Jeremy's fire pit II
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
We finished Jeremy’s fire pit today. Scott finished the internal structure of the pit, a tricky mix of fire brick, stone and negative space last week. The face of the fire pit is approximately one foot thick, a squat dry stack wall that ties into the rounded sides of the pit.
The first time we laid a mammoth hearthstone into place, it was clear that we needed more control over the final level of all the different materials being used: stone, fire brick and coarse gravel. We added a layer of smooth pea gravel to do a fine tune leveling.
The final assembly was a team effort, representative of the whole project. Ian controlled the skid-steer loader with a deft touch, in the confined quarters of the courtyard. We set each hearthstone down on several stacks of scrap lumber. Rock bars and careful leverage allowed us to remove the wood one piece at a time, effectively lowering the big slabs right into place. Happily, the middle seam cuts were square and the inside arch shapes were symmetrical. Minimal wiggling and shimming locked it all together. Very, very satisfying.
We dressed the inside edge of the hearthstones with chisels and the grinder. Late today, we completed the semi-circular back-splash wall and graded the yard with fifteen tons of delightful mud.
