BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

[Les]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill,

I used to go the full light route. I was on my third 15 AMP breaker when I admitted I had a problem. I just put on a 8 grand roof this summer so I think I will quit running on top of it.

Les...

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Oh yeah, I also managed to get the Christmas tree up yesterday!

Do we need to start another thread to show our lights?

I'm definitely a Griswold club member. My neighbor behind me has his all up and running on a Light-O-Rama controller to some very cool music. Ive been threatening to do that for a few years......Hmmmmmmmmmm

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bad news on the Ridgid wet saw; I had to take it back It just didn't work as good as the MK that I'm using (borrowing). It's almost impossible to stall the MK motor; the Ridgid stalled all the time. The saw was flexing so the blade wanted to walk up on the bricks forcing the blade in too fast causing a very nice disintegration of the fire brick and cut Yes the laser was cool, the miter was ok, the tray rolled beautifully, but for $700.00 the over all quality of the saw needs improvement in my humble opinion. The MK-101 is built for professional tile setting to be use on a daily basis with very little maintenance; I can't see the Ridgid making it through an oven build (with me using it).

I fired up the MK when I got home (in the dark I might add ) and ripped through a set of bricks like butter. I'm used to working with shims to make miter cuts but if your not the Ridgid was easy to use.

Not to bash Ridgid; my entire wood shop is 100% Ridgid and I wouldn't get rid of anything. The wet saw just didn't cut it...no pun intended

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Your work looks fantastic. How exciting for you you should be very pleased with that level of craftsmanship.
Cheers
Joe

Thanks Joe, It's a learn as you go process for me but it has been a lot of fun so far.

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dino. Keep the questions coming. Makes me feel useful!

I used the clamps to hold the new brick to the old. The bar was not used to prop the contraption in anyway. It just provided an extra set of hands.

Yeah, what Mike said...

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill: what a beautiful arch! You also look like you a have a nice big vent cavity that should trap the smoke nicely. I'm going to go over you pics again in case I missed it but be sure take a pic looking down and up into it. Also, what is length and width of it? Thanks again, and your craftsmanship is terrific!

-Dino

Thank you Dino; I hope it cooks as good as it looks

The clamps are to be used to stop the bricks from sliding off. If you clamp your first brick in place (after correct angle and edge placement have been achieved) you start adding more precut bricks and then if needed you can clamp the last one set... Hard for me to explain but I can tell you that I have not used them yet. Take a look at the pictures below. The Heatstop-50 has such an amazing holding power without any sliding yet. I mixed it a little on the thick side (thick peanut butter), key it in to your bricks (very important) on all three sides (bottom, left, right) and then place the amount of mortar you think it will need for the angle (determined by the string in my case). Push the oven side of the brick down until it is sitting on the bricks below it and then push the back of the brick down until the string is flush. It's way easier than you think.

Defying Gravity. These were just installed without clamps, forms, etc. The mortar is holding them in place.

Blimp shot, almost closed in.

Sitting area shot...

Plumb and level line in place ready for more Old Chicago bricks! The level line also shows me the screen location; It will land just behind the top row of bricks on the arch... I love it when plan starts to come together

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dino. Keep the questions coming. Makes me feel useful!

I used the clamps to hold the new brick to the old. The bar was not used to prop the contraption in anyway. It just provided an extra set of hands.

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

nope - no stupid questions here. In my case - just ones I wished I'd asked earlier!

For me - I used the clamp to to clamp new bricks to old ones as you suggested. As a former woodworker - I have a lots a clamps (you can never have too many!!)

Somewhere on the site - someone took Hendo's gauge to a new level and fastened one of the clamps to the end of it.

Christo.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Mike (mfiore) and Christo, I have a stupid question about the ERWIN Clamp: Is it used to clamp a fresh brick to the dried brick next to it or is it used to hold just the brick you are attaching and long "stick" end rests on the oven floor while the clamp end just keeps it up there? (I know, you are rolling your eyeballs at this point but just wait until I start construction...you'll be slapping your forehead as well).

Bill: what a beautiful arch! You also look like you a have a nice big vent cavity that should trap the smoke nicely. I'm going to go over you pics again in case I missed it but be sure take a pic looking down and up into it. Also, what is length and width of it? Thanks again, and your craftsmanship is terrific!

-Dino

[egalecki]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Dang. I better not let my daughter see this one... she never met a Christmas light she didn't want to put up somewhere. She did the front porch several years ago and I had people I didn't even know asking me about it. Seems they could read by it across the street with all their lights off in the house...

Now she's in engineering, and I suspect she would go nuts with control boards and rotating trees...

[exceloven]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Chirsto Griswald! Classic. LMAO

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

"Christo Griswold!"

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Ha Ha Ha - I used those clamps too!!!! really worked like a charm.

I spent most of today working on the outdoor kitchen and tonight am soldering up some control boards (I whipped up - and have no idea that they will work!) for this years christmas display. I have to get some disipline and stop working on the oven and get Christmas going!!!

Our decorations better be visible from Space!!!! Actually a surprise for my wife this year for Christmas - is to get a pilot friend of ours to fly over the house in a small plane and let her see it all lit up. We have a 25 ft Snowman and a 30 ft tree - (rotating I hope - that's what the control boards are for!!)

Christo

[Artichoke]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Your work looks fantastic. How exciting for you you should be very pleased with that level of craftsmanship.
Cheers
Joe

[mfiore]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill, the HeatStop does setup nicely to allow for quick work, even on those top, near vertical courses. I tried numerous things, and what I found helpful was to use those Irwin Quick-Clamps. Just held the brick in place until I got the next one set. I used two clamps. Onec the second brick was in place, the first was set enough to release the clamp and move on.