Brick Cutting Getting Started Discuss Brick Cutting in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; I would like to contruct the Forno Bravo oven, but am being scared off by the larger amount of tile ...

[timo]

I would like to contruct the Forno Bravo oven, but am being scared off by the larger amount of tile cutting. Is there a way, or oven design that wouldn't require much brick cutting?

It's not that I don't want to cut any bricks, It's just I thought there wasn't as much cutting as I've seen in most designs here.

For example, what are the most needed to be cut courses? I appreciate any imput. Timo

[egalecki]

I can't remember how many bricks are in a round, but all my bricks were cut using a small hand held wet saw. It only cut 1/2 way through the brick, so I used a big chisel and a hammer to break them the rest of the way. I also had an angle grinder for trimming some of the odd- shaped pieces along the way, but nearly all my bricks were cut with the little saw.

I didn't do any of the cutting to fit that a lot of people are doing. You don't have to do that. It looks good and is rewarding for those who want to do it that way, but it isn't necessary at all.

The plans are good like they are. Go ahead and download them and follow them. You'll be fine.

[dmun]

There's a little danger in bragging about super accurate cut-every-brick builds (and I'm the worst offender) is that new people can loose sight of the fact that the original design of the pompeii oven was a no-cut design, that could be executed with a brickset, if you're any good with the super chisel (I'm not).

Some of us set out to cut the bricks for the dome in half with a wet saw, saw how easy the cuts were, and got carried away.

For the record, an unfitted dome with big mortar gaps and a angle iron door lintel works just as well as the hyper accurate 3D masonry jigsaw puzzle dome. Heck, most of the time you don't even see the inside of your dome.

[timo]

Now that's good news. So, for the most part, I have to really just worry about splitting the 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 9 bricks in half and some various other bricks for fit. I do have a wet saw for ceramic tile. It's a small MK, but it works great.

If I get a new blade, I should be able to cut through the whole brick by flipping it over. Thanks!

[Neil2]

Rent a water bath cutting saw.

Cut all your halfs and thirds in an hour or so. Very simple. No fuss no dust.

While building you will have to make further double bevel cuts, especially in the top courses. (This is hard to explain clearly but once you get into it it becomes obvious) A hand held saw or a "chop" saw with diamond blade works fine. The diamond blade lasts a lot longer and there is a minimum of dust if you soak the bricks to be cut in a pail of water.