Casa 110 installation tale

[ljanmi2]

What did you use to cut SuperIsol boards?

[redbricknick]

I used a razor blade to cut my super isol board.

[jwnorris]

I just used my circular saw. Produces more dust than the razor blade, but a quicker cut.

J W

[ljanmi2]

When I picked up mine they warned me that it has tendency to crumble and break if it is not handled gently. Did you have any similar problems? Or they exaggerated a bit
This got me worried since my plan is to buld my oven on metal stand and be able to move it arround.

[christo]

My experience so far is that it is reasonably tough.

I made two cuts so far, no crumbling. And since it was a marvelous Grey color, both boards ended up in my front yard as tombstones yesterday!

The neighbor boys hauled them around until they found the perfect place for them, today they look none the worse for wear and tear.

When or if my oven comes apart they will wonder why one piece has RIP on it and the other has here lies captain john he was lost at sea and never found...

Was really tough to write on this stuff - the magic markers I had would hardly leave a mark. I ended up using a crayon.

[jwnorris]

Originally Posted by christo

My experience so far is that it is reasonably tough.

I made two cuts so far, no crumbling.
<snip>
Was really tough to write on this stuff - the magic markers I had would hardly leave a mark. I ended up using a crayon.

I agree with all above. While the edges will chip with rough handling, it does not crumble. And it wicks moisture out of everything and anything, so it is no surprise that a felt marker did not work. I had used a pencil during my layout.

J W

BTW, I cooked my first pizzas on Sunday .. I'll report more later.

[Alan]

Sharpie brand markers worked fine for me. I got a clean cut with a circular saw.

[jwnorris]

Well, it has been many weeks since I last posted and I'll try to catch everyone up on the progress. The kit arrived in great shape. They moved everything to the patio in preparation for assembly. Some information may be repeated.

I should back track and say that I did not build a traditional block base. My intention was to incorporate the oven into a BBQ island on my side patio - where we do most of our entertaining. I had the island prefabricated by Outdoor Kitchen Concepts and they made the corner section for the Forno Bravo oven out of square welded tube.

I had found an insulation material about the same time as James at Forno Bravo did [turns out from the same vendor] and used it in lieu of vermiculite/concrete mix. While I did not same any money I saved a lot of time and space. This material [SuperIsol] is 2” thick and is rated to withstand 1800 F.

I had intended to set the oven floor in a refractory mortar; however, the SuperIsol pulls the water out of the mortar so fast that that did not work. Ultimately, I figured that the weight of the floor and the over were enough to keep everything stable and as the base was level, I just set the floor dry.

After setting the dome in place, I sealed the joints with a 2” thick layer of refractory mortar and coated most of the dome to the same thickness. I then leveled and set the vent piece in mortar and fastened the vent adapter to it with concrete screws and mortar it all to the dome.

I then covered the dome with two layers of a 1” thick insulation blanket – one comes with the Forno Bravo kit and one purchased separately. This ended the portion of the work that I did my self. I do feel that if I had not had other stuccoing to be done I could have stuccoed the dome myself.

After the oven was complete, I started the curing fires. Waiting for these to be done seemed to drag on forever. Seven days later, I invited my nephew Andrew over to inaugurate the over. After all, his building a mud over two summers had convinced me that I needed my own wood-fired oven. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 25 and served pizza appetizers. We also served pizza on Christmas and may on News Years.

[I am in no way affiliated with any vendor or manufacturer mentioned here, just a satisfied customer]

J W

[stuart]

I'm considering either the 100 or the 110 for a corner installation. I'd love to see pictures of the progress and completion of your project.

[CanuckJim]

Stuart,

Can's say for absolute sure but it "looks" like my Pizza Builders group will be doing an interior corner installation of a Casa 100 in the near future. If so, I'll be sure to document the install thoroughly and post pics. My fabricator has already come up with some cool ideas about how to handle the steel stand that might prove useful.

This particular job will be tricky, though, because the house is a "stick built" (no trusses) bungalow, and we'll have to route the chimney around the hip rafter that is, natch, directly in the way of a straight run.

Jim