Smaug: A 36" x 16" build.

[Gromit]

Dmun,

I was aware of your warnings about soldiers before I started my build, but I decided to plow ahead anyhow because I liked the look and the shape of the soldier course. Maybe it is because it reminded me of the building in this picture which is 5 miles from my house.

NOW, seeing my big honking crack in my soldier course + a lot of other hairline cracks in the soldier, I would not use soldiers again. I would possibly still try to achieve that Astrodome shape with 1/2 bricks laid on bond (is that the correct term?) since is gives a bit more volume for a given height when compared to a hemisphere.

Please feel free to point people to the pictures of my great crack in your warnings about soldiers.

[Les]

David, I'm not sure the soldier course is your enemy here. It might be, but I think your bigger problem is the stack bond. I didn't go the soldier route so I might be full of crap. Every pic of an oven I see with a major crack has always followed the line. I would cover it with a blanket and cook something - don't sweat it.

Les

[Gromit]

Originally Posted by Les

I'm not sure the soldier course is your enemy here. It might be, but I think your bigger problem is the stack bond.

Les, I think that the soldiers and the stack bond achieve the exact same thing: long vertical sections of nothing but mortar that invite cracks.

I have a stack bond on top of a soldier, so I should be little surprised to find it cracked.