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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:18:12 GMT
Hi, Migrating build over from original forum found here: woodovenukforum.forumup.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1102&mforum=woodovenukforumHi All, I'm new to this forum (been reading it for quite a few months) as I spent months and months researching the project. Decided to follow a similar reader and build it based on the plans from Rado ( www.traditionaloven.com). As a young IT consultant / technical project manager I don't have any experience in any trades that will help this built (such as brick laying, concreting etc) but I can't wait to learn along the way. I've recently purchased my first house (back in May) and have spent all summer devising plans for and trying to get the garden into a state that allows us to make the most of any warm weather we get. It's a long, long project (the whole garden, not just the BO) that will probably take me a year or two but hoping to have part 1 (the brick oven) build for next summer. Got the footings dug out last weekend and ordered lots of ballast (8 bulk bags!) from Jewsons using the forum code (thanks) and will attempt to pour the slab Thursday/Friday as I'm lucky enough to have the days off to take advantage of this ridiculously warm September weather we are having. I plan to document it all on my website but as yet it's very bare so I won't link it until I'm happy with it's content. I will add a picture of my footings dug out (and with a bit of hardcore in the bottom) within a day or two and the concrete slab after that. Can't wait to start this build!
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:19:06 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:21:03 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:22:22 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:22:37 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:23:07 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:23:49 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:24:04 GMT
I didn't manage to get the slab done on Thursday so I had to extend the hire of the mixer to cover Friday too. Luckily this only added about £10-£12 onto the total bill (I'll find out what it is exactly today but expected to be £55-£60 for two days - I did use the discount code too). Ended up using 3 1/2 bags of ballast! Although mine were a touch deeper than Rado's plans call for (and he says you need 2 tonnes of ballast) and part of the centre island caved in whilst I was excavating the footings (damn sandy soil) so I just thought sod it i'll just fill it in with the concrete. The mix I made was strong 4:1 and ended up using about 14 or so bags of cement. I started the form making about 7am yesterday and finished pouring the last barrow of cement at about 4pm, and had chance to level and skim (although only skimmed it after 10-20 minutes - I didn't have chance to let it dry more before skimming as I was going out at 5pm) and therefore didn't have chance to round the edges either but the slab will eventually be hidden anyway so I wasn't too bothered, but I'm still very happy with the result for my first ever slab Just need to make sure I keep it watered with the weather we are having this week. Photos: Beginning to remove the temporary patio from the back. Deciding on my final level. Slab will be 10 inches away from newly built fence. The 10 inches will be dug out and filled with gravel once the whole area has been paved in the summer (not that it needs much gravel the amount of sand in my soil). Slab and footings marked out. Notice the small caved in on the back right corner of the centre island (and the colour of the soil - the sand is very visible). I dug my footings down to 450mm (150mm deeper than Rado's plans) as I'd removed lots of treees and roots from the whole area when I built the fence so I wanted to make sure the ground was solid. I put in ~130mm of hardcore (saved the concrete from when I smashed up the old posts that were part of the fence) and then added 20mm of ballast on top of that and compacted it all down very hard. Ballast compacted down. Form and rebar. Form in place, footings half full so added rebar (I kept the rebar from the concrete posts of the old fence and used a vice to straighten them out again after they became a little bent after a few blows with a sledge hammer), funny enough 4 of them made a perfect fit. Still smiling (obviously still at the early stages!) It's a dirty job but someone has to do it! And no I don't work for Toshiba =) Rebar mesh in place. Should be enough concrete. Levelling. Slab levelled (and by some kind of cosmic luck I had the exact amount of concrete down to the handful!) Skimmed (albeit whilst it's too wet)
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:24:56 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:25:40 GMT
2.3m x 1.7m or thereabouts. I think mine used a lot extra because of the deeper footings, deeper slab and the few parts where the centre mass of mud had vaved in so i had to remove it. Either way I'm hoping it won't be going anywhere soon
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:26:06 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:26:29 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:26:53 GMT
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:27:16 GMT
Just remembered I took a time-lapse video of me (in the Utd shirt, my friend Richard with the neavy shorts, Neighbour Jason with blue shorts, and girlfriends sister's boyfriend in the khaki shorts plus lots of interuptions by partners/friends etc during the day) for those that are interested (although again not strictly of my build).
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Post by DuncanM on Feb 24, 2012 8:27:33 GMT
Tiny bit of progress this weekend so I thought I'd share it. Removed the form from my slab and happy with the results. I mean there certainly could have been improvements (e.g. rounding off the corners and if my form hadn't part bent when i rammed it with a barrow full of cement) but in general it will be fine. Slab with form removed: Starting to mark where bricks will go: Pleased with the smooth edge the melamine backed board gave. I could have tamped down the concrete a bit more to make sure it was totally smooth but it will be covered up anyway. The melamine didn't stick to the concrete at all and the form removed extremely easily. Note the distance between the edge of the slab on the left and the line marked out for the bricks gets shorter about 3/4 towards the back, this is where the form bent as I was barrowing concrete for the slab, the sandy soil gave way and pushed the form and caved so much soil next to the form I couldn't dig it out and straighten it out again. That and the fact I knew I still had enough tolerance and the slab won't be seen so I didn't bother. Starting to mark out where more of the bricks will be laid. Note the indent of bricks (where the tape measure and mud are) this is going to be a smallish wood store that should be able to hold enough wood for a good few firings. The reclaimed bricks I bought should help with the look of the oven when completed, but their uneven shape may challenge me having never laid any bricks before. Rough layout of the base to allow me to get the feel for the size and height of the heath. I need to cut quite a few blocks in half so it will look neater and the two blocks on the end won't be stood up like that. Large space underneath the back where most of the wood will be stored to allow for lots of cooking all summer long. Next steps: Buy an angle grinder to cut up the concrete blocks so I can place them properly, buy a cement mixer (quite an outlay but will be worth it in the long run) so I can fill the cement blocks and lay the hearth slab. Fingers crossed I can get Friday off work to start with the block cutting getting them into their final layout.
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