Cypress Build Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss Cypress Build in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; As I had promised sorry had to take with my phone. This is what it looks like now. I am ...

[Cypress]

As I had promised sorry had to take with my phone. This is what it looks like now. I am going to pick up the concrete today and will post pic of label later.

[CajunKnight]

look great, keep up the good work.

[Cypress]

I got my fire block and will be going with 4" thick for the base. It might be over kill but from what I have read there is no such thing as too much insulation. I have been reading and looks like I will go with the dome on the floor. The extra mass might help keep the heat in. I really am at a fork in the road and do not know witch way to go. It looks like anyone that started cutting all the brick for the dome in the end still has to use a lot of mortar. And it has less to bond to. So the question is do I cut them or not. I have a lot of experience with tile and pool construction and would like to use the hand grinder to cut or shave to fit. Is there any draw back to using a hand grinder? Does it matter as long as I keep the mfg side on the inside of the dome? Sorry to be so long winded but I would like to do it right the first time.
Thanks for your help.

[Les]

Originally Posted by Cypress

I have been reading and looks like I will go with the dome on the floor. The extra mass might help keep the heat in. Is there any draw back to using a hand grinder? Does it matter as long as I keep the mfg side on the inside of the dome?
Thanks for your help.

I think you have less mass with the dome on the floor. I put mine on the outside so I have an extra row of brick to get it up to floor level. And I don't quite understand what this means "Does it matter as long as I keep the mfg side on the inside of the dome?". The firebrick is made from the same magic mouse milk on the outside as the inside.
Good luck with your build.

Les...

[Cypress]

Sorry should have been clear. As long as I keep the uncut sides of the brick facing inward. I will cut them in half’s and then thirds on the wet saw then grind off what I need to have a snug fit. I just need to wait one more day for the concrete to cure.
90% humidity and 95 degrees to day for the high so long spring…

[Les]

Originally Posted by Cypress

Sorry should have been clear. As long as I keep the uncut sides of the brick facing inward.

I don't think that the matters. I preferred to put the cut side facing in because a lot of my bricks were chipped. That gave me a nice clean surface. I contacted the manufacturer a while back and they confirmed there is no harm exposing the cut surface to the heat.

Les...

[Cypress]

Wow that is something new for me. This opens a lot of doors and ideas. I can now grind the lip out for my door. I am building my new tool tonight. Figured if I cannot buy one from someone on the site I will build. Gives me a reason to go to HF today. Thanks for the help.

[Cypress]

I got side tracked this weekend my wife wanted an inside kitchen makeover so I had to install granite and a tile back splash this weekend. I did get to work some on the oven. I have installed the board and the floor. I am working on cutting the dome and searching for the smoother bricks to replace the rough ones in the floor. I have been looking it over and it looks like I will need to cast my vent. My questions is …. Is there a standard size? I know that the vent will be 8” to the chimney but does size matter on the Vent? It looks like I will have about 12” to cast the vent..
Thanks for your help

[wlively]

Not sure what you mean. If you are talking area of opening, 8" at chimney pipe, then just make sure your vent opening has more area. You want the vent transition to narrow into the chimney.

From my oven experience you want the vent opening as wide as possible, for in the fire starting stage the draw will be lowest and wider makes it easier for the smoke to find its way up.

[Dino_Pizza]

Nice looking base you've poured. It's good you've got steel in it. But Wade is right: the larger the area of the vent opening the better. Since you will have an 8" vent pipe (50 sq in) it's "ideal" to have double the area at the wider end or mouth of the vent opening. Lot's of Builds on this site have done close to that with a 5" or 6" by a 15 or 16" opening between the arches & you're close to the size you want, maybe a little shy of it. HOWEVER, you are casting a vent, so you have a really nice, smooth, elegant transition over a 12" height as you've stated. If you can't make a vent opening double the surface area of the final vent pipe, then at least you can cast a good transition from the widest you can do with your landing space you've created. We all want the smoke to go up the vent so we do what we can during the build but sometimes other factors or constraints dictate you design. You're moving along fast. Keep up the good work, Dino