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SC Chris's 42" WFO build

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  • SC Chris's 42" WFO build

    Here we go.

    Although My wife gave me permission to go buy a modular, I decided that the $ could be better spent elseware in the patio. My intent is to build a naples model, 1/2 bricks on the first course with higher interior. I hope that this oven will be doing a lot more than just pizza. My son is 10 and he's a picky eater, at least to date, I hope that changes sooner than later. I'm attaching a few photos for reference, the last one was a photo taken of a cob oven in Peru. The photos 3 and 4 show a picture from the roof and one from the patio, the blocks are just dry stacked to get an idea how the oven could fit in the space. 2 weeks ago I picked up the HF 10" wet saw. I sprung for an additional 1yr warantee for 15 total months. Although I had thought that I could get bricks for just under a USD, it appears that it'll be $1.19 each. I've been through Dino's build and a few others and feel I'll be closer to what Dino has done with respect brickwork. I found the WFO Brick placement tool, furthermore to be described as the "weegie". This name is as a fond memory of Joel the carpenter, that I worked with in about 1973-1974. He always refered to any home brew tool as a Weegie. This tool looks like it should be part of the FB for sale inventory. I'll have to make one of these up. The concrete patio was a response to the removal of the redwood deck I finally had to remove, dry rot, and termites. The grade of what was under the deck needed reworking, so I called Mike, my aerospace engineer friend, who found out he liked running his own Bobcat service after the defense industry collapsed in the 1980s. To make a long story short, what I had hoped was going to be a quick and inexpensive backyard project, became somthing much more.

    Let the Games begin!
    Last edited by SCChris; 06-17-2009, 12:23 PM. Reason: Addl background

  • #2
    Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

    Looks like a great place to put an oven! Keep the pictures coming, and good luck with the build.
    Picasa web album
    Oven-building thread

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    • #3
      Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

      Looks good

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      • #4
        Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

        Chris,
        You should be able to get the bricks for 95 cents at Supply Line in SJC.
        Their phone number is (949) 443-4404. I got my bricks and fireclay from them. Looks great so far!

        Mark

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        • #5
          Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

          When I spoke to one of the sales people last week he indicated that he'd had 2 people come by for materials the previous week. I know how projects take many trips to the building supply, but it sounds like I have more than a few neighbors who have built who are building and will be soon. I can't help but think that if SL carried Refmix or HS50 and the Fiber board and blanket it wouldn't have time to get stale.

          Chris

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          • #6
            Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

            7/20/09 - My hearth was poured yesterday. I had a pallet of Quikrete delivered by Lowes earlier in the week and figured I might need as much as 30 90# bags. The block and rebar were in place but because of the amount of concrete that needed to be mixed and bags to be moved to the mixing site I needed help. Dan came by at 8am and by noon we had the pour finished. I had hoped we could get it done by noon. The oven site starts to get full sun at about 12:30 and with the hot weather right now, sun and concrete work are not what I consider a great match. About 3 in the afternoon I was comfortable with getting the slab covered with burlap and wetting things down. With the weather so hot and the slab getting full sun in the afternoon I really want to keep things wet for the next few days.
            The oven structure presented a few challenges that I could have avoided had I been able to focus on the oven project when the concrete contractor was pouring the patio slab, but it?ll all work out just fine in the end. The biggest challenge was avoiding a finished oven floor height that going to be workable while still gaining some value from the space under the hearth slab. I integrated a lintel into the hearth slab by using several lengths of 5/8 rebar over the structure openings and going 1/2 rebar on an 8? grid. Every core in the block structure was filled with every other core with rebar to the foundation, and rebar at the openings. Steel and Concrete are cheap the labor involved isn?t, so I over built.
            I?m now at the stage where I need to choose Vermiculite and concrete, ?VC?, or insulating board, ?IB?. It sounds like 4 inches of the vermiculite mixture will still allow a great deal of heat to escape through the floor. I see some recommending at least 5? to minimize the heat loss. I think I?ve seen some recommending 2? of the VC in conjunction with 2? IB. I think I see that Dino used the 2? board alone. Does anyone have some feel for R-Value of IB compared to VC. Can I do better with 2? of IB then 4? of VC?

            Thanks

            Chris

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            • #7
              Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

              IMHO with 2" of IB or FB board you will not need the vermiculite concrete. I have 1" sitting on top of 3 inches of vermcrete. If I were to do again I would not bother with the vermcrete and use the board alone.

              Also remember that insulation is very important and is money well spent. You almost never have enough of either.
              Last edited by wlively; 07-20-2009, 09:04 AM.
              Wade Lively

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              • #8
                Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                The last thing I want to do is to under insulate. I'd rather have too much and use less wood and have the oven stay hot longer.

                Chris

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                • #9
                  Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                  I'm happy with 2" of IB, but I suppose it all depends on how much heat loss you can accept. The roof of my wood storage area is warm to the touch the morning after pizza, but I can still bake Sunday's dinner after a Friday fire, and I haven't fully insulated the dome yet. I considered 3-4" of IB, but it would have raised the oven floor too high for my liking.
                  Picasa web album
                  Oven-building thread

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                  • #10
                    Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                    DBHansen, So you went with IB directly on your slab, correct?

                    Thanks

                    Chris

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                    • #11
                      Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                      Yes, directly on the 4" concrete slab.

                      Daren
                      Picasa web album
                      Oven-building thread

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                      • #12
                        Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                        I used two-and-a-half inch insblock14 under my brick floor. I plunked the boards down into the wet concrete after I poured the slab, and tapped them into the wet concrete. I understand this trick won't work with cal-sil boards, as they are very absorbent of water. My brick floor went directly on top of the boards. My support slab remains cool on the bottom at full pizza heat, although it's warmed up a bit by the next morning. (that heat has to go somewhere)
                        My geodesic oven project: part 1, part 2

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                        • #13
                          Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                          I'd like to keep the slab as cool as possible understanding that the heat will push into the slab. Warm is ok hot isn't and I guess if the bottom of the slab remains comfortably touchable, hours after a running to Pizza temps on the inside I'm ok with that. Is the insblock14 more like a soft insulating firebrick, "SIFB"? I can get these all day long, not cheap but about the same as IB. I have wondered how IB and SIFB compair as insulators.

                          Chris

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                          • #14
                            Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                            Here is a photo of the oven in progress.

                            Chris

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                            • #15
                              Re: SC Chris's 42" WFO build

                              I've ordered my insulating board from Foundry Supply in Santa Fe Springs. The bad news is that it's not cheap. The good news is that I'm comfortable that it'll better insulate than would Vermiculite Concrete and because of this I should use less wood. Additionally, since I didn't get the V.C. done when I did the structure slab, It'll save time on the build. My other plus is that the slab height stands at 38". When I add 2 for IB and 2.5 for the firebrick floor I'm at 42.5 for the oven floor rather than 44.5 inches. Some have indicated 5" of VC and this would have put me close to 46" as a floor height. I wasn't comfortable getting this high.

                              Now that the decision to use IB has been made, my next decision is to cut the sides of the soldier course or not. I'm cutting the top of the soldier course, it makes structural sense to me to do these cuts. I want to minimize the occurance of pie shaped grout lines as well as doing my best to stagger the joints. But I see many who don't bother to bevel the sides of the soldiers to minimize grout. I'm leaning toward making these cuts even though brick saw blades don't grow on trees.

                              Chris
                              Last edited by SCChris; 07-22-2009, 10:40 AM.

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