Dry fitting allows checking the firebox brick layout before starting masonry. It is not an automatic confirmation that the finished firebox can work without mortar. Its purpose is to compare dimensions, cuts, and joint locations with the approved design.
Check the actual brick size
Lay out several Vitcas firebricks on a level surface. Compare the nominal dimensions with the provided elements and take the designed joint into account. The outline alone, arranged without gaps, may not correspond to the width of the finished wall.
Check the corners, openings, and equipment support. If you are adding a grate or doors, fit them together with the bricks. The dimensions of the device affect the layout, so changing the model after preparing the cuts may require repeating the entire fitting process.
Number the elements that require cutting
Mark the direction and location of each cut. In arches used, for example, at the entrance, check the profile of Vitcas arch firebricks for the specific curvature. The number of elements in a single sample arch does not determine all possible openings.
Small end fragments should retain the required support. Before changing the course of the joints, check the impact on adjacent rows. Take a photo of the layout and make a simple sketch with numbers so that after preparing the mortar, the established arrangement can be reproduced.
Allow for the conditions of the finished masonry
Select Outdoor Oven Cement for the specified exterior refractory joints. The drawing and the current data sheet should match in terms of the type of connection and brick preparation. Do not correct every spacing error by uncontrolled thickening of the mortar.
Separate the number of bricks in the finished structure from the material needed for cuts and justified spare allowance. Also mark the parts that will be removed. Such a record facilitates ordering and later repairs when the actual location of the element is more important than the brick name in the catalog.