Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

[dbhansen]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Lookin' good, Bill! Don't sweat the irregularities - we all have them. And nice use of the pliers! :-)

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

John, I've seen the tools you've created and your start and know it's a masterpiece in progress. I hope the travel is sunnier climes outside work.

I was wondering about the flue - from replies I'm tending toward 8".

Have a great week.

[jrparks]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

HI Bill,
I think your oven is looking great! I have some comfort being a few courses behind you and hope mine will turn out as well as your is. I keep telling myself 'It's just Brick.'
I'm also going to have to get creative with supporting the higher courses. I think your use of the channel-lock wrench is great. I'm paying lots of attention to how the mortar is mix and how it feels as have been laying the lower courses. I started mixing mortar in smaller batches so I'm able to slow down and not feel rushed.
I'm out of town for the next few weeks and look forward to longer and warmer days. More snow in the Northwest tomorrow

[gjbingham]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Nice work Bill. I think it looks great. Easy to pick on one's own work.

Regarding the flue size, do you mean chimney itself or the size of the flu-arch transition opening?

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Thanks Les. If I had to say that to each one that dumped me I'd go horse!

I'll add a picture of my more recent temporary, easy to hand, specialized support tool.... Always the professional.

[dmun]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

I used a nominal 8 inch clay tile (about 7 x 7 with rounded corners inside) for my 36 inch oven. Draws like a champ, of course it's taller than most oven chimneys.

[Les]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Bill - you are selling yourself short. Your work looks good. Cooking is just around the corner. In regard to class reunions - I loved the fact that I could say " you broke up with me be-ach"

Les...

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Weather was good this weekend so I was able to add a couple of chains. I immediately found out first hand how one tends to go to a tear drop shape. Creative cutting ensued and I think I can get the kinks out in the next chain. Spent quite a bit of time trying to get a glimpse up and inside to find the needed dimensions for awkwardly cut pieces.

I've let go of any and all aspirations to be a mason. Another career down the tube! I'm just going to focus on the pizza. I'm much planning on more success with peel than trowel... I also realized that all the great workmanship I've been watching across the forum is exceptional. I congratulate you. I think it's also a little like high school reunions where everyone looks great. Those that have gone to pot, just don't go to the reunions... I'll post pictures regardless!

I do enjoy watching the dome height grow and the opening diminish.

Any advise on whether a 40" oven should use a 6" or a 8" flue?

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Then it's time!
Many thanks
Bill

[egalecki]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

When the upside down V starts to bother you more than cutting bricks into 1/3's does...

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

A question for the group...

At which chain does one consider switching to 1/3 bricks rather than 1/2 bricks?

[berryst]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

very nice build

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

I did have fun with my home made compass. It worked well for the various needs to draw a radius.

The white is 1/2" PVC cut longer than the 25" needed to draw a radius for center to outside of the soldier course. I predrilled the PVC and drove a sheet rock screw through for the anchor point. They can be backed out when a different radius is used. This was used to draw a circle for the ceramic board. The next screw was the 20" radius of the floor and the third screw was to draw a radius for the arch. And of course two holes for the pencil with the top hole fitting the shaft of the pencil and the bottom hole smaller so the sharpened end of the pencil doesn't come all the way through.

This is how we in the Northwest keep busy when it rains....

[gjbingham]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

Bill,
I'd fill those gaps on the outiside of the dome as you go. Eventually, you'll have to get inside or straddle it. You want everything as solid as possible because you will lean on it eventually.

I've watched "Rock Solid" on HGTV for years. They always recommend mixing only the amount of mortar that you can use in an hour. Good idea!

Despite what my neighbor tells me, adding water to slow the set or change the properties of the mortar leads to a weaker mix. If you can't use what you mixed, you should throw it out. This is similar to the plaster that (we - back when I was) dentists use. Small crystals start forming from the outset of the mix, that spread throughout the matrix as the mortar sets.. The mix is a chemical reaction that is supposed to use a specific amount of water and dry mix. Once mixed together, there is a limited work time - about an hour. If you can't use it all, adding water changes the properties, negatively.

[bbell]

Re: Bill's Northwest Pizza Oven

I remembered one more moment of "aha!"

I traced out a dome pattern on a piece of ply, stacked the bricks around the penciled dome, including the soldier course and traced along the bricks for the template. I then used a jig saw to cut out the template.

I then took 1 1/2" off the bottom of the template because I was going to have the template rest on a couple of 2X2' lengths as support. When I held the finished template up against the soldier course and tried to dry stack some bricks verticall, nothing seemed to fit right. I got the "aha" moment (while reaching for the chainsaw to make "adjustments") that I had eglected to take into account that the template was resting on 1/2" plywood... Once I took the 1/2 into account and reduced the support pieces, all lined up perfectly.

Just thought I'd pass it along.