Cutting bricks to fit dome...

[Les]

Thanks Frances, and RT, I agree - very time consuming. The worse part about it is the constant climbing up and down to check the fit

Les...

[aureole]

I was thinking about the angled brick cut too: is there any reason why the following wouldn't be a good idea? (see attachment)

The only negatives I can see is the external spiky surface (more area=more heatloss) and more bricks being used. Oh, and I guess you have to get the angle of the cut right for each layer.

[Les]

Not good. The next brick to the left will have a reverse taper - that may allow it to slip into the dome. Cutting the taper is the easy part - it's the angle on the sides that get tricky. Especially when the bricks get narrow - course 11 and 12. That's why I bailed on the plan and went back to a wider brick at the top, with the saw I had, I couldn't accurately hold the angle.

Les...

[aureole]

I was imaging the picture above as a view from above the dome, so the cut helps set the ring of the dome (rather than the vertical angle).

Your dome is a work of art btw Les: I don't think I've got the patience to exactly cut each brick, but it looks amazing.