It's Time to Start

[gjbingham]

costs a lot.....yes, but it is really cool, huh? Having someone else do the work for you would really cost a bundle. Think about how much money you're saving!

George

[RCLake]

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm finally done with chapter 4 of the e-book. Only 13 chapters to go. My son was home for the holidays and we mixed and poured the concrete for the stand holes and the hearth. Six bags of portland cement, 60 5-gallon pails of sand/gravel mix(lifted 5 times each) and 5 hours of hard work but this phase is done

I would like to thank Dmun for his concrete tutorial in getting to this stage. I didn't rent a mixer for this stage but the mixing wasn't the bad part it was lifting the sand and then the cement that wore me out.

I'll post pictures as soon as my arms can lift the camera up.

By the way I was in Dallas this week and picked up 2 bags of Heat Stop 50 and a strap of 75 fire bricks, so while the kids sleep in I start on the floor design. Oh By The Way, be careful with these brick shops they will try to sell you anything, claiming it is the refractory mortar that you want. I wish shipping wasn't so expensive so I could have ordered it from FB.

[gjbingham]

You noticed that too about the masonry supply places. They all gave me a dumb look when I asked for low-duty fire brick, then kind of nod and say "yup, we've got firebrick".

[dmun]

Originally Posted by RCLake

I would like to thank Dmun for his concrete tutorial in getting to this stage. I didn't rent a mixer for this stage but the mixing wasn't the bad part it was lifting the sand and then the cement that wore me out.

You're more than welcome. It must be pretty well buried at this point. I put that information together because I couldn't find anything useful on the internet.

Mixing with the mixer is really worthwhile for the big slabs.

[RCLake]

I thought I would post some pictures of my progress. First on the stand, my wife was out of town with the camera so these are from my phone, so quality is so so.
1) I went with a "H" stand so I can store firewood from both sides, otherwise whatever was in the back would stay there.
2) Then I went without a lentil, making the opening larger. I did use angel iron glued on to tie the two sides together and with the center wall I figured the vast majority of the dome will be secure.

[gjbingham]

Uh oh,
Your life, as you know it, has ended. You'll soon be dreaming of setting bricks, row after row, on your dome. It'l pass too quickly. Just enjoy the few moments in which you're fully engrossed in your vision, that which no others understand. The thrill of the dome building disappears so quickly. Enjoy.

BTW, looks like a great BBQ/outdoor kitchen in the works. I look forward to seeing your progress.

G.

[Acoma]

Originally Posted by gjbingham

Uh oh,
You'll soon be dreaming of setting bricks, row after row, on your dome... Just enjoy the few moments in which you're fully engrossed in your vision... The thrill of the dome building disappears so quickly...
G.

George, there are the exceptions. Working with 16" space on perimeter due to the tent over an oven...and the limited hours due to 20-30 degree temps. Well, it still has its addiction. I agree, every day you think of the next thing to get done. And George, where are your latest photos?

[RCLake]

A couple of pictures of the forming before the pour. I did some of the rebar as a "U" to help tie the two sides together. Also copy an idea from Ken by tieing the two side boards together with wire turnbuckles. I didn't notice any movement in the form so not sure if it helped, but it sure didn't hurt

NOTE THIS IS AN UPDATE FROM 2/25/2008
I remove the form today and even with a brick wall in the center I noticed that the weight of the hearth had bowed the plywood down a little. I used 7/16" OSB and I would suggest having an additional leg in the center of the plywood.

[RCLake]

Here are a couple of shots after the pour. We did the stand and hearth at the same time to connect them better. From now on I won't have to get something done all at once. I think I'll enjoy that.

[RCLake]

Originally Posted by dmun

Mixing with the mixer is really worthwhile for the big slabs.

For the slab it was a great help, I couldn't figure a way to raise it to a level that would allow the mix to pour out into the hearth without raising the mixer a lot higher. If I did that I'm not sure I could fill the mixer up so decided not to rent the mixer and mix in a garden wagon instead.
For a slab it worked great