In Progress with a Plan

[JRPizza]

Heck, if you have a 4.5" angle grinder you can find masonry grinding disks cheap. HF does not currently show the ones I used in stock, but Amazon has Dewalt ones for $1.69! I used them a bunch on my build to knock off any corners or cut lines I had left over from using my brick saw.

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

david s "in order to allow movement of the floor bricks as they expand and contract." > Should I line them up close as possible to each other? Or have a tiny gap? I think once I get the dome in place it will go over and cover the pcrete and the fire bricks.


JRPizza Good to know, lets see how level I get the pcrete slab and see how it looks. Yes, I have an angle grinder and was planning on using it.


UtahBeehiver If you can move it and maybe rename the thread > In-Progress with a plan but, not very sure < I think would be suitable. Yes I noticed how there were many long threads.


I finished the cinder block part of the build but did not take any pics yesterday. Will get some up tomorrow

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

Here are some pictures of the build so far.

The slab for the oven will be 4" think and the area I have for it is 52.5" x 63". I have a 5.5" overhang on the front and an 8" overhang on the side. I will for sure be using mesh and rebar to reinforce the slab.

I think my next biggest issue is the size of the oven, keeping in mind that I will add cement \ material to the template of about maybe 4-5" once all said and done.

Right now as how the pictures are, the internal diameter of the oven is 41.5", internally 27" tall from the center point, bottom of the door opening is 24.5", top of the door opening is 11", and the height of the door opening is 17.5" tall.

If I cut 6" off the bottom of the template the internal diameter of the oven is 38", internally 21" tall from the center point, bottom of the door opening is 21.5", top of the door opening is 11", and the height of the door opening is 12.5" tall.

Should I cut the 6inch and go with the internal size of 38" or should I cut more?

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

New updates from this past weekend. 4" concrete slab.





It's not prefect, but its leveled and looks okay so far. Lets see how it looks once I remove the form...


I am now thinking about the next layer for Per-crete (5-1) and thinking of just using the exiting form, elevating it up 2" and pouring it on the entire slab. Not sure if this will make insulation worse as it appears most are adding this directly under the oven.

[rsandler]

Problem with extending your insulation that far is just that perlite and perlcrete is really absorbent, and you need to get rid of that water and keep it out for the insulation to function well. Having the edges of your insulation flush with your slab makes waterproofing more difficult, I would think. Plus perlcrete is pretty crumbly, even when set, so leaving those edges exposed is likely to result in chipping. If you don't want to make new forms, you could probably extent the existing form, then add another layer or two of boards inside the extension to inset your perlite layer a couple inches from the edges of the concrete.

[libertyhillmichael]

I may be missing something here, but after seeing your oven sitting on the 4” slab, I’m concerned about what you have the cinderblocks sitting on. I did not see anything or can tell from the photos how thick the pad is. I am building a Forno bravo 44 inch precast and poured a 6 inch concrete slab with the cinderblocks placed on that with a 5 inch pad for the oven,all reinforced with rebar. Terminology could be a little confusing sometimes.
libertyhillmichael

[david s]

Your doghouse dome mould appears to be a catenary dome, or very close to, with the base diameter about equal to its internal height. Structurally you have the strongest self supporting dome possible., However, for an oven that uses the dome to cook primarily by radiated heat from the dome (with assistance by conduction and radiation from the floor), there is a significant advantage in a low dome, particularly for cooking the top of a pizza. Unfortunately, lowering the internal height of a catenary dome, while reducing the chamber volume significantly, also results in angled walls at the perimeter base that make working the oven difficult and limiting floor area for large baking trays or bread loaves near the outside. The solution for oven design over centuries has been the hemisphere which results in an internal height, half of the diameter of the base. Its ease of building, great circulation atmosphere and pretty good structural strength have proved it to be an all round performer. For builds using brick units especially, its structural form, under considerable stress from thermal expansion and contraction cycling, has proved adequate. More recently with the advent of castable refractory that has largely superseded firebrick in industry, cast designs that are not as vulnerable as brick unit builds have been able to employ low domes with high walls at the base with good success and longevity to produce ovens with low domes, reduced volume (which means lower fuel consumption) thinner walls (which means faster heat up times) and enough structural integrity for longevity.The drawings should explain what I mean.

I'm sure your oven will perform ok and many here will be very interested to hear of your experience with its use in practice.

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

JRPizza I picked up a few of those dewalt blades..... Can I cut the entire brick using these blades with the angle grinder, or do I need another type of saw?


Thanks rsandler. Trying to keep it simple but I think I have a way of making the 2' percrete layer using the cutout I made of the DogHouse....


libertyhillmichael The ground slab is a new (Late June) professionally poured with 5" of gravel and 4" cement.


Thanks for the great info david s. I do have the option to cut the bottom of the DogHouse to make it 6" shorter. If I cut 6" off the bottom the internal diameter of the oven will be 38", internally 21" tall from the center point, bottom of the door opening (left to right) will be 21.5" wide, top of the door opening (Left to right) will be 11", and the height of the door opening will be 12.5" tall. Would you suggest I make this cut?

Thanks for all the help on this... Super excited about the progress and getting it completed. Removing the form this evening, will post more pics.

[JRPizza]

My post was about grinding disks, not blades. Disks are 1/4 to 3/8 (or so) thick and are good for grinding down surfaces. I believe there are thin abrasive disks that you can cut bricks with, so I am not sure what you are referring to.
Some folks have built functioning ovens with nothing more than a hammer and brick chisel - it just depends on what level of accuracy and repeatability you want. If you want to bevel the sides of your bricks so you don't have any inverted Vee's and minimize exposed mortar on the ID you probably want to pick up a wet type brick saw. Quite a few folks here have used dry blades for brick cutting but you have to deal with the dust (something you don't' want to breathe), the noise, and the fast speed most of the other methods are going to spin the blade at. I got quite comfortable using my brick saw and never felt like I had to worry about losing a finger!

[libertyhillmichael]

Good to hear From_IT_to_PIZZA
Keep the wheel rollin

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

This is what I purchased.... My terminology is off....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-4...4524/202579905

[JRPizza]

Yep, those are grinding disks. Not suitable for cutting a brick but great for knocking off sharp edges, changing a profile, or notching a brick if you want to get it to break in a predetermined spot. If you are going to use it on any visible surface you might want to do a trial grind on some scrap. They can remove material rather fast and if you aren't practiced you can grind a divot before you know it is happening.

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

Thanks for the tips.

I purchased this for my miter saw but I dont know how well it will work after I soak the bricks in water and try to cut them.... I will check to see.

[From_IT_to_PIZZA]

Here are the pics after the form removal... Its not perfect but I think it should be okay.....

[rasorface]

Skip the glass bottles; your base mix is fine. Use refractory cement for attaching the fire bricks and regular sand for leveling. For the dome, stick with the perlite mix for insulation, and stucco or thin bricks are good for the final layer.