Grilling Pit/Outdoor Oven project

[Mooseherder]

Nothing venturied, nothing gained. ;D
This Burner venturi that is.  I was willing to sacrifice it and attempt using for the Oven.
Yup, cut a perfectly good unit so please don't tell me I shouldn't have done that. :D
The burner will be inside the oven and the part with the oxygen adjuster will be on the back out of the oven.  The unit will sit on the oven floor.  I need to put an elbow on the burner end, drop a pipe 10 inches, then put another elbow and come out the back 10 inches.  Can the walls of this cast be threaded on the outside at a machine shop?
The DanG walls of the venturi aren't all that thick. :



 

[D L Bahler]

You using standard portland cement mortar, refractory mortar?

[Mooseherder]

I picked up the second bag of refractory mortar yesterday, then cut bricks and had time to do half the course before the Mosquitos and light got me.
They had a different brand and it was sixty dollars instead of 77.
The refractory mortar is nice to work with and is supposed to be able to withstand 2 thousand degrees.  Regular mortar is somewhere around 5 hundred degrees.  My batches are getting larger as I get more confident with application.
Waste has to be kept to a minimum at those prices.

[WildDog]

Great work, very professional looking. With the pit and oven you will never want to cook inside again. 

[Mooseherder]

I'm going to cut these steel bars and set them in the next curve in case we want to cook some of Magicman's Drum chicken in there.  ;)
If they aren't used they'll be high enough and out of the way so no harm done.
These had been intended for use in the grill pit but I think they'll work better in here.  I have to form the archway door soon keeping the chimney just beyond that and cut another couple courses to see where it ends up.
I'm trying to end in the center with a brick that is wedged on both sides.
I usually say "caulking" to hide all imperfections on my trim jobs but this time the word is  "Mortar".  :D


 

[beenthere]

Coming along nice. Keep up the good work.

Anxious to see it fired up....whenever.

[WDH]

Looking stout!

[Magicman]

I'm going to cut these steel bars and set them in the next curve in case we want to cook some of Magicman's Drum chicken in there. 

If When you do smoke chicken, etc. in your oven, you will need something air tight to cover the chimney top.  It needs to seal well so that you can open it slightly, maybe an inch, to control the heat.  We use plywood, but a sheet of ¼" steel plate would work very nicely.  Take care when you cap the top off and get it flat and smooth.

Failure to do this will put you in serious competition with me for being the "Chickin Crispin" expert.  You have seen the picture.   

[Mooseherder]

I set the bars in front to back instead of left to right when I got home tonight along with a batch of bricks.  One on each side of the doorway and you'll only see them if you know they are there.   I'll be able to get the hooks closer or further from the fire this way and hope it will be easier to use.  I drilled a lil' point hole in the back wall for the tip and notched and mortared a brick to hold them in next to the front door.  Pictures tomorrow.
I've got a couple ideas to seal it all up for chicken.

[Magicman]

That front/back idea is smart for sure.  It will allow for much easier hooking/unhooking.  I used SS TIG welding wire for my hooks.

[Mooseherder]

This is where things ended up on top. The opening was too big for one brick so I went from the back towards the front starting a row on each side.  I'll be working on different courses now tieing them all in.


 

And this is where the second bag of mortar got me to.  Looks like I'll be needing a few more bricks also.
I had it right on but have had a few miscuts and whack jobs with all this chiseling.
It is a lot slower going now.  Each batch of mortar is doing 5-6 half bricks, then cleanup before moving on.
The top brick wedge is being cut from a whole brick.  The other cuts were yielding two usable pieces.
Back to the store on Monday. :D
 


  

  

 

[WDH]

You would have done fine in the early Roman days  :D.  Pretty soon, that thing will be cooking  ;D.

[LeeB]

So, you're telling us you're a few bricks shy of a load?  :D Looking good. I know you're almost done now, but couldn't you have used a diamond blade in a skil saw?

[Mooseherder]

Yup, I'm short a few bricks. :D
A wet saw would be nice but I didn't want to buy one.  Renting one over a period of a couple weeks wouldn't work either.  Using a skil saw would require clamping the brick down to a work table to make it safe.  Actually cutting the brick is not too bad, I'm enjoying that part.  Cleaning up the mortar on the brick faces after each batch is the most time consuming.

[Mooseherder]

Monday night's work of 5 bricks didn't hold on to cure with some heavy rains after I had finished.  I suspected that was going to happen and placed some towels inside the oven to protect to base.
They were on the oven floor the next morning.
Tuesday night it was raining all night so I decided to make these two boxes that served as a jig and holder.
I got to the front of the oven on the last curved course and let it cure a bunch longer than usual before cleaning up underneath.  I put the jig back before working on cleaning the top and feel better about the whole deal today.  Yesterday was a confidence shaker.
This was the setup before working on it tonight.  It is made with scraps and swivels to let me adjust the height.


 

I will feel a whole bunch better after the front is tied in to the arch.  Hopefully tomorrow.
Here is how it sits right now.  I got 14 pieces installed. 8)



 

[Raider Bill]

Glenn,

I'm looking forward to the christening party!

I sent you and a few others I have email address for a power point showing many different ways they grill and smoke around the world this morning. Quite interesting the ingenuity. If anyone else want to see them send me a PM with your email address.

[Mooseherder]

If you come for the christening I'll rent a Harley for the weekend.

[Mooseherder]

Been working on the oven most nights for a couple hours and dedicated all of Saturday to get the front and chimney up.  There some details that need done.  I just don't know what that is yet. :D
I'll wait some for cure time before heating it up but will have a small fire in there tomorrow.
I'm anxious to see what draw the chimney has. ???



  



 

Looks like the 2x6 on the pavilion is level also. ;D



 

[Magicman]

Looking good.  Our fireplace masons just build a newspaper fire to test the draw.  It makes smoke with no heat.  Really they are not testing it for themselves, they are just showing the homeowner that it will draw properly.

[Mooseherder]

That is a good idea.  This is where 225 bricks gets you to. 
If it draws good this project is almost over except for the eating.
Time to find a Pizza Peel.

[thecfarm]

WOW!! That looks good. You just about killed my poor dial up,but it was worth the wait.  ;D I would like to eat some thick steaks out of that. Tom would too I bet

[Mooseherder]

If you come down, I promise to cook you some Big Honking Steaks.

[thecfarm]

I forgot,would be quicker if I came UP to see you.  :D  Did you buy the wheel kit option?

[Mooseherder]

The offer stands up there also. :D
I got a sweet grill at the cabin that cooks nicely.

[isawlogs]

 Glenn, that sure looks good  8) 8)   So how far off to the east are you from me ????