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Post by james9 on Nov 3, 2017 17:57:38 GMT
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Post by Thomobigands on Nov 4, 2017 8:59:06 GMT
Looking good. Don't envy you working outside at the moment though!
Get cracking before Jack Frost comes along for a proper nose at what you are doing...
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Post by james9 on Nov 6, 2017 19:37:52 GMT
So making steady progress but a few problems; These fire bricks are very hard & I've warped a diamond blade which has been sent back to Amazon after 30-40 cuts. There's a gap between the floor and the soldier course of upto 10mm. Part of the problem is the curved edges of the floor were cut with a 9inch angle grinder and the vertical cut isnt quite vertical. I may be able to improve the cut which will then allow the soldier closer to curved floor. Not really sure what else to do about gap?
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Post by Thomobigands on Nov 6, 2017 19:58:15 GMT
Hi, sorry to hear you are having problems I sat my soldier course on top of my floor so didn't have the gap issue. Assuming you want to press ahead your way, I wouldn't worry too much. Get it as good as you can and ash will fill the void quite quickly once you start firing it. That's what I would do. I am a firm believer that we builders over think things sometimes and strive for perfection.
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Post by Thomobigands on Nov 6, 2017 21:32:12 GMT
Just had another look at this and the photos. The photo of the gap didnt show on my phone earlier. How about using a grog mix to fill the gap (crushed firebrick) if you are that bothered about it. Almost to the top, then allowing the ash to fill any remaining difference? I sweep my floor quite well but you always leave behind some ash in the corners, I doubt you will notice the gap once the ovens finished and running?
Also, are you cutting all of your half bricks for the dome with the disc cutter? If so, maybe consider using a bolster and chisel for the halves? Set the brick down on a firm bit of grass and work round, turning the brick. It will soon break and with practice is very quick. You may end up with some rough cuts but so what. Once the blanket, insulation, render or whatever else goes over the dome nobody will know and it makes no difference how neat the 'non-facing' end of the brick half looked.
As nice and neat as it looks now, sometimes you see a corner that just asks to be cut. The purists may disagree with me of course! Each to their own, naturally.
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Post by oblertone on Nov 7, 2017 12:25:42 GMT
Leaving a gap around your floor bricks is actually recommended practise as it allows for a bit of thermal expansion during use. In practise it'll fill with ash and you'll never see it again.
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Post by james9 on Nov 7, 2017 22:52:17 GMT
Thanks for the replies. The edges of the circular floor were cut freehand with a 9inch angle grinder so it wasn't immediately clear how vertical the cut was, ok but not good enough. I'll revisit the cuts as it may be possible to improve the vertical cuts and get the soldier gap closer to 5mm.
For straight line brick cutting I've been using a Rage 3 mitre saw with a 255mm diamond blade as it should be much safer and accurate than angle grinders. The saw reviews on Amazon and Screwfix were extremely positive as was the diamond blade bought separately. But, had I looked at the one and two star reviews then people are saying the blade can go blunt very quickly if used for bricks and concrete. The first blade lasted 30-40 cuts and I was planning on tapering the bricks so would be looking at over 500 cuts! To be fair Amazon have replaced the blade (free) in under 24 hours but I'm going to have to reassess techniques, don't force the blade too much, allow it to cool down and soak the bricks for longer. The angle grinder works great but is less accurate, what I really need is a Norton Clipper.
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Post by james9 on Nov 22, 2017 17:23:03 GMT
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Post by james9 on Nov 22, 2017 18:00:51 GMT
I'm using a ready made cement which is good for 1600c, it air dries and sets fully at 300c. The major drawbacks are the joint size needs to be 3-5mm which is challenging cutting bricks with angle grinders, each brick needs 4 cuts plus remedial plaining. The cement is very slow to dry and I don't know whether that's a problem or it will set once the oven is fired up. The first layer is looking good with tight joints and I'm starting to cut top slopes....but its very slow work.
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Post by Thomobigands on Nov 22, 2017 18:21:09 GMT
You could still switch to home brew if you are struggling with the air set?
Can I also ask, that row on top of the soldier course-is there enough mortar between the joints? Looks great and very neat, I just wonder if it is a little too tight a fit?
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Post by slen916 on Nov 22, 2017 20:46:19 GMT
cutting all the bricks is a royal pain in the ares...but when that dome clears for the first time and you see all hard work its well worth it...
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Post by james9 on Feb 4, 2018 19:58:38 GMT
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Post by james9 on Feb 4, 2018 20:01:07 GMT
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Post by james9 on Feb 4, 2018 20:04:36 GMT
Almost completed row 5, the arch is meant to be continuous with row 5. Row 6 transitioning into the arch didn't go entirely to plan, the front 4 bricks on the arch are too high because the I couldn't get a continuous row height with the IT. Not sure whether to let it dry for a week and angle grind or more likely correct the level on row 7. Its been a slow build over the winter but the ends in sight, perhaps 3 or 4 rows left to go. Still using an angle grinder (Makita) and cutting the sides and top of each brick so the dome is taking 4 times longer to cut than other methods. Cutting blades work and last a lot better with wet bricks although seems messy. Have made adjustments to IT adding an adjustable brick support underneath. Bricks started slipping on level 6 but not too badly. I'm using ready made refactory mortar which takes a bit of time to harden off at low temperatures but much better when its over C10.
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Post by oblertone on Feb 5, 2018 10:07:25 GMT
That is one very 'tight' build, well done. What's the plan for the exterior?
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