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Post by albacore on May 19, 2018 19:14:44 GMT
Nice one! Your pointing is getting very neat!
Lance
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Post by truckcab79 on May 19, 2018 19:37:06 GMT
Nice one! Your pointing is getting very neat! Lance Thank you. Really enjoying the build. Need the pointing practice. I have the whole base to do yet, as well as the dome! Bought a mortar gun which massively increases speed of application. Found that the key to getting a neat finish is to clean up as best I can, then get a damp sponge on it to clean up while it’s still relatively soft, and smooth down again with pointing tool if needed. |
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Post by downunderdave on May 20, 2018 2:14:22 GMT
After seeing plenty of cracked outer decorative arches i was convinced that the inner oven parts expanding against the cooler outer oven was the cause. I also recommend leaving a gap between the decorative arch and the flue gallery, filled with a weak mix of vermicrete. This is to allow the inner parts of the oven to expand and contract freely within the outer shell which is bonded to the decorative arch. I hope you don't get too much trouble from trapped moisture because of those foil layers. Your build is going well.   |
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Post by truckcab79 on May 20, 2018 11:37:08 GMT
Yes. Expansion gap would make sense. Though now it’s filled with mortar maybe less so. Will see how it goes. Have to say that the ‘free-standing’ arch seemed a little flimsy so the tied back version gives me a bit more confidence that even if it cracks it should be held in place. Time will tell.
Looking forward to getting the outer brickwork started though I need a bit of thinking over the transition between cladding bricks and the chimney stack bricks to make sure it ties in nicely.
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Post by truckcab79 on May 24, 2018 20:23:03 GMT
Finally started on the dome brickwork. Going well so far. I need to work out how I transition from the done to the chimney. You’ll see from the earlier pics that there is a square section ‘attached’ to the round dome. Of course once insulated and wrapped it loses the squareness and becomes a serious of compound curves. On the website of the supplier they seem to either show no brick chimney stack, or the brickwork goes from being level all the way round, to crossing over the top of the dome diagonally so the bricks come down toward the arch. Don’t particularly like either. The instructions only show a pic of building a brick stack on a smaller rendered dome without the square bit which would be easy. I think I’ve worked out what I’ll do. I’m going to continue around the dome and then just carry on level around and across the chimney ‘square’ and across the top of the arch. Will try tomorrow and see how it goes. Will then need to look at dimensions so that I can reduce up to a sensible sized stack for a 5” flue. Will make more sense when I’ve photographed it (if it works of course.) Anyway. Here’s where I am to date.    Ignore the low triangular brick near the arch. I was playing around with cuts and curves to see how the transition would work. It’s not fixed yet, and will probably go in last once I’ve run the bricks above it. |
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Post by truckcab79 on May 25, 2018 17:44:59 GMT
Today’s work might make clearer what I meant about the chimney. As said, on the suppliers site despite his recommendation most examples seem to not show the square chimney section of the casting, or, where they finish into the rear of the arch they run down from back to front. Didn’t like either option so after lots of careful measurement and trial fitting I extended the bricks from those circling the dome, and mitred them to turn across the arch to give a finish I’m much happier with. Will continue this up the oven dome and decide how and when I convert this to a short chimney stack. Will decide as I progress.     And by end of day I’d continued up the dome to leave it here.  Seem to be moving away from the radius of the dome a little, so will need to increase the angle inward on these last few courses. May also need to start mitring and or cut bricks down smaller. And in readiness for cooking I’ve bought and planted the herb troughs either side.  |
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Post by downunderdave on May 25, 2018 19:50:50 GMT
It is best to do the drying fires before the outer shell is all sealed up or the moisture trapped in the oven has much more difficulty escaping. You risk damaging the oven from steam spalling if you get too impatient when doing the drying fires.
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Post by truckcab79 on May 25, 2018 19:52:46 GMT
It is best to do the drying fires before the outer shell is all sealed up or the moisture trapped in the oven has much more difficulty escaping. You risk damaging the oven from steam spalling if you get too impatient when doing the drying fires. Had crossed my mind that I should as it happens. Need to get some wood ordered. Many thanks. |
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Post by truckcab79 on Jun 3, 2018 23:02:03 GMT
Grabbed an hour or so this weekend to move a tiny bit further on. Got the front brickwork done and cut out the insulation and wire to make space for the chimney.   Annoyingly, was just tidying up the garden post barbecue a few hours after completing this brickwork and saw a crack through the top right front brick so knocked it out and will replace it again next time. On account of front brickwork being vertical and side brickwork leaned back, front is a few mm higher. Should have sorted when building but will now wait until fully set and trim down with angle grinder. Next step is to start chimney build. |
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Post by starseeker on Jun 5, 2018 20:26:44 GMT
Great looking oven , Soon be cooking in there  |
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Post by truckcab79 on Jun 6, 2018 13:35:49 GMT
Many thanks. Hopefully so, though I’m reckoning on maybe a month by the time I’ve got completely finished.
Still need to:
Build brick chimney surround
Complete dome brickwork
Point dome
Point base
Cut and lay stone slabs around perimeter and entrance.
Make a door.
Only the door can wait. Much as I can do so, I’ve told myself that I won’t use it until I’ve got the rest properly finished.
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Post by truckcab79 on Jun 18, 2018 21:03:44 GMT
As had been the case since the start of this build, weather has hampered recent progress. A week or so ago I had managed a couple of hours to start the chimney. Intention was to get the stack built to take the shorter flue section, then run the dome brick work into the stack. Here’s what I ended up with initially, with the stack formed out of 6 bricks with the centres cut out as required.    For some reason the stack isn’t exactly central to the arch. Not far off, and I’m guessing it’s just the fact that I’ve added a little more mortar to one side of the dome or that the insulation is slightly ‘fatter’ on one side. No matter. This isn’t meant to be a precision job, more a rustic build, so I was keen to see how I’d resolve as the dome brickwork went up. The intention was to continue courses of dome brickwork and just angle the last cut where it bisects the dome. Today I continued and I committed to finish the dome no matter what. Lots and lots of cutting and re-cutting to get it satisfactory, and finally finished. Ideally both sides would look like the left hand side but that’s just not possible. Easier to see in the flesh but if I angled the right side cuts to match the left side I would have ended up with flat topped exposed bricks. Really happy with it and actually really happy that it doesn’t match. The only thing I’ll change is to trim the end-on brick on the front right so the mortar gap is level. Other than that I’m thrilled with it. Did what I said earlier in the thread and permanently mortared the short section of flue into the stack. Left it 5-10mm proud so that I could finish with a sloping mortar bed so that water runs away from the flue. The larger part (not pictured), just slips in and can be removed for Winter storage. Thank god it’s done. Just need to point it all and do the stone work on the base now.         |
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Post by simonh on Jun 18, 2018 21:45:17 GMT
Looking fabulous!
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Post by truckcab79 on Jun 18, 2018 22:04:24 GMT
Many thanks. ‘Built in 3 or 4 weekends’ I think the supplier said....not by me it won’t be! Very happy with result thus far. |
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Post by oblertone on Jun 20, 2018 6:59:20 GMT
Very neat finish, well done; now for the good bit ...
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