Another Picture of the Dome

Just wanted to show off the dome again, so here is a better perspective on it. Also I wanted to explain the amount of additional work that is needed before I can start cooking.

First of all that area on the right side (in front of the dome) is where the vent and chimney are going. That section needs to be topped off with a concrete vent and then a brick chimney goes on top of the vent. Fabrication of the vent will happen over the next week.

Secondly, after the vent is done, an insulating blanket will go over the dome and part of the vent. This will help hold in the heat and ensure the oven reaches the higher temperatures needed for pizza.

Finally, another layer of concrete goes over the insulation and the vent. This is pretty much cosmetic, but as you can see, the dome doesn't look very nice. I am going to attempt a stucco style finish on the igloo that will cover the dome. The insulation and finishing steps will happen the week following.

So, hopefully all goes well. These final stages means venturing into new territory again for me. Pouring the concrete vent and laying the concrete with stucco finishing are things I have never done before.

The Dome Is Done!

I finished the dome today! A week behind schedule, because of the rain last Sunday, but I was able to close the dome. I really pushed things along to get it done today and it got more exciting as I got down to the last brick. This last brick is called the keystone and had to be cut to fit the hole. A snug fit locks all the other bricks in place and makes it structurally sound.

The laying of the keystone was a major event and I made sure to have full photo coverage, thanks to my son Rafael.

This is the keystone just before it gets put in.



This is the spot where the keystone goes in.



Putting the keystone into place.



Applying the mortar to secure the keystone.



Today is a major milestone for me and it feels great to have finally made it this far. Over the next few weeks I will finish the vent and chimney, put the insulation and finish the housing (got to make it look presentable!)

Then its time to fire it up! Still looking good for first week of December for RFP!

Almost there . . .

From this view it looks like the dome is done, but I still have a few more chains to go. Chains is brick layer speak for a row or line of bricks.



From the top view, you get a clearer idea of how much more there is to go. It really is about 10 to 15 more bricks that need to be mortared in place. But the going is really slow.



The actual brick laying is quite tedious now, since the only way to do it is to stand over the dome. This means bending over, putting each brick down and adding mortar to hold it in place. Its quite tiring since I am stooped over for extended periods. And I also have to climb down from the stand to get more material (bricks and mortar) then climb back up. A decent work out actually.



But what slows down things most is the constant cutting and shaping of the bricks to fit snugly. As I get closer to the top of the dome, the curve is sharper and the straight bricks don't really fit well. Most of the previous chains were built on half-bricks, but now as I get to the top, I use quarter-bricks as well to get a better fit. I've also had to cut wedge shaped bricks for a better fit. More detailed pictures next time.

I had hoped to close the dome this weekend, but Sunday afternoon was a bust. I made good progress on Saturday and on Sunday morning. But it rained all afternoon. It would have been better if it was just a sudden downpour, but it was a slow steady drizzle that never let up.

I'm seriously thinking about working in the evenings now just to make up for lost time. If only the mosquitoes would cooperate . . .

11 Levels and Rising

Up to the 11th chain of bricks now, moving into the homestretch. From this picture you can see that the brick are going in almost vertical, which makes construction slower. There is a lot more waiting time now while the mortar sets to hold the brick in place before I can move on.

Its also tougher to hold the bricks in place as the angle gets steeper. I now also use sticks cut to length to hold up the bricks aside from the styrofoam guides. This is a top view of the progress to date.



I figure I should be able to close the dome in another two weeks. After that there is:
1. more insulation around the dome for heat efficiency
2. finish the vent and chimney
3. final finish on the exterior of the dome to make it look neat (haven't really decided on what finish to use yet)

This is one way: Gabled House

This is another way: Igloo

Decisions! Decisions!

All in all still looking good for an end November RFP (ready for pizza) date!

Construction Back in Full Swing!

I was away for a few weeks, which is why the blog hasn't been updated. And, of course, no work on the oven either.

I got back from San Francisco last Oct 2 and since the jet lag got me up early, I started working on the Saturday morning after we arrived. It was quite productive since I finally fixed the opening of the oven. This portion of the work has been the most challenging so far since it is not the straightforward brick laying I have been doing the past weeks. It required a lot more planning and cutting the bricks into special shapes to make the opening merge with the rest of the dome.










The picture on the right shows the temporary bricks and wood I put in place to hold up the bricks spanning the opening. The temporary structure was needed to keep the bricks in place while the mortar dried. The picture on the left shows the front view of the oven. This is where the pizza will go in! This work was completed last weekend.

This weekend involved more work on the opening and the merging with the dome structure. Much harder than I had thought and more brick cutting. Each brick on the opening needed to be cut to shape to fit. More detailed pictures on that later this week.

But this is my new get up when I cut bricks. There is a lot of dust flying when I cut and grind, so an old t-shirt wrapped around my head is a very effective filter. Now I understand why construction workers look this way!



Now that construction is on again, I need to re do my timeline. The going is slower now that the angle of the bricks is steeper. There is a longer wait for the mortar to set firmly before I can move on to other bricks.

At the moment it is looking like early December for the first pizza, if all goes well!

8th Level, Going Up!

Another good weekend of brick laying. The bricks are now up to the 8th level and there are about 4 to 5 more to go. The going should get easier since there are less bricks as it goes higher.



I need to do a lot more brick cutting now to fit the odd spaces. There is a lot of dust and debris flying around so I now wear safety goggles when cutting or grinding. Safety first!



And work has finally started on the opening. This part is a bit tricky. Its not the same work as just putting the bricks down and moving on to the next brick. Figuring out how to frame the opening and how the bricks are going to go in place using the angle iron to support it over the opening took some thinking. I'll spend more time on this next week and hope to complete a level of bricks across the opening.



Getting closer to pizza time!

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day . . .

. . . and neither were the pizza ovens in Pompeii.

I've been asked about when there is actually going to be pizza coming out of the oven and the truth is I really don't know. While I do want to be baking pizza and bread right away, the oven project is not something that can be rushed. Some of the limitations (aside from the lack of experience and skill of the mason) that I need to deal with are:

• I have a day job (thank God!) and I can only work on the oven on weekends.
• The weather needs to cooperate. If it rains hard, I can't work because the mortar will get soggy and won't set. If it is overcast and gloomy, the mortar takes longer to set, so the work goes slower.
• I need to figure out what I am doing as I go along. While I have plans, they are not detailed about every aspect of the oven. There are still some design issues I have not settled in my mind yet (vent and opening of the oven, exterior appearance to be more specific).

Having said all of that, the rough time line in my head is:

• Dome construction - 2 more weeks
• Vent and opening - 1 week
• Exterior insulation and housing - 2 weeks
• Firing (the oven needs to be slowly broken in before it can hit the 900 degrees target temp) - 1 week
• Recipe testing / fine tuning - 2 weeks

If you add it all up (this is a sequential project time line, no parallel tracks) it is about 8 weeks, assuming the weather holds up.

Halloween Pizza anyone?