If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

[mrchipster]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Wow, never thought about that mrchipster. Another reason why this thread is so great. What's the difference between a soldier and sailor brick? Is it full vs half brick?

A soldier is a full brick upright as tall as it can be, A sailor is the thinnest a brick can be laid or half a soldier. A split is a half thickness brick.

Hope this helps.
First is soldier example and second is sailor example half brick vertical and the last is a sailor laid flat.

Chip

[brickie in oz]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

A sailor is a brick laid vertically with the bed face showing, a soldier is a brick laid vertically with the stretcher face showing.

[Amac]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Can't argue with a real brickie
Wikipedia has a nice drawing I copied showing the 6 different bricklaying positions. Having said that this forum seems to have a convention using chipsters description. The tower of babel was never finished because the builders didn't understand each other - nothing will stop the tower of pizza

[mrchipster]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Just because they are bricklayers doesnt mean they know how to build an oven..

Can't argue with a real brickie
Wikipedia has a nice drawing I copied showing the 6 different bricklaying positions. Having said that this forum seems to have a convention using chipsters description. The tower of babel was never finished because the builders didn't understand each other - nothing will stop the tower of pizza

I stand corrected

Chip

[Lburou]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

I stand corrected

Chip

Mee too...So, what is the correct term again.....?

[Gulf]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Mee too...So, what is the correct term again.....?

To be politically correct, would it be called a "vertically challenged" soldier course?

[Tscarborough]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

These are sailors, it helps to use the common and accepted terminology, ie "courses" not "rings" or "chains".

[Les]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

These are sailors

The way that the tops are cut I think those are called Marines, maybe Seals - they look bad ass!

[brickie in oz]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

I believe the "shiner" face is an American term.

[Tscarborough]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

I call a brick put in backwards a shiner.

[berryst]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Hindsight!
I might have built mine into the house. An oven in the kitchen is easy to use and you can capture all the extra heat. I built on a fluke really and a shoe string. I considered part of the challenge was to keep the cost down since I didn't really even know if I would like it. I had never seen let alone cooked on a wood fired oven.
I find that the oven is the center of our social life at all the family or friends getting together.
I would break down and buy a good wet saw.
I would build a better door. A cost steel boiler door would do.
I don't cook much except pizza so I would use thiner brick to heat up faster and of course insulate very well again.
chris

[mklingles]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

I've had my oven for about 2 years now. I live in the Pacific Northwest (read rainy). My only design mistake was having the firebrick opening extend out beyond the overhand on the front of the oven. It soaks up rain water during the winter. I'll also be installing a top flue damper this month to keep rain from coming down the chimney.

I'll be getting a metal door cover to keep the rain out, so it's survivable, but if you live in a wet area think about keeping the rain from getting on the fire brick.

[Amac]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

I have meant to post this suggestion many times.
I cut my floor to fit inside the oven and used the herringbone pattern. I wouldn't change either of these options.

However - if you stick slavishly to the herringbone pattern you sometimes end with difficult lengthwise brick cuts and slivers.

To avoid both these problems - instead of cutting the bricks as they sit into these patterns - consider using instead two bricks laid sided by side and cutting them across. I was already most of the way through cutting the floor when I realised that this trick would solve both problem without any compromise of the functionality of the angled brick positioning.

This is probably something others have already done but I haven't seen any post on the subject.

[Tscarborough]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

That is good advice. I broke pattern on this one in 3 places to avoid small pieces.

[Amac]

Re: If you had the chance to rebuild your oven, what would you change?

Yes Tscar and I see you could have broke it a couple of more times to avoid lengthwise cuts. This has two benefits.
1. It is easier to keep it "round" with shorter cuts.
2. You can re-use the off cuts of bricks cut crosswise much easier.