To taper or not to taper?

[cholme]

Hello, I am in a waiting period right now as my insulating layer cures for the next week. I am building a 32in ID oven with a 16in dome height.

I would love to hear pros and cons to tapering and not tapering... it seems like a lot of work, but if it is worth it then I will do it.

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[lwood]

Tapering what?

[cholme]

Sorry... I mean tapering each brick in the dome to fit the circumference and the arch - or just filling the gaps with mortar.

Make sense?

[gt40]

Originally Posted by cholme

Sorry... I mean tapering each brick in the dome to fit the circumference and the arch - or just filling the gaps with mortar.

Make sense?

I would try to cut the bricks as close as you can. You will soon figure out if you are up to cutting them all that way :P

[GianniFocaccia]

Draw out a profile of your dome on a piece of paper and simulate the placement of untapered 2 1/2" bricks. If the resulting outside gap mortar requirements are within reason to you (and your pocketbook) then you're good to go. Don't forget to factor in your inside mortar gaps. The larger your outside gaps the more propensity your mortar has to shrink and crack. If you taper your bricks you decrease the joint size, reduce the mortar requirement and increase the amount of work required.

[John K]

Hi Chris

I just tapered the inside bricks to ensure an edge to edge finish and did not worry about the outside. Iv'e been using the oven for over a year with not 1 crack so the closer the edge the better by the looks of things. At the end of the day it comes down to how much patients you have and what finish you are after

cheers John

[cholme]

Thanks for the input so far. I actually have a followup to my own question. If I were to taper all the bricks so that they match the curve or the arch etc. wouldn't there actually be a larger mortar line inside the oven? With no taper, the bricks will actually touch each other, with the exception of a gap on the sides, will they not? Or am I over-thinking this?

[Faith In Virginia]

This is a picture of my bricks this is one of the higher rings but it shows the type of cut that worked for me. I also included a picture of my interior so you can make a choice in the amount of effort you want in your oven. Hope this helps.
Faith

[lwood]

Hi Faith,
Are those tapered bricks a lot more expensive? After seeing yours, I would seriously consider using tapered bricks. Your oven looks perfect, joints are nice and tight.

One thing about tapered bricks is; they will never fall out of position.

[lwood]

Or did you cut all those bricks your-self? I took another look at your pic and you cant buy bricks like that.