Greg & Karen's 42" Deck WBO in MI Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss Greg & Karen's 42" Deck WBO in MI in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; I didn't get as much done as planned yesterday since we had parent/teacher conferences and a high school soccer banquet. ...

[glindhout]

I didn't get as much done as planned yesterday since we had parent/teacher conferences and a high school soccer banquet.

But I managed to get the indispensable tool welded together, ground down the floor bricks with a diamond cup wheel (it's REALLY smooth now!), and cut and assembled the first row of bricks...

I can't remember who posted the suggestion that I read (sorry), but I decided to cut the bricks on an angle to minimize the grout lines between. Attached is a drawing that I used to determine the size/angle, and a YouTube video (next post) showing the cuts using a simple wooden jig on the HF saw. It worked great, and hopefully I'll be able to use this method on the first couple of rows. Any advice on how many rows I'll be able to build with these half bricks??
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[glindhout]

Here's the YouTube video showing the brick cutting... of course, I cut them in "bulk" before changing the jig each time...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Nice video, I like the way you worked that out....

wow Pics and video...

Very Cool
Mark

[glindhout]

I got the entryway walls cemented together, and the inner arch bricks cut today. I also got enough angled bricks cut for at least two more rings... If I get motivated, I may crank up the heater and head back out to work tonight.
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[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Cmon Greg,

Get the heater going.........

[jmhepworth]

I had my arch bricks all lined up the way you did and even cut one for a keystone. Then when I actually laid them, I ended up with enough more mortar between them that the keystone needed to be re-cut. Did anyone else experience that, or am I the only really poor brick layer?

[kebwi]

Just had the same problem yesterday jmpehworth. Measured and cut my inner-arch bricks to a fairly tight tolerance. Kept my mortar gaps very small and made every attempt to keep the bricks aligned with the protractor drawn on my arch form. Nevertheless, the last brick wouldn't quite go in...or might have, but would have had no mortar gap at all and would have pushed the other bricks, breaking their bonds...not that I didn't break most of them before finishing anyway (the RIGHT way to do this is probably to set one brick (per side of the arch) per day...UGH!). Anyway, I'm obviously going to shave that last brick before placing it.

...and since several of the bonds broke many minutes after initial placement (as subsequent brick-placements shifted them), I question the long-term strength anyway, regardless of recutting the keystone. It'll have to rely on true arch-mechanics to stand up!

[mfiore]

Looking great, guys! At this rate, you'll be done before the deep freeze.

[Dino_Pizza]

I'm with Joe: Even though I made my entry-arch mortar "soupy", I could not squeeze in my top 3 bricks. I had to remove them and re-cut them so my keystone had some mass to it.

Nice job on the 1st course Greg. Good job planing your cuts as well. As you go up, make small adjustments every other row or so since it's so hard to keep the interior joints (horizontally) at zero since some mortar usually gets in there and adds 1/64"-1/8" and it may throw your final height dimensions off a bit.

Say, you can use your heated "pizza-hut" tent you've got going for ice fishing later when you're finished with the oven! kidding...Dino

[DaveW]

Originally Posted by glindhout

....

But I managed to get the indispensable tool welded together, ground down the floor bricks with a diamond cup wheel (it's REALLY smooth now!), and cut and assembled the first row of bricks...

Greg, I am thinking of grinding my surface also. Any tips on doing this? Did you keep the surface wet? Was it difficult to avoid swirl marks or digs? I am unhappy with the unevenness of my floor but I am also a little nervous about making it worse.
Thanks, Dave