Eric's WFO build

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Soldier course mortared together and first attempt at cutting arch bricks. The two passes necessary to cut the bricks makes it difficult to get good clean straight cuts. I 'll sleep on it and look at again to see if I can live with it.
Eric

[kebwi]

Re: Eric's WFO build

You can live with it. Charge forward, never look back, fix all mistakes with mortar!

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

After a couple of glasses of wine I'm thinking I can live with it. It is the inside arch, and the outer arch cuts can be made in one pass. Nobody except the people on this blog are going to see the inner arch unless they stick their heads in the oven opening( not likely according to sjmeff).

I'll see how I feel about it this week. Thanks for the encouragement.
\
Eric

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Inner arch completed.
After a dismal failure on the first attempt, the second try was successful. The first time I didn't pay close attention to the size of the gaps and hadn't marked the form so when we got to the top there was only room for a 3/4" keystone. The addition of the radial arm ( my father in laws idea) to keep everything lined up as we went and it went together easy-breezy. That feels good!!
Eric

[kebwi]

Re: Eric's WFO build

I love that. It's exactly like the indispensible tool, except for arches instead of domes. As this forum steadily archives these ideas, future oven builders will have an easier and easier challenge.

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Thanks Keith,
It was my father in laws idea. He is the manager of all things square, level and true for my project. He is always there with a quiet comment,"Eric, why don't you look at that from over here". Sure enough I have put something in at some odd angle. It is great he is retired and nearly always available to help when I can work on the oven.
Eric

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Eric, your inner arch looks super! It looks much better than what the 3/4" center keystone would have been. Just a little bit of mortar and the right cuts seemed to have have given you a solid looking arch.
Are you moving on to the 1st dome rings next? Can't wait to see it.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Hey Eric..
Looks great,, Love the arch tool.. Your lucky tohave such a great father in law... great build..
Cheers
Mark

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Made some good progress. We finished the first course, managed the arch transition and mounted the FB remote thermometer probe. I think I am the first one to mount one of these, I didn't have anyone else to copy on this one. I bought some stainless steel wire, twisted it around the probe then drilled a hole in the top of the soldier, bent the twisted wire and put it in the hole. Then I mortared the first course on top of the wire. I notched the next brick so the cable would fit through. The probe is about 6" above the floor, near the entry arch so it won't get hit by firewood if I am adding wood. I have 9 ft of cable to hide, but I can deal with that.
Eric

[Les]

Re: Eric's WFO build

mounted the FB remote thermometer probe. I think I am the first one to mount one of these,

Eric, I believe a few have installed thermocouples. Do a search on the term and you may get some helpful input (not that there is anything wrong with what you have done).

Looking good!

Les...

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Thanks Les,
It is mortared down now, unless someone tells me that it will cause my oven to implode I think it is going to stay how it is.
Eric

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Good progress today, had Friday off and some passable SoCal weather. Had to put the umbrella up because the sun was a bit too much. I had help from my father in law Dick, made it immensely easier for the sitting in the middle of the oven part to have someone outside to hand things to me. We were able to finish 2 more rows today. The dome is really taking shape. The arch transitions are a little tricky. Luckily no one will see them except you all, and you are pretty forgiving. Supposed to have rain again tomorrow( I know we are having a drought and all, but this rain is really cutting into my oven time). Am going to take the arch form down tomorrow, wish me luck.
Eric

[trockyh]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Hi Eric, your oven is looking great! Love the picture of you inside mortaring bricks. Sounds like you are having fun. When the oven is done the fun of learning doesn't stop. Pizza, bread, roasting foods. Using a grill over wood coals gives the best flavor to ribeyes and hamburgers.

Cheers,
Tom

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Eric's WFO build

I agree with Tom, Eric: looking good!

Are you going to go to 3rd cut bricks for the rest or are you going to keep at halves? Either way, keep on eye on your finish height and verify how much angle you need to close it up. It doesn't look like you've been tapering the bottoms but you've been using the mortar to tilt your bricks inward (which is fine, looks well done!) but I found that at the "shoulder" area of the dome, I had to cut a sharp bottom tapper to start leaning in and the next rows almost didn't any tapering after that.

I love domes at your stage in construction, they look so massive and you can see your interior and exterior work at the same time. You'll be closing the dome in no time, Cheers, Dino

[eprante]

Re: Eric's WFO build

Hey Dino,

I hadn't considered tapering the bricks on the bottom. The "Indispensible tool" is keeping my radius constant so I think I should be OK for my final interior height as long as I keep clamping the courses with the tool. On my first course I didn't use the tool for every brick because my father in law was using it on the opposite side and I didnt get the right angle on some of them so I had a little dip. Since then I have been paying strict attention to the angle. My exterior joints are 1/2" to 5/8" wide, but the interior ones are pretty tight. The last course was a little tricky, the first brick was the hardest, would have been very difficult wtihout the tool.

I hope I don't have to go to 1/3 bricks for the next course because I just cut the bricks for this course this morning, I did half brick cuts, the tapers lined up well, but there will be some bridging across the decreasing circumference. If it looks like too much I will trim the bricks down and adjust from there.

The adventure continues.
Thanks,

Eric