42" In South GA

[plastered]

t could be that your circular floor is off a little bit, that is not perfectly circular. I definitely had some issues where it wasn't perfect on the 3rd or so courses, where there was a tiny lip, and I think this was because my circular floor wasn't perfect. It shouldn't be a huge deal in my opinion. In my attached pic on the right side your can see some of the overhang.

I'm assuming your IT was measured appropriately, but I'll note that the center of the wood coming out of the pivot point should line up with the center of a brick. I drew a picture to explain. X is half the height of a brick. So half of the thickness of the green stick plus the whole thickness of the purple should be equal to half the height of a brick.

[edonovan]

Thank you plastered, yes I do know it is not perfectly 42" all the way around. I will double check that intersection point. I have to say your intro of "never having done masonry" and did it all with chop saw and angle grinder is definitely one of my biggest motivating factors.

[UtahBeehiver]

As plastered showed in his diagram the green line is correct alignment for the IT pivot to brick face. The line from from the pivot point along the rod must intersect the center of the face of the brick. By adding the spacer mid point the intersection is off and does not allow the correct tilt of the brick face to be perpendicular to the center of the oven. This error is cumulative and get worse as you go up. I would step back and adjust IT now.

[edonovan]

SLIGHTLY less frustrated...... Thank you both @ plastered and UtahBeehiver I have re worked my IT per the drawing from plastered. I feel much better about the new version, and intersecting the brick as close to center as I think I can get. The other good photo is nice tight joint lines, maybe the beginning of a slight inverted V (still figuring that one out and playing around with some scrap bricks) and the other photo is the new frustration . As I am coming up and laying course 4 I had already thought what you just mentioned UtahBeehiver, about things compounding...so I figured what the heck...lets just follow this IT and see where it takes me, so I am back on track...well that there is one FAT lip...I think this is largest on that course of what I finished and just under a 1/2. Is this just aesthetics? will it hurt oven function? I figure I can *kinda* get over this ugly part if it still works and I keep moving right along.
I may be rushing some of this a little as long as it all works as best as possible due to the fact that it is almost March and I know "the oven" known as S. GA summer (we really don't get any spring ) is coming.
Thanks again everyone

[MarkJerling]

It won't hurt function, but I would have eased into it. I have found with my rudimentary bricklaying skills that gradual corrections are almost impossible to spot later. (And I made lots of gradual corrections. LOL)

[edonovan]

Thanks @markjerling...yeah as I keep walking out to it and looking at it I get mad at myself for "going for it", even thought about taking those bricks out for a quick minute, then asked myself "what am I thinking?" LOL...but hey, I am in line with IT now and working upwards!

[MarkJerling]

Thanks @markjerling...yeah as I keep walking out to it and looking at it I get mad at myself for "going for it", even thought about taking those bricks out for a quick minute, then asked myself "what am I thinking?" LOL...but hey, I am in line with IT now and working upwards!

Don't worry about it. As often with these sorts of things, no-one else will notice anyway. They'll all be complimenting you on your fantastic pizzas! But notice a little step in the oven walls? No way. Except probably for that one friend.....

[edonovan]

@markjeling and I think I know who that one friend would be...I won't invite them over too often LOL

[edonovan]

Well, I must say that thing called life sure does get in the way sometimes of things we WANT to do. I have been away for a bit, due to the fact that I just didn't want to keep seeing pictures of more pizza ovens and mine be at a standstill :-(...but that is me just pouting...
first...back in feb I had a renter move out and trash the place...quite a bit of elbow grease and DIY complete flip and 6 weeks later I had the place sold (don't have time to be a landlord right now)
now...18 year old graduated highschool...got into embry riddle (aerospace engineering) , he leaves in about 3 weeks for Daytona (not too far)
last...to those here in the south...my hat goes off to you that you continued to work through this type of heat, and to those in the winter areas...I understand the feeling of "closing up" for a season...but just wanting to work on it so it is finished...so here I am, hoping, just hoping I can find some time to start back up soon, maybe once school starts back up and some type of "normalcy" comes back, but then my head goes to the fact then hurricane season is knocking on our door...sooo...who knows...1 layer at a time..right!?
Hope everyone is well, and has been enjoying building or their pizza if they are done!

[edonovan]

Getting back in the groove of things here...planning on attacking this arch soon...here is my solution to my weird cut area on that first layer and then I have just been filling in the inside gaps and sponging them. It is still hot here and we have been getting A LOT of rain...so....bugs bugs and more bugs!!

[UtahBeehiver]

Welcome back after your sabbatical. Here are a few tidbits to help you with the arch. Keep the arch ahead of the dome, it is much easier to tie into the tapered arch then cutting a complex brick to tie into the dome. The last brick of the day, place one on back center of the new course so it can set and gives you an anchor to work from. Do you best line up, joint staggers, work on the back half of the dome and makeups, chips (narrow than normal) on the front half. No one can see the makeups on the front half once to dome is complete. Review the concept of a tapered inner arch, remember these arch bricks are not the same so DON'T cut them all alike all at once, use your IT to help mark angles. I suggest you mark the top dead center brick first (which will be the longest) then work down either side. Remember you need to start with full length bricks not halfs.

[edonovan]

Thanks UtahBeehiver I had totally forgot about the leave the day with an anchor brick for the next time...thanks for that...not 100% sure what you mean about "staying ahead of the dome"... do you mean don't keep going up with my courses until I get the arch figured out? Also, great tidbit on the narrow ones towards the inside front half. I will be cutting/angling the arch bricks to tie in on the inside arch but am working with a 10" chop saw and angle grinder so "beveling/tapering" is challenging/ just not happening and will probably be similar to Baza, (in the form of not tapered) but not the squished down arch, an arch like JRPizza. It is just going to have decent size mortar joints on the backside of the bricks.

Different note...excited for winter knocking on the door...coming to Utah this year with the family!!

[UtahBeehiver]

The arch layout should be figured out before you go too high. So you can form the arch, cut and align, mark the mortar joints. Then you have two choices, mortar in. Then you don't need to worry abt keeping ahead of the dome or mortar in arch bricks as you move up in the dome but keeping the arch bricks higher than the dome bricks.

[edonovan]

That is what I thought...and why I am at a slower pace as I get this arch figured out before going higher. Thanks again

[edonovan]

I really enjoy working in cooler weather!! Finally...
although, I have looked over several builds and something just isn't making sense from a visual on this arch. Based on JRPizza measurements in post #62 here, the front of his arch (for a 39) was 22.5 from center, mine being a 42 I went to 23" (front of brick).
1) Why visually when I hold the brick up to make sense of tying in arch (that is TDC brick) (pic #1) it looks like I am cutting away most of the brick? shouldn't it be tying in more towards the back of the brick (picture #2)
2) I don't have a whole lot of room to move forward without adding more bricks to entry as (pic #3) my entry is 12" 1/4 which is just enough for my 8" base plate once I get into venting.
3) Very fearfully cut my heat break in my floor (# 4) should I leave it around 1/4" wide and shove some high heat rope in there and let ash fill the rest up or butt up against oven floor?