Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

[OscarA]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Great work, I like the way you have your supports for the top slab. I think I will do something very similar as it looks very sturdy and easy to disassemble once the slab is set.
Keep the photos coming.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Guys
Give you a great trick for the formwork....Use a battery drill and long chipboard screws.... can't knock the framework out of plumb like hammering nails in. Strong... you bet.....easy to pull your forms apart at the end
No need to drill them completly in so you can find the ends easy only danger is don't pour any concrete in the ends and don't tear you shorts the missus i'll be on you case.
Regards

Dave

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Boxed up the slab over the weekend ready to pour on monday. Well the weather was great and we spent Yesterday pouring the suspended slab. My freind from Melbourne was a great help he mixed and I poured, having to lift every bucket was a bit telling but we got it finished and now a rest from the physical work while the slab cures over Christmas.

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Christmas and New Year over, we had a great time but back to the oven build. Everything arrived before Xmaz as planned fire bricks, insulating bricks, high temp motar and insulation etc. I set out the insulation bricks, that are 75mm thick and set them on a bed of sand, fire clay and cement and used a 10 mm notched trowel to give an air space over the suspended slab to help with insulation. I also set up a thermo coupling between the insulation bricks and the slab to measure temps. Next set out the hearth.

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Set out the hearth in a herringbone pattern and used a template that I had previously cut out of 12 mm ply to mark out the hearth. The next thing was to cut the bricks to shape, which was made easy by the brick saw that I borrowed from a kind neighbour who happens to be working Interstate for the next few months ( Second Christmas )

Cheers Doug

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Take all the hearth bricks off and then set them back again on a bed of fire clay and water using the 10mm notched trowel then tapped them all down level. I Inserted another 2 thermo couplings this time in the actual hearth bricks one 10mm from the top and one 10mm from the bottom of the centre hearth brick. Hopefully this will give me a reading of the surface and the bottom of the hearth bricks that should indicate saturation point. And finaly the first course of bricks are layed in high temp motar.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Hi
Looks great! bet cha stoked with the results. One question though.... High Dome or Low Dome?

Regards Dave

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Thanks Dave,
High Dome as I want a big entry that is 575 wide and 365 high big enough to put a horse in!!!!! just kidding. I have just completed the arch and will load up pics soon.
Regards Doug

[Lburou]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Doug, you seem pretty serious about getting that 48 inch monster in service ASAP....Great progress and well designed

Looking good!

[OscarA]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

looking great Doug I love the thermo couplings for the floor it'll make things easier for you.

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Thanks Lburou and Oacar,
I am pretty keen to get a bit done as I am on leave at the moment.
I still have my friend from Melbourne visiting, he has been a great help, if I need more bricks he gets them if I need more motar he mixes it and then he cleans up as we go. He has been also filling any joints that need to be filled etc. He is a good freind of more than 30 years and my Wife and I love it when comes up to stay. He is retired at only 59 so he is quite active, he loves our cooking, the sea food that is plentiful up here and of course a few beers and wine, just like my Wife and I do.
Anyway back to the build, I now have the door arch completed.
Cheers Doug

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

There were some pretty fancy cuts to be made but I am sure the transition will be a lot easier when I get to the 7,8 & 9 courses let's see if my plan works.
Cheers Doug

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Doug,
Fine-looking build! Anxious to see how the transition proceeds. Must be nice to have an assistant!
John

[C5dad]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Doug,

That was a great idea on trimming the arch bricks. Wish I would have done that as it would have made the transition easier to deal with!

[Karangi Dude]

Re: Karangi Dude's 48inch Oven

Thanks Guys,
Yesterday I got the first 3 courses layed after a bit of fiddling about with my dome guage.
The weather here has been really wet, you are forever covering things up from the rain. One thing I have really noticed is how these fire bricks soak up the water I have to soak them in water and make the motar pretty wet and they still seem to grab pretty quick. I have to make sure to set them in position and tap them down straight away as you can't move them once they soak up the water. This high temp motar is very good to work with it is nice and creamy a bit expensive at $36 for a 25kg bag. The people who manufacture it (they manufacture fire bricks, fire insulation bricks, motar etc for the furnace industry) told me that it can be used up to 60mm thick without any problems, I won't be using it any more than 20 -25 mm. They also supply fire bricks to a lot of people that have built successful WFO's.
Cheers Doug