36x17 with tall soldier? Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss 36x17 with tall soldier? in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; Making good progress. But, I go back to work tomorrow and that means no significant progress for a week. I ...

[rbirchell]

Making good progress. But, I go back to work tomorrow and that means no significant progress for a week. I should have the dome done by the end of the week after that, I'd think. We'll see. The second ring went faster than the first as I worked out the learning curve.

I'm happy with the results so far.



The arch transition worked out good. I was worried it might not work out even on each side. But, both are the same height.

[rbirchell]

3rd ring is done. Placing the stones is getting interesting now.

[Dino_Pizza]

Looks good, nice tie in to the arch. It seems like your next row will have to have a deeper curve to keep to your low dome height. It's hard to tell from your photo but are you on tract with your plans? Mine would creep up higher (I think the mortar is always thicker on the inside than you plan on) and I had to adjust along the way to keep at my 20" dome height.
Good job, it's closing up fast, -Dino

[rbirchell]

Thanks. I am pleased so far.

The arch created by the spacing I am using on the first 4 courses looks to be working out good. I am going to double check (again), with a dry stack, before I lay the 4th course. I'll tweak it if I have to. But, I like how it looks according to the template.

The next ring has to bend a bit more at the arch too. So, I have some mental gymnastics to work out with the angles before I stick it all down. The string off the center works like a gem.

How did you hold your stones in place on the upper rings? Just hold them till they stick, clamp, or other? I'll try the clamp and probably have some bracing sticks on hand too. I did a cultured stone fireplace in the basement. It amazes me how the mortar grabs and holds vertically; after a minute or so.

[Dino_Pizza]

I mostly held them in place by hand for a good 2 minutes and then put a stick under it if it seemed like it might move which certainly wasn't the majority of bricks. The sticks would fall when I wasn't looking but the bricks stayed in place. Most of the time there were 2 of us on the upper courses so 1 can hold the 2 bricks (I always placed 2 or 3 bricks at a time) and the other would make another batch of refmix or home-brew.

[Neil2]

I cut Styrofoam forms.

[rbirchell]

Thanks. I went the stick route and that worked well. I only broke one mortar joint and that was during the transition hurdle. I floated the first full ring and popped one while trying to set the key stone. Which was good as it allowed me to tweak the alignment better.

I made some good progress on the oven and the outdoor area over the last week and a half. Work was a huge distraction but it helped me mull over some ideas. The best one was the issue of what to do about the lights over the bar. I hadn't planned the roof and did not ponder any of the things that that brought about.

So, this is what I came up with. Simple, functional, and looks pretty cool; I think.





Once the lights come in, I'll install the pair to split the bar into thirds. They should look cool. Hanging all the way from the ceiling just wasn't going to work out well.

The oven as of this evening. After the transition, the next full ring went down fast.

[rbirchell]

17 days after I began the floor, the dome is complete. What a whirlwind of stress, demand, challenge, and reward.






My hats off to you guys here. Some of you are masters. Yet, all of you have accomplished something special. We are part of a small unique segment of the population; much like marathon runners are. I say that because I feel just the same way, right now, as I do after finishing a marathon. Fatigued and elated.

I appreciate the insight and inspiration this group has provided me. Thanks.

[Neil2]

Nice brickwork - good tight joints. Thanks for posting your pictures. Post some pictures of your entire outdoor kitchen, it looks like it is going to be a great space.

[rbirchell]

Well, another work week done and I can get back to some progress at home.

I squeaked in some time here and there.

I mocked up one of the lights and worked out the height and bulb size. Plus, I built the front arch on the oven.



Yesterday, I cut all the stone for the chimney transition and laid the base.



And today I mortared the chimney transition together. It was an interesting challenge reducing from 15.5 to 8.25 inches while opening up from 4.5 to 8.25 inches to two directions.



Yesterday, while I cut stone I tried anther cut on the Rotisserie. This time, seasoned pork loin. I continue to be impressed with the new grill. It was hard to ignore the aroma.

I can't wait to get cooking with the oven.



Off to paint the new addition beams and trim.