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36" Pompeii Dome - Thailand

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  • UtahBeehiver
    replied
    Most of the documentation is in the form of the photo album but I do have some offline info. It just depends on what you want. Shoot me a question and I will try and answer, there are a lot of builders on this site who have great advice as well. I am not a big fan of the YouTube videos out there, some info is good and other info is downright bad. So now is the time to be thinking about an indispensable tool, AKA IT, it is well worth the time and effort to build one, make sure ii is adjustable.

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  • danhem
    replied
    Making progress, slowly but surely. My neighbour and friend who has a number of years being a handy man under his belt foresaw an issue with us laying the hearth and then removing the plywood and supporting stands. We both have back issues and sliding into the stand cavity on hands and knees to remove the plywood and stand supports was a worry for us both.

    As a master stroke, we purchased some reinforced concrete slabs (total cost = $35 delivered) that are laid across the stand to act as hearth support and to avoid the plywood base to set the concrete pour. The concrete slabs are 2" deep so we will still position rebar and a further 2" of concrete on top. The slabs didn't fit flush across the stand but that was sorted with a little bit of work with the grinder.

    It's taken a day or two longer to get where I currently am but I took delivery of my fire bricks and insulation materials today so hope that by this weekend I'll be starting on the oven build itself!

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  • danhem
    replied
    UtahBeehiver - I’ve been through your build post and highly envious of the outcome. Awesome.

    You started the build thread offering the forum documentation for those who are interested. I am certainly interested if the offer still stands?

    I take delivery of my firebricks and insulation materials tomorrow so things are about to get real here!

    thanks,

    Danny.

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  • UtahBeehiver
    replied
    You can make the oven any diameter that works for you. The only factor is the inner arch height which should be around 63-65% of the dome height (or dome radius). The extra base dimension is fine, better to be long than short. You need to factor in access to you build on the back side by the stucco wall. Too close will make if difficult to work around.

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  • danhem
    replied
    Thanks UtahBeehiver, I found TxGR and followed his post, seems we have sourced materials from the same place (perhaps only place in Thailand).

    I had a couple of challenging days fixing up my stand. The block dimensions as listed were not available here so I had to cut a number of blocks to fit the recommended stand dimensions of 70"x63". In the end my stand measures at 70"x67". The blocks I have are 15" x 5.5" x 7". After the initially laying the first course out, the stand width was short of the recommended 63". To avoid a great deal of hassle cutting up lots of block I decided to make the stand width slightly wider (67"), mindful of the space required for the oven itself - more space being better than less space.

    I wonder with the extra stand width I can increase the oven diameter by an inch or two, or whether such small measurements are irrelevant?

    Another problem caused by the type of block I have is that lining up the holes for rebar and cement to fit was tricky. After cutting and layering the four courses, I dismantled the stand ready to set it with concrete and rebar. To make sure I had the holes lined up properly, I set the first two courses, and filled the holes with cement and rebar. For the final two courses it was a case of fitting the brick holes through the protruding rebar and filling with cement. The whole process from taking delivery of materials to where I am now has taken 12 man hours over 2 days. Not sure I'll ever make it in the building industry but I certainly appreciate the work of those who have.

    Since the manual mixing of cement and moving of building bricks was a first in my 40 years of life, my back is sore this morning so I'm taking a break before adding a finish to the inside of the stand. I figured that leaving the brick exposed would be a point of frustration in the future and its much easier to finish it now before the hearth covers the top.

    All in all I realize that this will be slow and heavy going but highly committed to getting it finished in the shortest time. Whilst the stand may not be a perfect structure, it's pretty solid and should withstand whatever will sit on top.

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  • UtahBeehiver
    replied
    Great start, there was another Thailand build done recently so you can check that thread for info on oven materials and such.

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  • danhem
    started a topic 36" Pompeii Dome - Thailand

    36" Pompeii Dome - Thailand

    Finally made the move to construct a 36" dome oven. Selecting the location and getting the foundations laid has been a challenge and I only expect it to get steeper over the coming weeks.

    We decided to make use of some space at the back of our house, over looking pineapple fields and mountains as the sun goes down. The thought of cooking pizzas in the surroundings is motivation enough, whilst adding a whole new dimension to what is essentially wasted space at the back of the house.

    First job - Concrete in a 40ft x 1ft space bringing it level with the balcony to act as a platform for an outdoor kitchen and seating area. A big job for a one man band so employed a team of contractors for this part.

    Second job - The first day proper as I took delivery of the Stand materials and began to lay a rough draft of the Stand.

    A few pics attached in the link below - probably the first instalment of many. Not sure I'd have the confidence to attempt this without the knowledge backed up on this forum. I hope in time my project will be complete.


    **edit - ignore images link below, doesn't seem to work so will use the Forum image hosting service.

    Last edited by danhem; 03-19-2020, 10:45 PM.
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