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My 3rd block stand...what I have learned over the years is that the pour of the hearth is invisible when the oven is finished. For my third oven, I chose to use split faced block to save the effort of putting a decorative surface on the blockstand. The horizontal and vertical surface of the hearth definitely needs cover though! Tile is a nice way to finish off the vermiculite concrete layer which I've used twice now, and plan to use again this time.
I realized once the blockstand was up that my choice of splitfaced block was going to make the old way of placing the form for the hearth impossible (use cargo straps and supports from below to hold 2x10's up). So I went with 2x8's and set them back 1/4". I plan to cover the hearth with tile later, and this will overhang the splitfaced block and create a nice clean finish in the end. See pics. To hold the form in place, I put deck screws in and let the heads of the screws grip the block without actually chipping it. It worked well, and my hearth is perfect (even if a tiny bit smaller).
I realized once the blockstand was up that my choice of splitfaced block was going to make the old way of placing the form for the hearth impossible (use cargo straps and supports from below to hold 2x10's up). So I went with 2x8's and set them back 1/4". I plan to cover the hearth with tile later, and this will overhang the splitfaced block and create a nice clean finish in the end. See pics. To hold the form in place, I put deck screws in and let the heads of the screws grip the block without actually chipping it. It worked well, and my hearth is perfect (even if a tiny bit smaller).