First Chain and Arch

First Chain and Arch

I used the template I made earlier to get an arch shape that will work with the oven. Ideally I'd like it to be a lower dome like the traditional Pompeii but it's more difficult to make and has no apparent advantage over a  slightly higher dome so I'm going to go with this shape and set my entrance arch at  63% of the height.    This is what the good guys at the Forno Bravo Forum tell me is the optimum ratio for the dome and arch entrance.
I can work out the wedges I need to cut for the bricks later from doing this exercise.

 Vitcas brick archway.

I made a jig for cutting bricks. I looked in to getting a saw to cut them. I have a grinder and a wet tile saw. I can get a Still saw from my dad if I need one. Turns out the quickest way to cut them is with a chisel and a mash hammer.   2 taps either side then the 5th breaks them. Easy.

A form from plywood to work out the arch. 

Cut bricks for chains angles.

Starting to look like an oven now...  

Laying the floor

Laying the Floor 

Things have been moving on well.  I'm trying to catch up with the posting now as I'm a little behind. 

I was struggling to find suppliers in Aberdeen that had the faintest idea of what I was talking about when I was looking for specialist firebricks.  I was waiting fro them to get back to me but NONE ever did.  Firebricks are pretty expensive when you need to buy them new and you you need about 250+ to build your oven.  After a lot of time looking I opted to buy a kit from a company in Bristol that would ship to Aberdeen. I have used some of their products in the past for my wood burner set up so I know they are a good brand. So I got out my Tesco credit card and gave it both barrels.  Vitcas do oven kits that come prefabricated, which is not what I'm after but they do do a 'Build your own Pizza oven kit". Which ticked a lot of boxes for me.   The prices were not too bad either I found. 

I did but some other 'accessories' from them but none were suitable for my set up so I later returned them.   The Oven kit is pretty basic and I'm not convinced they have everything you need in their kit but I may be proved wrong. My returns are not included in the totals I post. I'll gloss over things as I go....

Running Total : £374.78

Vitcas Build your own Pizza oven Kit - £1011.40

Delivery to Aberdeen (Scottish Highlands charge for all Scotland) £103.50

If you live in England it was only £53.  Please don't get me started on delivery rates.

I sucked up my pride and took it like a man. It was 2 pallets from Bristol so it seemed reasonable, it's just the 'getting shafted' experience that is often added to a Scots persons internet shopping experience. 

For the record - Aberdeen is not "Scottish Highlands" and it's not classed as "offshore" 

We are a major mainland UK port and 1/3 of UK GDP comes through our city.

Our Harbour is the oldest existing business in the UK.

Any way the Vitcas kit included the following.

280 x Fire Bricks 230x114x64mm 2 x Arch Bricks Set of 15 (30 arch bricks) 5 x Heatproof Screed 20kg 1 x Ceramic Fibre Board 50mm 1 x Ceramic Fibre Blanket (7Mtr) 1 x Ceramic Fibre Adhesive 310ml 1 x Wire Mesh 2 x Outdoor Oven Cement 20kg *Plus Free of Charge - VITCAS Oven Trammel worth £47.99 NOT available separately

I bought an extra roll of Fibre Blanket at 50mm thick  £74

I bought a flue and dampner and straight flue pipe and also a ratehr nice oven door with glass and thermometer. Unfortunately - None of these were suitable for an oven the size of their kit so I had to return them. 

 Running Total now £1563.68

I draw a template for the floor of the oven which becomes essential for the next few moves. 

 Here is the Vitcas Door laid out on the template. It's a nice door but has 2 problems.  Firstly it's too small for an oven with an internal diameter of 108cm and it's too low an opening.  The design of the door also means that any Pizza Peel I use will catch on the door fitting.  Sadly it has to go.

 The finished template ready to be used. Fitted with my wonderful 'free' Trammel from Vitcas.  It was very handy for drawing the perfect circle for the oven floor template.

 Here you might wonder what's going on....    The Vitcas Kit came with a Ceramic Fibre board that I hadn't planned on having. I had already set the Vermiculite concrete insulation already.   I decided I would use this board as well now that I had it.  Otherwise it would be in my garage, getting in the way for years. Plus it would give me a level surface, better than my concrete layer.
Trouble was it wasn't quite big enough for the 1 meter oven Vitcas say, so I had to make up a level with some old lock block to support the walls of the oven.  I am concerned they become a water trap later but will work a way round that.

 You must soak firebricks before laying.  These ones bubbled like crazy and made the water warm.

 I did this in stages as I was pressed for time. I had to go to a funeral.  This would be better done in one go so you can get a better level than i did with the blocks.

 So far so good... I hope.

I just leave it as is to to dry.  I don't think rain will be a problem on these materials, it would even be a good thing I believe. It help the curing process if there is moisture.

SLAB Casting oven floor structure.

Friday 27th May.

Things have been progressing well.
I've not had many straight back to back hours to 'get at it'. There have been many distractions and a lot of thinking and planning. (And worrying, but I think it's going better than expected so far and I'm getting really inspired now!)

I've not posted many pics in the last 2 weeks so this will be a big post...

First an update on costs on the last post..

Running total ( £178.57)

Completing hearth slab.
1.42  tons  concrete sand mix - Leiths Quarry, Findon, Aberdeen - £41.02
Cordiners Timber -
45mm x 95mm C16 ( four by 2)  5 x 4.8m lengths £34.56
 18mm sheet 8x4 foot exterior ply £24
 5 X1.8m Length fence posting  £9.00 ( I should have bought longer, 2.4m these were too short, I should have measured!!!)

B&Q - 10 bags mastercrete cement £43.65

Vermiculite - DR. Grow on eBay
2 x 100Lt Premium A1 2-6mm  £43.98  ( another bag would be better but I managed to cover the oven floor area with 2.)

Running Total now £374.78

 The supporting framework below the hearth for the form of the 'slab'.  This will be the structural supporting floor of the oven.

 Here we added rebar that we got for free from my Dad. - He has lots of stuff lying around waiting to become useful.

 Marco is keen to help.

 Why not get both of them to chip in on the labour.....

 The structural concrete is laid.

 Thise 1.8m  fence posts were a bit short for my hearth size.  I cut the 5th board up to make up the distance.   _ Measure twice cut once....   I must remember... guesstimates are often wrong. More hurry less speed etc...

 Vermiculite insulation layer. It doesn't have to cover all the hearth area. Just under the oven floor really.  I filled the extra space with normal concrete. 

The oven support floor.

 It's been almost 2 years since my last post.

We had a lot happening in our family. A crisis you could say.  Then there was a lot of uncertainty but I won't go into that.
Then I decided... No matter what happens this oven is getting finished.  I was really getting fed up looking at the unfinished concrete bunker in the garden!

Here's the new progress this week.   I also sustained my first oven related injury.  I fell today badly hurting my leg, bruising my Liver and cutting my elbow.  Nothing broken. It was my own silly fault for not being more careful!

 THE SAGA CONTINUES..

Hearth Stand  Week of 9th May 2016

 2 years later

 Looking UN-loved and forgotten...At least I can be sure the concrete is cured and the stand is complete!

Sprucing up quickly...  preparing to make the concrete support floor which will be cast in place on top of the stand.   The mould for this big concrete slab is built in place using timber and plywood in my case. I'm still following the Forno Bravo plan from the US. Version 2.  .....More or less.

 I'm using four by two from Cordiners Timber, Torry, Aberdeen.  I doubled up the centre support.  All this has to come out later after the concrete is set so I'm careful how many screws I use and where I put them.  I'll have to crawl in here later...

 I have an accident, falling off the wooden stool as it sinks into the soft ground. I should be more careful! My leg, liver and elbow take the brunt of the damage.  Could have been worse.

 I fell off the Ikea footstool as it sank into the soft ground, I landed on the stool, full force of my weight on the upper right thigh, and a leg of the stool stabbing into my liver, my elbow hitting dried up concrete from before cutting it with the impact.

I added some aluminum tape down the sides of the form and on the plywood to help reduce any escape of the concrete.   Now I'm ready to cast the support floor of the oven. The form is all in place.
12/5/16