9. Finishing the Oven Dome
Overview
If you have chosen to build your oven with forms, there may
come a time when you are no longer confident that the
mortar you are using to attach your bricks will keep gravity
from taking over, causing your next chain of bricks to fall in
before you can set the keystone. If it looks like this might
happen to you, it is time for you to use an internal support to
hold the last few chains in place while the keystone is set,
and the mortar dries.
There are several options for building this form, including
plywood, Styrofoam and a rubber ball. This section
describes the process of putting a form in place, cutting and
setting the last chains for brick, and then cutting and setting
the keystone to complete the oven dome.
Building the Form
Because you will set the form in place through the oven
opening, you need to cut your form into pieces that will fit
through it.
Cut a circular piece of plywood to the circumference of the
opening at the top of your oven, and slide it into the oven.
Hold the round form directly underneath the opening at the
top of the oven, and measure the distance from the bottom
of the form to the top of the oven floor. Cut three lengths of
2"x4" or similar material to 1/2" shorter than that length.
Holding the form in place using one of the lengths of 2"x4",
push in a shim to make the form stay in position. Use the
next two lengths of 2"x4" and shim to make everything
secure.
Photos 9.1-9.3 show different ways of supporting the last
few chains.
9.1 A removable form inside the oven.
9.2 A ball as a form
9.3 No forms (this is difficult)
Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served.
Ver. 2.0
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