Almost done with the base

Today we were lucky enough to have another sunny beautiful day. I'd say 90% of the base is completed.  Our dedicated volunteers finished the dry stack (four high), core fill, and then prepped the area over the ash chamber.  We also hauled a ton of cinder-block up to the worksite.  On a side note, Mike's cement mixer died.  It had served us and about five other brick ovens well, in addition to its prior life mixing cement for something that we are not at liberty to know.

The next step will be making a high-temperature cement pad (made with calcium luminate) on top of our base and regular concrete covering the rest. Then, we transport and unload our high temperature firebrick and start building the cooking chamber.

Here are some shots from this afternoon and this evening.  First, we have the hauling of narrow cinder-block.

Then we finished the top of the base. Specifically the area above the ash chamber was done with wet cement rather than the patio pavers.

Finally it was time for a victory pic.

Note: All volunteers are not pictured. This was the end of the evening, so there were many who were doing the hard stuff all day who went home to eat with their families.