Forno Montagna Brick Oven Photos Discuss Forno Montagna in the Good Background Information forums; Great job Dan! Excellent outer arch and nice opening over your vent landing. It looks like it's a bit more ...

[Dino_Pizza]

Great job Dan! Excellent outer arch and nice opening over your vent landing. It looks like it's a bit more than 1 brick deep. It will draw the smoke well.

You've already done the hardest parts (we won't worry about the last 2 rings and cork) so I think it'll go pretty quickly now. You might beat the snow after all. I think the thing to focus on is how nice it WILL be when you've got your oven going and cooking during the snow.

Thanks for posting good, clear pics. The whole oven looks great. -Dino

[schallert]

Thanks for the encouragement and compliments... You and all who have gone before are HUGE inspiration to me. I am prepping the job site for possible winter construction now. CecilB, I, as many others have stated, have imperfections... We are mostly amateurs with great expectations for ourselves. My approach has always been one of solid construction and focus on the beauty elements when I create the facade. I have seen many techniques and varied degrees of neatness. I have yet to hear anyone state that it didn't cook well. Keep to it! I agree with you, we are all learning in this process!

Dan

[schallert]

I have seen several builders place steel brackets to support entry arch... I was planning on doing the same as I had a slight wall collapse when "pounding" my first brick in the outer arch in position. I learned not to do that again. I was trying to squeeze some mortar out. The entry stack was not cured yet and I had to rebuild. It seems strong now but I am concerned when I add more weight for the chimney. Also saw others use hollow bricks and rebar. And yet again I remember seeing a photo of someone standing on their arch! I bought a few steel brackets like Mfiore and Dbhansen did, placed a piece of insulation board between, but I can not seem to get enough pressure on the wall to make a difference. Does this make sense? I feel that if the entry wall fails with these brackets in place, it will not be enough to save the wall and I would have to rebuild/mortar again anyhow. My question is... what's the right path and when?

Thanks, Dan

[jmhepworth]

Dan, all of the trouble I had with building my decorative arch (not a true arch, but legs on the side and an arch between them) came when I tried to build the arch before I allowed the legs to cure. I had the same experience that you had. Trying to force mortar out of the joint caused the uncured legs to fail. When I re-did it (the third time), I let the leg cure and building the arch was uneventful.

Because of the concern with buttressing the arch in the vent (not the decorative arch), I doubled up on the bricks on the legs. Because I planned a gable roof enclosure, you can't tell that the sides of the vent are extra wide. That seemed to work really well for me, and I had no difficulty at all with the arches that form the vent.

Joe

[Dino_Pizza]

Dan, if you are building an enclosure around the dome like mine (dog house or out-house style) then you will naturally have a buttress at your front-entry arch: I put my front steel studs about 1/4" from the left and right outer arch and sandwiched a piece of FB Blanket tightly between them for that vertical 12" or so on each side. I did not want the steel studs to tough the arch wall and wick away any heat but I wanted them pressed against that outer arch wall with that insulation against it.

My inner arch was completely integrated with the side arch-walls so there wouldn't be any weak spots there and I assume yours is similar.

cheers, Dino

[schallert]

9th course in. Took the day off today, tried to get 2 more in but the rain came down. Need more better weather and I may finish before the snow. I built a few frames to cover it so I am ready if I have to close it up for a while. So close.

[schallert]

a few more photos

[schallert]

break in the weather and 10th course is complete, 11 going up today!

[jmhepworth]

Great work. You've done an extraordinary job.

[fxpose]

I love the way your project is progressing. Beautiful setting too!