36" Pompeii Dome Chicago

[Karangi Dude]

Chach

Use mortar it is good for levelling but more important it will hold the bricks until you get a couple of courses laid.
The mortar will not hold very well to the insulation so be careful not to bump the first course, when you do the second course it will start to firm up and become more solid

Cheers Doug

[Chach]

Thanks that's what I'll do

[Chach]

My progress is starting slow but just getting acclimated with the project again. Floor is cut and starting on the first course.

[Chach]

What are the benefits of tapering the brick to make the dome tighter fitting? i do want to bevel to get the inverted V out but is it necessary to taper as well? what are the pro and cons of not doing it or doing it?

[RandyJ]

It is completely unnecessary to taper as well as bevel the bricks. I started off trying to do that and quickly decided it was not worth the effort. When i get ready to fo the next one i won't even consider it i would only bevel them. Then fill the joints from the back with home brew mortar. I used whatever i had left that was starting to harden as mass for the outside.

[Chach]

RandyJ so you just got rid of the inverted V and had those big joints between the bricks and obviously the angle of the brick where you would shim you filled as well

[UtahBeehiver]

I agree with Randy, I did full tapers and bevels on my build just to prove I could. But it took a lot of time and effort. You are after tight inner joints and this can be accomplished by beveling the front side portion of the bricks where the two adjacent bricks conflict. Let mortar fill in the back side and underneath for tilt that your IT shows. I believe JRPizza did this as well. Also, you best work and bricks go in the back half of the dome and the adjustment of the front half. The front half is never seen again once the some is completed.

[JRPizza]

Yes, I did bevel only based what I had read in one of the "what would you do different" threads, where folks that had done both had said it was not worth the trouble. You can see in the pic that there is pretty much line contact brick to brick on the ID and it's easy to pack the gaps on the OD with mortar. The gaps tend to get much smaller towards the top if you are cutting the bricks thinner to keep the joints from lining up row to row.

[Chach]

Thanks, thats what im going to do..if it does not affect the oven's performance or strength then im good with it as well. Does the thermal mass get affected ny not having that extra fire brick there? just a side question Has anyone cut triangles out of fire brick to put in the gaps? I know I seen them do it on the arch instead of tapering but not sure if I seen it on the dome itself.

[RandyJ]

Once you have filled the voids with mortar you are very close to the same thermal mass. Insulation and a good door do the rest and make the most difference.

[UtahBeehiver]

Not worth the effort, you might as well cut full bevel and tapers if you are concerned. Some builders have used left over wedge cuts to help set tilt, but left overs and cutting specifically for filling gap are two different time use resources. There is plenty thermal mass with mortar and brick, you need to ensure you insulate correctly and properly to take advantage of the heat.

[Chach]

Thank you for putting this to rest for me...im not going to taper just bevel the front to get rid of the inverted V when that shows up. i was just thinking if a taper was done it would be a stronger build since the skinny part of the brick would be towards the inside of the dome amd the wider part of the brick would be towards the back. so if a brick slipped it would lock itself in unlike an untapered brick can just slide out..I guess im just over thinking. and I never heard of that happening to anyone

[Chach]

Well didn't get a whole lot accomplished. It seemed lile everytime I started I had to stop either for something with my family or the neighbor had some electrical questions which I ended up just doing the work for them which tool a few hours of my time. So needless to say I se t like 10 brick. But I at least got a feel for the IT how to position amd hold the brick. I will say that the homebrew mortar is some sticky stuff and it dries hard. Here a few pictures of my slow but happy progress

[RandyJ]

Looking good. I know what you mean about life getting in the way when you are trying to get work done. That happens to me all the time as well. I was trying to grout a bathroom floor and had to stop in the middle this weekend. Hopefully you will find some time to get a few more set.

[Chach]

I was able to put some more brick in tonight on my birthday. coming along pretty good only working on this 2hrs max when I do and my 14hr saturday shift didn't help. I'm going to hopefully start the inner arch tomorrow so I can complete my courses of brick and continue going verticle. Im starting to notice the inverted V not real prominent yet but im thinking the 3rd course I'll have to start beveling the first inch or so if the brick to make it look straight. This is getting very exciting.

When i bought my harbor freight saw back in 2012 I never thought Id use it this much...i did 400 linear ft of retaining wall and cap with it brick pavers, tile work in the house, and now this project. I for sure got my moneys worth out if this saw.

I enclosed some pictures let me know if something stands out.