Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Hi Oasis

Pics coming end of the week. Have to go to the city tomorrow but will resume work on Thursday and work Friday. Bonifacio my bro in law and mason has off tomorrow as well. Then I'll load a week of pics in one go.

Will check out your door and learn something before we get back into the walls and entrance. I'm curious how you managed it. I'm using every inch of the space between the dome and the outside of the (coming) onion dome. But...maybe the distance is the same. In the middle of laying the floor and will resume that Thursday Morning.

Another question. Tried to put the bricks right up next to each other in the floor but there are spaces. Fill with mortar? Clay and lime?

Question from earlier...

with a 54" wide oven and a 5" wide chimney how long would you make the chimney?

[Gulf]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Another question. Tried to put the bricks right up next to each other in the floor but there are spaces. Fill with mortar? Clay and lime?.........

Let the ash fill in those spaces .

[cobblerdave]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lancer
Another question. Tried to put the bricks right up next to each other in the floor but there are spaces. Fill with mortar? Clay and lime?.........
Let the ash fill in those spaces .

G'day Lance
Sorry Lancer, I forgot this up to now, firebrick and pavers are 1/2 as wide as they are long which is great for laying out as a base. House bricks the width is shorter than 1/2 the length of the brick so you have enough room for a mortar gape when say bricking around a corner. I've used common house bricks for paving before and its not an inconsiderable amount.
I usually sweep Portland and dry sand over it till those cracks are filled then water it. You could possible use Dry sand lime and clay and sweep it in.
One thing though you have to have the perimeter contained cause as the sand mix packs down it forces the bricks out.
So it would still not be prudent to mortar your dome bricks down. So it might be best to haunch a triangle of mortar up to the dome brick right around the perimeter to contain them.
I've never come across this question before but you'll need more than a little ash to stop those bricks moving this gapes on the long edge are at least 3 mm I'm sure.
Hope this helps
Regards dave

[cobblerdave]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Gudday
Another thought , the short width of the house brick makes it hard to lay herringbone, right
Why don't you just lay brick bond and lay it 45 degree to the oven door.
Herringbone might be best practice but if it isn't!
Regards dave

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Floor was already half mortared in when you posted 2 above Cobbler, sorry should have said something. The floor has the 1/4" circumference space so I'm not concerned about expansion. Thinking of filling the cracks with 2 parts clay and one limestone, maybe 1/2 silicate. That should give a bit. If it fails in time I can always replace the floor. It is laid 45 degrees to the door already. Figured that pizza tools would have less to snag on.

For now I'm calling it a done deal. Had Bonifacio finish the floor except for filling the cracks. Want to try to get it smoother for pizzas, not really happy with it but its done for now. The rest is coming out very well.

Thanks again for your good advice.

[oasiscdm]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Hi lancer

If not happy with flour grind it flat before you start dome.

I've found a small ridge in mine I will need to knock sheen and it was nice and level before firing

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Good idea Oasis. Grinding wheel on a hand held tile cutter?

[oasiscdm]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

You could also build oven and try grind after firing if anyone is game. That way floor will have found its happy place. your oven is big enough just make sure you use a respirator.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

That's what I'll do too. :b: You are a fount of wisdom Oasis, thank you.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Had 4 days work this week and here's whats to show for it...

First course...



I set the first 2 bricks for the door opening in place and scribed around them while Sho set bricks.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

We built steps out of gravel bags. The gravel is for the onion dome when we get to it. Eventually there will be a raised tiled platform.



There's 16" of insulation space between brick dome and onion dome. At this weak point we're going to add a bunch of mortared in pumice to support the joint between dome and wall. I'll describe this more later.



Four courses 1st day for Sho.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

Fishermen return from a nights fishing.



Dolores walks on the beach while Augustine throws rocks in the water and Abby hunts for shells.



Progress progressed. The doorway is getting set. Monday we'll start in on the arches maybe. Maybe one more course, I dunno.

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

This is about where we stand now after 4 days. The hole in the floor brick is for the dead center string which tells us what we need to know to set bricks domewise.

Along the circumference of the vwhole thing the onion will run up to the brick and that's where we'll have a large medieval pointed obtuse arch to carry the onion over the opening.



At the weak point where the dome meets the wall and carries the arches we'll mortar in some pumice and carry that support past the poured floor at the location shown earlier. An insulating, refractory, flying buttress if you will.

Well that's it for now. More next week barring earthquakes, typhoons, weeks of blackout, volcanic explosions etc.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

G'day lancer
As always... Love the pics!!!
One thing I noticed is the simple scale of the oven your building. I'm imagining a onion dome against the base you have got. Wow. The top of the onion is that much taller than a normal oven height.
I recon your fisher folk will be using it as a datum point in the future for sure. It's going to be quite a prominent landmark.
I read you thoughts on building another smaller oven to cook pizza for a family business , not a bad idea. From what I've found most commercial WFO for pizza seem to be 40 ins. Need more ... Build a secound oven. And 40 ins its possible to do the 3 pizza thing, ( I do it badly) stick to low dome!

Sorry this is a very old pic( and the pizza is on trays! ) but you get the picture.
What people would your market be? A tourist market would be a lot different from that of the local. But what the heck!cater for both!
I've not been to the Philippines for a number of years ( more like 20 ) but I do remember going to a Philippine restaurant chain that served lots of things with spam. Spam n eggs,off course, but spam burgers and lots of other things. What I'm saying is tap into the local tastes.
I'm remembering a pizza I had in West Samoia many yrs. ago spam ,local tomato with a basil leave under every piece. The greasiest cheese but it was a very tasty feed !!!!!
Regards davr

[Lancer]

Re: Lancer's Philippine Build, Close to Australia Anyhoo...

You guys are killin me with the glorious pizza pics mate! Yes the dome is lower than planned with no soldier course at all (You have a soldier course in your pic) and brick floor raised 2" into the oven. If the cheese doesn't toast the oven will be big nuf to climb in, chip out the floor, pour a few inches of insulation and lay the floor again. So, its wait and see how the monster cooks and enjoy some glorious pizzas in the process. We'll post some pizza pics too!

Once the oven build is done we'll figure the scale of the onion, but I've begun realizing that it won't be too much of a monster. Won't be this big certainly although the chimney will come out taller than this pointy bit they have here.



Regarding the fisher folk, maybe at the top I can work in a lighthouse...

Anyway someone is hiring our mixer and Sho to run it so we'll make some pesos and so will he, without us having to pay them. After a recent unexpected van breakdown and repair the work stop and extra cash will help. So, the pizza oven is once again off the menu until that job is done. This job is teaching me patience my friends. With our carpenter working at an amigo's house this week it will finally be quiet here, and that is a very welcome thing.