Forno Montagna Brick Oven Photos Discuss Forno Montagna in the Good Background Information forums; Dino, I use Adobe Illustrator on a MAC for my plans. 1/10 scale....

[schallert]

Dino, I use Adobe Illustrator on a MAC for my plans. 1/10 scale.

[schallert]

Making some progress now. Work got in the way of my build the past two weeks. Cut the floor and dry fit the prices together. Need to by a hand grinder to make a few of the cuts today. The off to Helsinki for a week! Have a nice pail full of reclaimed fireclay now so I can make the slurry to set the floor.

Dan

[schallert]

Made some more cuts this weekend, made the entry layers, cut the soldiers at 15 degree angle. Ready to spread the fireclay/sand mixture to set the floor. I will use this fireclay to set the floor, the entry (first layer) and the soldiers...How thick of a heat stop mortar layer do I use for the next levels of the entry? Also, how best do I mortar the soldiers? Do I use a pastry bag? Should I cut wedges/shims to maintain equal angles?

[schallert]

mortared the soldiers, the landing walls and dry-fitting the arch... I do love this project... hope I can finish before the snow flies.

Dan

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

looks like your doing a great job..... Isnt it amazing how fast we can learn to do basic masonry when we are inspired ? I actually buttered a lot of my brick, rather than using a pastry bag...

[cecilB]

Dan,
Your oven looks great - everything looks very nice and neat and tidy.
I got most of the floor down, but had to stop because of darkness and mosquitoes!

Well, I'll just get back to it tomorrow...and I will assign a photographer around here to get pictures...darnit!

c

[schallert]

Need more time off to get the dome closed before the snow. I assume that we it gets to below freezing my build is done until next spring. Any winter storage suggestions? Just wrap it up in plastic tarps?

Dan

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

I wish I could remember the name , but theres a video on youtube of a guy standing in the snow building his.. You have posts up for the tarp.. wrap the wole thing in plastic sheeting.. Throw in a space heater and you can build a while longer.. I dont know how the temps affect the concrete,but im sure once you get near freezing its not good, for you or the cament..

[jrparks]

I built mine all thru the winter with a tarp on post to protect from the weather. I only mortared bricks when the weather was above freezing and would use a space heater to keep let the mortar set if it was going to freeze that night. The only real challange was cutting bricks with the water below 40 deg. Yikes! Lights under the tarp were necessary to keep working in to the night.

[cecilB]

Dan, your oven looks great! I hope you get your dome done before it gets too cold - I, too want to complete mine before the nights are freezing too much - but I bet I have more time before that happens than you do!

I posted pictures of my progress in the photos section. I'm not real happy and after looking at yours and others' I am tempted to take out the opening again and try to do it neater. But than I think that, in the end, the outside will be covered up and as long as it keeps its heat, it doesn't really matter....does it?
I am learning a lot, though, so by the time we gut and renovate this kitchen, I'll be ready to put in a bigger and better oven!