Soldier Course...Full Brick? Half Brick?

[azatty]

Originally Posted by texman

Also, it seems reasonable that the vent funnel area should be at least as wide as the flue. I have drawn a 7.5" depth of funnel area for a 6" flue. Is this too much? I cant find a definite answer in the forum or plans. Many suggest to use an 8" flue for a 36" oven instead of the plan recommended 6".

I assume by the "vent funnel" you mean the area that goes up to your chimney/flue, right? I believe that prevailing wisdom is that you want the vent transition to be at least twice as wide as your flue diameter (be it clay or steel). So for a six-inch flue, the funnel should be at least 12 inches wide (side to side) and taper down (or rather "up") to six inches. If you can make it as wide as the whole door (18 inches in your case), so much the better. How "deep" (front to back) it should be...I don't know. Typically at least as wide as your flue. Dino has some excellent pictures on his thread of the transition to his stainless steel pipe. I have a thread showing how I did it with clay flue liner.

Also, wider flue liner is better. A wider flue can be shorter than a narrower flue and still draw the same amount of air. But if you need to build a tall chimney anyway (six feet), six inches would be o.k. for a 36" oven.

[flyfisherx]

Originally Posted by GianniFocaccia

I started with a soldier course because it was the conventional (and popular) way to go. I wasn't happy with the joints so I tore them all out and went with horizontal bricks (sailors) throughout. THis is documented in my thread, here:
John

John, Thanks for responding! I have been admiring your flawless build for the past week. While all the builds on this site all offer great ideas, your build is tops in my book. The best and cleanest build in my opinion. I am only hoping to come close to the quality of your build.

I will follow your and Lburou's advice and go with the horizontal bricks (sailors). Thanks again for your help. I am sure it won't be the last question I ask.

Hey John, Did you ever finish the oven? I am anxiously awaiting further pictures of your oven build.

David