Building a brick arch

imported_bobthebuilder

Anyone know what needs to be done when building a brick arch over a gate what type of reinforcement is required etc

jake

You shoud need no reinforcement
Discribe what type of arch you are building
Jake

MgMopar

Hi jake

Would a temporary form need to be in place to set the shape up? Are there rules (or rule of tumb) that should be followed for radius and brick size. I am just curious I have never tried this type in brick laying but have though about building an outdoor brick oven with an arched opening.

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Mgmopar

jake

Yes to the first question

When you have marked out the arch you'l have to place the bricks around the the radius to see how many bricks you need and size of the joints
Also when you start constructing the arch, meet in the middle, so that if you are out a little you cut the last brick to fit in
As with the form work you mount the form on some say some timber frames either side and place wedges under the form and on top of the supporting framework, so thet when you have built the brickwork over the formwork you then slowly pull the wedges apart so that the form moves down about an inch or so and then gentlely tap and press the 'green' brickwork down against the form, then cover with plastic sheet, leave until cement sets' after gentlely remove the supporting frames and formwork and point brickwork.
If you want you could practice using sand/lime build it and knock it down a few times till you get the hang of it.

I have never built an oven, but I would guess you would use an earth mound (with the correct radius) build in a similar way to the arch, and when you finnished the br/wk you would gentlely compress it leave until next day then remove earth and tidy up the br/wk
Hope that helps
Regards
jake

MgMopar

Thanks, Jake

I would say you explained that well. If I ever get to the point were I ready to try the oven project. I would most defiantly give the arch a try. Doesn't sound too hard.

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Mgmopar

jake

When you do build this oven try and get some more info on types of mortar.
I'm guessing you wold use a lime mortar rather than cement.
There is also a British website that deals with period properties the contributers Know quite a bit about
'ye olde wayes'of construction.(Forum)

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/index.shtml

There is a Welsh website that has removed old properties some being donated from around Wales
(some were in danger of being of being demolished and lost forever)
The Museum of Welsh Life.

http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/www.php/mwl/

For lime mortars etc.
http://www.womersleys.co.uk/techguides.htm

http://www.oldhousestore.co.uk/index_fs.shtml

Building and Using a Medieval-Style Hemispherical Bake Oven,
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/ovenpics.html

That all I know for now let me know if you need any other info
Regards
Jake

MgMopar

Thanks Jake

I found a few links that show more the style I am thinking of.


http://mha-net.org/msb/html/bakeoven.htm

This link shows the curved forum for the arch being used.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_o...384328,00.html


Another future project. I have a few ahead of it. So it will be a while but when to time comes I believe I have enough resources. and if I have any questions I know where to go.

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Mgmopar

jake

Ah! I see.
Major,Major big oven,
We are to backward over here
We are just getting use to BBQ's.

(before anyone gets uptight 'it's a joke')

Regards
jake