A few questions

[rwiggim]

Thanks for the plans in a PDF format. It is making my life much easier. I do have a couple questions though. I have finished filling every other block in the stand to prepare for the hearth pour but I can't seem to find any explanation of how to cap the bottom of the bricks that rest on the angle iron to fill them. Is it fine to run a 2X8 braced underneath until the concrete sets?
Also when you talk of the 4to1 ratio of vermilucite to cement for the refractory layer of the hearth is that weight or volume?

Thanks again and I will post pics as share my experience soon.

[RTflorida]

I just braced a scrap piece of 1x8 in place, worked fine.
The vermiculite mix is by volume, some guys do it in shovel fulls; I used a 1 gallon bucket to measure. Vermiculite and its counterpart perlite are extremely light weight. If you were to mix by weight you would probably have so little cement in the mix it wouldn't hold together.

RT

[rwiggim]

Thanks, I assumed it was volume but I have gotten into trouble assuming before.