinkering with the oven, my wife is already loosing her mind.

Any build threads that Ive missed that use the angle iron framed opening??

Thanks

Damon

Welcome Damon! I used the "square" oven entry using a piece of angle iron spanning the top. It seemed much easier & quicker to me at the time and has worked very well since I finished the oven in the fall of 2009. It did make getting a fire door and a working door much simpler as an added bonus. One thing you do want to be aware of is the difference in expansion between metal and brick. Make sure that you set the top angle iron loosely in position...you can set it on bricks and set bricks on it...just don't use mortar to try to lock it in place. Also, provide a half inch or so of open space at the ends to allow for the expansion in length as the metal heats.

Be aware that tying the dome chains into the opening will still provide some challenges with this method... but you've got a great start here. Remember that a working oven will wow the wedding crowd as much as the completely finished and anointed project.

I assume you'll be doing more than just pizza for the event and/or pre & post parties. Remind your wife that taking a lot of the cooking, prep, and inside oven heat to the outside "kitchen" will make her life much easier doing other inside party prep.

I did build an arch on the outside face for looks, but the rectangular oven opening is entirely functional. If I had to do this again, I'd probably use the angle iron method again but I'd make an effort to provide a smoother, curved exit route for the smoke to leave the oven past the angle iron and enter the collection chamber of the flue base.

p.s. I think you've got a good chance not only to be ready for the crowd in June, but also to get in some serious practice time using the oven as long as you keep focused. Any chance you can bring some of the friends/relatives in for some oven work weekends?

[Damer419]

Thanks for the words of encouragement SS. Still unsure of what I am going to to. Rainy weekend here so time to ponder I guess.

[rand18m]

Building an arch is really not as daunting a task as it seems. Looking at your brick work so far I see that you'l have no problem doing so. I built a segmental or partial arch if you will. Similar to what is shown above. You can use the same pattern for the dome arch to make the entry arches. Just shim it up from the bottom for the extra height and add what you need for the sides. Or simply set the two side columns of brick back and use a level to keep straight, then come back and lay the top arch. It's not that much cutting and goes really fast. Once set up you can lay it in a few minutes. You'll be glad you did IMO.