It's time to go Vertical

[RCLake]

I've finished with the stand and hearth and was laying out the floor today so I've decided to move up to the big kids site. Also received my insulation board today so I'm happy.
I'll have a lot of issues hooking the dome to the doorway so I'm starting to do a lot more research of prior postings. But I do have a couple of questions.

1) I will put my soldier course on top of the firebrick and I'm planning on cutting them in half, not as a rectangle but with a 13 degree angle. This way the next level will be flush. The top of the inside of this brick will be 21.5" away from the floor center - with a 20" height planned, it seems to me that I'll need to bring each level in 1/8" (assuming 12 levels). Does this make sense?
2) What distance from the door to the front of the vent? Before I cut my insulation board and floor I need to figure out this distance. I'm thinking from inside of the door I have 4.5" for that arch, but then I'm confused. I've seen vent opening from 4.5-6" and then another 6-7".

[dmun]

1) Your plan for the soldier course sounds good. Since your dome is less than half the height of the diameter of the oven, if I read right, you'll need a steeper slope at some point, hence the thirteen degree angle. You won't need that much angle on succeeding courses.

2) I think the exact width of the slot for your flue is not particuarly important. I think the area of the opening should be larger than the square inch measurement of your flue, ideally twice as large. I know it's not conventional, but I built the back of my "flue funnel" right on top of the dome over the doorway, because I was pressed for width. It made for some fancy brick cutting, but most of them do anyway, or the use of gobs of mortar. Remember that your dome goes in as it goes up, you don't need the full width of whatever you decide as the width between the edge of the door, and the flue opening from the edge of the circle.

Planning helps, but it also helps to lay out this stuff on the floor and actually push the bricks around.

[gjbingham]

The answers seem to be slightly different depending on whether you use an angle iron or a brick arch for your oven/entryway transition. If you use an iron, that pushes your vent outward from the dome; at least it did in my case.

Here's a discussion of numbers for the vent floor that I asked awhile back:
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f6/h...size-2803.html (Help with vent floor size)

Hope that helps a bit.
George

[RCLake]

Originally Posted by dmun

1)
Planning helps, but it also helps to lay out this stuff on the floor and actually push the bricks around.

I have already figured that out, it makes a huge difference placing the bricks down and seeing what issues need to be addressed.
I just made my first firebrick cut. I put a 12" masonry blade on my miter saw and after soaking a brick all night, I cut it in half. Has anyone else used their miter saw as a chop saw? I can see I'll generate a lot of fireclay this way.

[dmun]

Originally Posted by RCLake

Has anyone else used their miter saw as a chop saw? I can see I'll generate a lot of fireclay this way.

BE SURE to use breathing protection when dry-cutting.

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by RCLake

I have already figured that out, it makes a huge difference placing the bricks down and seeing what issues need to be addressed.
I just made my first firebrick cut. I put a 12" masonry blade on my miter saw and after soaking a brick all night, I cut it in half. Has anyone else used their miter saw as a chop saw? I can see I'll generate a lot of fireclay this way.

I did my floor bricks this way.
I should of done them all this way, but I got tired of the mess and noise.
I used eye protection and a mask for breathing.
I found it best to cut them dry. When I soaked the bricks, the blade would deflect, and the cut wouldn't be straight. The blade would bend outwards the further down the brick I went.

[RCLake]

Originally Posted by asudavew

I did my floor bricks this way.

I found it best to cut them dry. When I soaked the bricks, the blade would deflect, and the cut wouldn't be straight. The blade would bend outwards the further down the brick I went.

I will try cutting them dry tomorrow, I figured that would be real dusty and I am wearing a 3M respirator. I started using masks with my table saw and these are breathable so not a nuisance at all

[Les]

RC,

You should consider purchasing the Harbor Freight saw - at the end of the day, I'm sure you will be glad that you did. After the completion of the project, you could probably sell it for half of what you paid.

Just a thought,

Les...

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by Les

RC,

You should consider purchasing the Harbor Freight saw - at the end of the day, I'm sure you will be glad that you did. After the completion of the project, you could probably sell it for half of what you paid.

Just a thought,

Les...

If I had only one do over on my project..........

I would have purchased the HF saw.


Hindsight....

[dmun]

Originally Posted by Les

You should consider purchasing the Harbor Freight saw - at the end of the day, I'm sure you will be glad that you did. After the completion of the project, you could probably sell it for half of what you paid.

And still have a set of spindle bearings on your miter saw, as well. That dust isn't only in your lungs. Good work on the 3M respirator, btw. Much better (and less stinky) than those paper things.