Fnbrokens Corner WFO in Canberra, Australia

[fnbroken]

well....after a long winter break I managed to pick up the tools again this weekend...

Tiled the outdoor kitchen so I could at least have a BBQ this summer...

Finding the time for a 16 hour return trip to / from Melbourne is the next challenge!

[deejayoh]

Looking good. When is the party?

[fnbroken]

Things seems to have stalled a little bit here... I have now got the WFO and outdoor kitchen to the same stage - Very happy with progress.

[fnbroken]

Hi all...hoping for a little confirmation/advice.

I need to order my oven materials now...and its a 7 hour drive each way to pick it up - so I want to be really sure that I get everything I need in one go.

I've used the dome calculator (awesome work there deejayoh!) for the number of bricks + a few extra - but it doesnt have all the other components required. With the exception of materials readily available from the local hardware store, does the list below look reasonable/complete?

Material	Unit	Total	Hearth	Dome	Inner Vent	Outer Vent	Flu	General
Oven
LiteFill Perlite (100ltr)	ea	8.0	2.0	6.0				-
CaSil (1000x500x50) - 2 layers	ea	8.0	8.0
Castable heat bank (45MC or 45LC)	ea	4.0	4.0
Firebrick(75x115x230)	ea	280.0	30.0	149.0	18.0	19.0	20.0	44.0
Ceramic Fibre Blanket (7200x610*25)	ea	1.5		1.5
Dektite sealant	ea	1.0						1.0
7" pergola kit	ea	1.0					3.0
Refactory mortar Fireclay (20kg)	ea	4.0						4.0

Many thanks all!

Greg

Note: I'm buying a trailer in melbourne at the same time - so saving shipping costs on both the WFO materials and the trailer by going and collecting it all - plus I get a weekend away. Any Canberran's needing supplies - sing out - I can probably pick it up for you (Hallam area only)....

[Steady]

The arch looks great

[fnbroken]

Thanks gents!

I found the arch form work pretty easy to do - took measurements and sketched it out. Cut the boards to size and then did the arch after screwing the panels together. A bit of liquid nails down the edges to keep it all in. Definetley recommend doing it in once piece. Was only an extra 1.5 barrows of concrete, plus the steel to reinforce. Thats said - I'm planning on rendering over the whole lot - so you wont see much at the end of the day.

The oven will be outdoors/uncovered for a period of time - until I can extend the pergola to cover it. I was planning on a 50mm (2inch) V or P crete under the calsil just for that added insurance. I think I will put one in simply because there doesnt seem to be a downside to doing so...

Thanks again!

[UtahBeehiver]

A weep hole is a good idea but it depends on the amount of potential rain you will get in your area, is the oven being enclosed, is there a roof over the oven, etc. Drilling a weep hole in fairly new concrete is easy with the exception of the steel decking which you will need to come in from the bottom. Also it depend on how you will insulate the floor. If you are placing CaSi directly on the hearth then anything you can do to keep water from getting to the CaSi is important since it very water absorbent (we see quite a few wet CaSi floor issues). Some builders raise the CaSi off the hearth with another type of less water absorbent insulation, ie P or Vcrete layer, FoamGlas, patio blocks, hebel.

Nice progress, I am a fan of a integrated arch pour on the base.

[shanesmith80]

Looking great Greg,
I was getting the form work ready yesterday for the suspended slab and was thinking off trying too incorporate an arch like yours, but thought, too much work. But now seeing yours Hmmm.. just maybe i'll give it a go.

[fnbroken]

Pulled the form work off today - pretty happy with the result. Some work with the grinder will fix up the edges, plus I want to round off the corners so they are not so sharp (I banged my head twice removing the forms and it HURT!). I am debating drilling a drainage hole in the middle of the slab (and thru the steel condeck) ... thoughts?

Also got the forms and steel in for the outdoor kitchen.

Time to place an order for the oven materials - super excited to get to this point

[fnbroken]

and concrete....

20 barrow loads...fortunately I have a cement mixer :/

[fnbroken]

One step closer today.... formwork for the door arch in... ready for concrete on Friday!

[fnbroken]

A little more progress this week - hard yakka when temps are in the high 30's!

Cores filled and wood racks bolted to the floor. Its half the price to buy firewood in summer, so will be stocking up now ready for whenever I complete this thing.

Formwork for the doorway is next....

[fnbroken]

Thanks JR - not much I can do now - only hope!

I have bookmarked a number of door builds (including yours) and will study up when the time comes....

[JRPizza]

Greg, I'm still learning the nuances of welding, but I've read that flux core generally runs hotter, gets deeper penetration, and is harder to use on sheet metal than gas, at least if you are using a C25 mix. That said if you practice on some representative material you can figure out what size tacks/stitches/beads will work for the set up you have. Not sure if you saw the way I tacked mine together or not - I attached a link to some pic's below.

[fnbroken]

Hi Gulf - thanks for the heads up - just spent the last couple hours researching weld/tie rebar! I thought it would be fine given the mesh itself is welded.

So what I learnt (being an armchair specialist welder now) - Low quality rebar can become brittle at the welded spot due to the heat stress and subsequently form the starting point of a crack. After talking with the supplier where I sourced the rebar...Australian rebar standard is reasonably high and not as susceptible to becoming brittle as it has a much lower carbon content. Much like the welded mesh - if the welds are small (more tack welds) there wont be a problem - which mine resemble. Additionally, (to answer JRPizza question) I am using a flux core wire (no gas) so the temperature reached is much lower than using a gas shielded wire. He suggested if I was worried that I should use tie wire on the key structural joins (uprights to the horizontal mesh) to assist in ensuring no movement as any weld is only likely to make part of the rebar brittle - not the whole thing.

So a note to future builders - tie the rebar together!

JRPizza - I will definately give it a go...that's what this project is all about!