36" build in coastal VA

[Giovanni Rossi]

That's some pretty significant dentage! I don't know what's with these companies. I had a similar problem but diff manufacturer. Mine were packed very well for shipping, so I assume the damage occurred in the warehouse. They have to know that if you're spending extra for SS you're planning to leave it exposed. I recommend new builders make it clear when ordering that the flue will be exposed and they want clean product. I was really pressed for time or I would have returned them. It's not like single wall pipe that you can hammer out with a rubber mallet. I was able suction cup most of the dents and position them to be less noticeable to the casual observer. BUT, I SEE THEM EVERY TIME I'M AROUND THE OVEN! I was able to to negotiate a 20% refund.

[nlinva]

Yes, mine was packed very well for shipping as well, so the damage occurred pre-shipping. In my case, I can put it up above the roof, facing the back, so I don't think it will annoy me every time I see it, and I won't see it while working at the oven. But I do think I'll try suction cupping it out.

[JRPizza]

Mine arrived dented very close to the end which effected the join - I had then send me a new one free. The old one is at a friend's cabin in the woods

[nlinva]

I sawed down the pool table slate with my angle grinder. Took a bit of effort, but worked pretty well in the end. I cut off all the edges (which had holes for the pockets), then cut the front landing, which will cover the entire width of the hearth slab, and the vent landing, which is of course much narrower. I have a third piece remaining, which I will divide into two pieces to go on either side of the vent landing for additional work space.

[nlinva]

Laid another 2+ courses. I'm definitely having to use sticks to hold bricks in place now. I also realized, belatedly, that the closer one gets to vertical, the less the taper should be. The first half of the current highest row is a bit over-tapered. It's not a real issue, but my bricklaying is definitely not winning any beauty prizes! :-) On the plus side, I do feel I'm slowly acquiring a feel for basic masonry.

I estimate I have 3 1/2 courses left, plus the plug. I am close to reaching the limit of the bevel on my jig, but my saw can also tilt, so I'm going to experiment with that for the last few courses.

I am quite pleased that my hearth slab is long and wide enough that I can walk on it all around the dome, which makes it easy to get in position to place the next brick. I am also happy to have a roof already in place, but it does mean I can't stand up straight, so my back gets quite sore after a while.

[nlinva]

I have another question for the forum experts. For my vent landing, I'm going to place both the landing and the arch on a third layer of CalSil. Putting the slate piece on top of that will not put it high enough, so I need some additional height. I could try to cut CalSill to reduce its thickness, but I worry that would be messy and uneven.

I am thinking I could get some perlite and make perlcrete as a bed for the slate piece. The idea would be to build the vent arch first, so the perlcrete has natural borders on 3 sides (both sides of the arch and the oven front) and I can temporarily put up a board on the front. Then I can pour the perlcrete and add or reduce exactly enough to make the slate piece level with the oven floor. Does that sound feasible?

[Giovanni Rossi]

How much more height do you need?

[nlinva]

I need somewhere between 3/4" and 1", I believe.

[rsandler]

Insulating firebricks, maybe? I won't post the link in deference to our hosts/forum policy, but a quick google search turned up an Amazon listing for a 6-pack of 9"x4.5"x0.75" insulating firebricks. Doubtless there are other sources if I found that one so easily.

[nlinva]

That is a good idea! Would save a lot of mess and effort. Thanks!

[Giovanni Rossi]

That was my thought or firebrick splits (1.25") if you needed a little more, since you're already using CaSil under.

[david s]

Firebrick splits are an expensive method of just elevating the space. A vermicrete slab, concrete pavers or a cast concrete slab of whatever thickness you require would be my solution. That area won’t see too much heat.

[nlinva]

Yes, I realized that firebrick splits are not the cheapest option. How about if I use some additional pieces of slate to put it on? I have plenty of those lying around.

Whatever I end up using, is it better to fill the whole space, or should I rest my landing on a few pieces, with the rest being air, which might be a better insulator than the material?

[Giovanni Rossi]

I just used reclaimed standard bricks under my landing, but I needed more height than you do. I filled the gaps with some leftover FOAMGLAS. Probably unnecessary because as David stated, there just isn't a lot of heat there to worry about. Neither insulated nor splits are an economical solution. You don't need a lot so it's a relatively small incremental cost and they are dimensionally true. At that point in my build, I had had my fill of concrete work and I liked the idea of wrapping things up needing just a little mortar. Sounds like the slate scraps fit the bill and certainly are the cheapest option. You need enough to make a stable base. I wouldn't be concerned about maintaining gaps. You'll have some sort of facing under the landing to to cover that material and and the CalSil so the placement is all about structure and support.

My pavilion is not super big and I was concerned about sideways rain hitting the landing. I mortared the granite slightly out of level so any water would shed away from the oven.

[nlinva]

I've finished the dome. My keystone is not as symmetrically shaped as some but it does the job. Excited to have this part of the project finished!

While the top is curing a bit under a damp blanket, a froglet has decided this is a good place to hang out. At first I thought it was a bit of wet mortar, so I grabbed it to throw it off, and it was a lot squishier than expected. :-) The frog seemed undaunted by this, and has just continued to hang out.

Now I'm working on the vent landing. I can use some left-over thin firebricks to get exactly the right height. Now my question is: do I fill the open space with anything? I could go get some perlite at the big orange store, I could put in some off-cuts of the board insulation (would still leave some gaps), or I could just leave it open. Giovanni Rossi , you said you used leftover foamglas (which I do not have) but it was probably unnecessary, so I'm leaning to just leaving it open. Board insulation off-cuts are a bit powdery, so maybe not great, but it would be trivial for me to go get a back of perlite. Any advise is welcome!

By the way, the front of the space is going to be sealed off by regular bricks that will support the landing/workspace at the front of the oven.