mel jacobson on thu 14 jul 05
there are some very standard building rules
that apply to kilns and houses.
firm foundation.
drainage.
siting.
and then about ten others great rules.
and...
a well drained, firm piece of land will
accept a kiln, or a house.
houses:
concrete blocks are placed on a concrete
footing, laid on earth. or the entire foundation
is poured concrete..and in some states...treated lumber.
you always have to start with earth...just a fact.
our system for kilns is as follows.
packed earth, sand base. (add some sand if necessary, it will
pay off later.)
a slab of at least 5 inches...flat as a pancake.
no drainage slope. you cannot build a square, plumb
kiln on a slanted foundation. you slope the ground away
from the kiln...not the foundation.
add the concrete blocks to fit the height of the potter.
(if you are four foot two....you do not want the kiln door
at six feet three. it is more critical for women with large
breasts to have a kiln that does not scrape your front. measure
yourself to fit the kiln. men and women both. how will it feel to load that
kiln? those are realities. they should be considered. that is
what good planning does in building a kiln...consider who will load,
how strong you are, how far will you reach out with a kiln shelf
held in two hands. like wheels, one size does not fit all. each
kiln should be made to fit the potter using it. often people follow
a plan that was made for a six foot three, three hundred pound potter
with huge muscles. for that small person, light in frame....it is a disaster.
we have found that using a base of expanded metal on top of the
block gives a perfect, long lasting base for brick, that lifts the kiln
off the concrete. it adds a perfect breathing height. (why have
a kiln that breathes on five sides, then trap the air at the bottom
by placing it on a concrete base?) does not make sense. we put
expanded metal under our new wood fired kiln at the farm. works well.
then build the kiln flat, level, plumb and true.
add the stack, cover the kiln with a metal roofed shed.
done.
every dollar you scrimp and save and hold back will come back
and bite you in the butt later.
do it right the first time. invest in yourself and your art/craft.
it is like the woman at the university...grad student painting.
`why do you use that cheap paper to paint on...it does not
suit your fine painting`.
`canvas is too expensive...and i don't want to lay out all that money.`
cheap person.
she drove a bmw, had a diamond the size of a walnut and had
shoes that cost 100 bucks.
i said.
`you sure don't give a damn about your art, care enough to
buy what you need to be a real artist...you are playing with
your art. why don't you sell your diamond and buy some real
art materials.` that was my critique of her work.
she told me to `go and f... yourself.`
not nice to say that.
if you are going to spend the time and money to build a
fuel kiln on your property, think of it as building a new house.
pay the price...get it right and then make great that will pay
for everything.
mel
from mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
http://home.comcast.net/~figglywig/clayart.htm
for gail's year book.
Overall's on fri 15 jul 05
Mel,
I saw your post on this topic and it is timely.
I've got two kilns
a bell tower cone 10 olympic 7cuft.
and another 7cuft electric I'll convert to natural gas
I'd like to make a pad to put them on
instead of concrete
5' x 16' x 6"
Houston gumbo soil
shifts constantly
pretreated 4x4 posts framework perimeter
and bottom spaced apart
first layer on top of dirt and posts gravel 4" level with posts?
second layer 2"x8"x16" bricks
third layer cinder blocks
fourth layer more 2" bricks or cement board
kilns ... gas hook up...wheeeeee!
a metal lean to type all around with eaves
at least 8' to roof
with corregated metal sheets on sides
but short of roof and flooring for air circulation
thoughts?
Kim Overall
http://www.houstonpotters.com
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