Reclaimed wood use.

(disclaimer - Like most people I have too big of a carbon footprint, and I am a consumer.  I do strive to consume less and have a smaller foot print.)

At work we buy fiber cables on spools.  the spools are made of wood.  Other heavy items are shipped on wood pallets.  Before someone uses them as firewood I try to claim them for rough useage.

Geoffrey taking a pallet apart.  part of a spool set aside for some use.

Pallet was used for paneling on the metal door frame.

Later it was painted with (ahem) oil paint.  Since then I have some experience with lime and clay paints.  Next time.

Pizza Oven

A wood fired pizza oven has been on the 'agenda' for some years.  I don't know what I am doing (what's new) so I was hoping to know more first but time is running out (daughter last year at home).

I hope to try a few features:

• insulation with old olive oil bottles, Amarula bottles, etc
• Some insulation with sawdust in clay
• heated up with rocket stove 
• oven sitting on a groined brick vault
• possible a timbrel groined vault over the oven.
• Later i will also use for baking pottery.

The base is 160 x 180 cm.  I plan diameter of the dome oven to be 100cm.  the rest is 12cm dome, 10cm insulation , 7 cm protective dome.  Some space on the hearth side.

Dickson has trained half dozen masons doing the primary school project in Dar.

 The cross vault completed.  Note re bar coming up in corners for the pillars

Columns completed.

Used under fired bricks for vault, and over fired elsewhere.  both are not normally sell able.

Family thought the lower part is the oven.

re bar around the outside in the joint.

re bar extends out of pillars.

Now to level the top of vault.  draw the base circle .  build insulation layer in circle, layer of smooth bricks,  and so on.

Brick Kiln earth plaster roof

The kiln went through a firing with the earth plaster roof and there was no additional cracking.

The lime wash has held up but no big rain yet.

The wood doors doesnt work.  So you have to brick up the doors on the ends.

Vaults to die for

These are extreme vaults.  One has to spend a lifetime learning and implementing.  I can dream though.

My friend Gaidi is traveling the world and knows I like masonry vaulted roofs.

Let me know if you want more.