Hey all,
Figured it was time to finally share my build as i wrote about in my (lengthy) introduction. Do note that it is still very much a work in progress, and what follows will also reflect that.
For starters, i wanted a build where i could (and can) allow myself to make lots of mistakes without ruining the materials i have used. So several things in the build could have been done differently, but would have tampered with that specific priority of mine: The ability to rebuild if needed.
I started off with the simplest part of the build: The size. Since everything i do is indoors - living in an apartment - space is my number one limitation. I ended up buying 4.4 x 4.4 x 300 cm rafters, and making a box frame with them in sort-of pallet measurements:
The frame measures 120 x 120 x 60 cm, which is pretty much the maximum space i had available for the build.
You may notice that i have used angle brackets for all of the corners. Yet again, this is to be able to rebuild it if needed rather than making permanent joins.
Originally i wanted to make the frame out of insulation boards, but after WAY too much researching on their different insulation values, how much heat they could tolerate, water/humidity tolerances and what not, not to mention the prices which were way too high for my tastes, i ended up on a wooden frame.
Since i ended up on a frame, i needed some kind of inner and outer boards/plates. For a long time i thought i was going to use plywood, but since getting that here at a decent price meant buying them in very large sizes, i had to give up on that idea. The reason being that i do not have a car, and even cutting them to size by hand whereever i would have bought them would have meant a very tough time transporting it back home by public transportation.
So i ended up on masonite instead. I could get that pretty darn cheap and get it cut to size. Transporting it back home on foot/public transportation was still quite a challenge though:
Sorry for the blurry image. We had a heat wave just days before i went to pick up the boards, but the day i had time the forces that be decided it was time for rain........
So i had to get a little creative at the store, and ended up with what you see above. Yeah, far from ideal, but it got the job done.
With the masonite safely home, and with minimal damage from the rain, it was time to get back to work:
After attaching the outer side boards, i could also attach the wheels i had bought for the project. In hindsight i am SO glad i did that, as it has made both building the kiln and handling it in general so much easier.
Time to make the door!
The door is just another square frame with 2 pieces of 120 x 120 cm masonite on each side and insulation in between:
Although i would have preferred to use rock wool, i ended up on glass wool. Their insulation properties are about the same, but the glass wool was way cheaper, and the largest downside for choosing glass wool was me itching like h*** while working with it - even wearing gloves and being careful.
With the door prepared and setting it aside for now, it was time for the inner boards of the kiln. To attach them securely, i needed battens (i hope thats the right word) on each side. But once again, buying those ready made would cost a fortune. I didn't need them to be pretty either, so i ended up cutting them from single-use pallets:
After attaching these to all inside planes, i could add the glass wool:
I knew that i would be needing support for leaf hangers on the sides, so before attaching the masonite on the inside, i modified the side boards with some simple cutoffs:
Knowing exactly where these are on the insulation side provides me with the attachment stability the masonite itself can't offer.
Time to add the inner masonite:
--- continued in post 2 ---
Figured it was time to finally share my build as i wrote about in my (lengthy) introduction. Do note that it is still very much a work in progress, and what follows will also reflect that.
For starters, i wanted a build where i could (and can) allow myself to make lots of mistakes without ruining the materials i have used. So several things in the build could have been done differently, but would have tampered with that specific priority of mine: The ability to rebuild if needed.
I started off with the simplest part of the build: The size. Since everything i do is indoors - living in an apartment - space is my number one limitation. I ended up buying 4.4 x 4.4 x 300 cm rafters, and making a box frame with them in sort-of pallet measurements:
The frame measures 120 x 120 x 60 cm, which is pretty much the maximum space i had available for the build.
You may notice that i have used angle brackets for all of the corners. Yet again, this is to be able to rebuild it if needed rather than making permanent joins.
Originally i wanted to make the frame out of insulation boards, but after WAY too much researching on their different insulation values, how much heat they could tolerate, water/humidity tolerances and what not, not to mention the prices which were way too high for my tastes, i ended up on a wooden frame.
Since i ended up on a frame, i needed some kind of inner and outer boards/plates. For a long time i thought i was going to use plywood, but since getting that here at a decent price meant buying them in very large sizes, i had to give up on that idea. The reason being that i do not have a car, and even cutting them to size by hand whereever i would have bought them would have meant a very tough time transporting it back home by public transportation.
So i ended up on masonite instead. I could get that pretty darn cheap and get it cut to size. Transporting it back home on foot/public transportation was still quite a challenge though:
Sorry for the blurry image. We had a heat wave just days before i went to pick up the boards, but the day i had time the forces that be decided it was time for rain........
So i had to get a little creative at the store, and ended up with what you see above. Yeah, far from ideal, but it got the job done.
With the masonite safely home, and with minimal damage from the rain, it was time to get back to work:
After attaching the outer side boards, i could also attach the wheels i had bought for the project. In hindsight i am SO glad i did that, as it has made both building the kiln and handling it in general so much easier.
Time to make the door!
The door is just another square frame with 2 pieces of 120 x 120 cm masonite on each side and insulation in between:
Although i would have preferred to use rock wool, i ended up on glass wool. Their insulation properties are about the same, but the glass wool was way cheaper, and the largest downside for choosing glass wool was me itching like h*** while working with it - even wearing gloves and being careful.
With the door prepared and setting it aside for now, it was time for the inner boards of the kiln. To attach them securely, i needed battens (i hope thats the right word) on each side. But once again, buying those ready made would cost a fortune. I didn't need them to be pretty either, so i ended up cutting them from single-use pallets:
After attaching these to all inside planes, i could add the glass wool:
I knew that i would be needing support for leaf hangers on the sides, so before attaching the masonite on the inside, i modified the side boards with some simple cutoffs:
Knowing exactly where these are on the insulation side provides me with the attachment stability the masonite itself can't offer.
Time to add the inner masonite:
--- continued in post 2 ---
