new guy on the block

[jimmyjam]

Originally Posted by Frances

It depends on what a guy (or girl) likes doing - well, that and how much money they want to spend. If you think you'll enjoy the challenge of building your own dome from scratch, do it! Its really great fun!

But there are plenty of people here who've got precast ovens, too - you'll get to cook pizza a lot sooner that way.

Dusty,

Thanks for the info..Did you build yours with brick or Pre-Cast? JJ

[jimmyjam]

Originally Posted by staestc

This thread popped back up, and I saw that I had missed the slab question. A slab from the 50's with no cracks that is still level? I would say go for it, but just for the record, do you know how thick it is? If not, did a bit by one side, and you will either find out how thick it is, or find out that it has footings. But I would guess you are probably good to go.

Travis

It is around a foot thick with a couple of cracks-nothing to big.

Question-
as far as the cement goes with cinder block- is it true to fill every other holes with cement and rebar? so, no cement between the blocks?

[RTflorida]

For the inexperienced mason, dry stacking is the way to go on this project as long as you do as mentioned - at least fill every other core and use rebar. Getting your mortar lines even and keeping the blocks level and true can be tricky, so the dry stack method has been recommended on this forum. As far as stability, I've heard of no one that has had any issues (including myself) as long as you are starting with a good slab or foundation. The overall weight when you are done will not allow anything short of an earthquake to move your stand.
The other great benefit - you can complete the stacking process in 10-15 minutes (basically saving yourself about a days worth of work, compared to mortaring between the blocks). Filling the cores and rebar would be recommended with either process.

RT