my homemade 2x8 arch

[markct]

well heres some pics of my airtight homemade arch, its still just the basic body tacked up with the door frame in place, the doorframe is all tubular steel so i can run forced air thru it to keep it cool and supply air to the nozzles above the door pointing down at an angle to hopefully burn more of the unburned gasses for a hot and clean fire. the bottom of the firebox will be about 6 inches off the floor once all the legs are on it and the angle iron frame and all, since my sugarhouse has a wooden floor this should help and also make it easier to load wood into

[Sugarmaker]

markct,
Nice fab job. I like that kind of stuff! I worked in structural steel for a couple of years. My neighbor is going to make a brick arch for a 2 x 6 set of pans. I think there was a brick arch shown some where on the trader. If some one finds the thread or post let me know.

Chris

[markct]

thanks sugarmaker, i copied the basic shape and length for the arch from the rusted out arch that was with the pans originaly, its basicly the same shape just the difference is rather than making the sides taper in towards the bottom i made them straight so i will have a bigger firebox area. also since i am using forced draft i made the ash pit only about 8 inches deep rather than the 10 that it was originaly and there is no ash cleanout door in the front. im still not sure what kinda grates i should make, i see some that look like angle iron upside down and then others that are just a series of like half inch holes all over them

[Haynes Forest Products]

Nice MM185 What cant you do with it. Arch looks vice. Dont forget to put levelers on all the legs.

[Uncle Tucker]

I think you should use fire bricks with holes in them. From what I hear is that they last longer. Just drill 3/4 “ holes through them and set them in angle iron.

[peacemaker]

i made a set of the angle iron grates i just used a old bed frame (i use them alot there fairly easy to find for free ) the trick to the angle iron ones are fill them with sand or ash i used the sand this year and they stayed nice and straight even when they where glowing ...

[markct]

heres a few more pics, still gota make the grates and brick it. i am planning to do the back part with ceramic blanket and then brick the front part and was considering putting the hard insulation board behind it, how do ya install this stuff, is it glued into the arch then the bricks cemented onto it?

[peacemaker]

i kust put my arch board in with a good pressure fit and let the bricks hold them in ... last year i just put the arch board under my back pan and worked well but i think if u brick over it u get that radiant heat from the bricks as well the nice thing about the arch board is u can use the thin bricks which are cheaper ... the one thing to remember about the arch board is it can hold the heat but wont take any abuse
...

and one thing a friend said that i may try and wondering if anyone has is lava rocks under the back pan ... my only worries is them popping and puncturing the flues or atleast denting

[markct]

so your bricks are just stacked up dry i pictured they would fall in if bumped? but maybe not. no adhesive on the back or anything? or fire cement between them?

[peacemaker]

well if u dont plan on moving it soon u can refratory cement the bricks in

[tuckermtn]

i did not use anything to glue or hold the arch board in place...but did use refactory cement to hold the bricks in...occasionally have to reinstall a brick (about once a season) but other than that it seems to be working...