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Roman Furnace Project 2006: Construction Phase

Introduction ('Home')   Construction Phase   General Photographs   Pot Furnace Repair Photographs

Pot Furnace Marver Photographs   Small Furnace Construction   Lehr Construction Photographs


The construction phase for the small furnace has been divided into four sections

Superstructure Construction Photographs   Marver Photographs

Pot Setting Photographs   Trench and Wiring Photographs


This first set of photographs shows the cleaned fire pit ready for the new superstructure. For more photographs of this stage, see the photographs near the end of this page, recording the demolition of the small furnace.

The two piles of bags of daub are for the small furnace and the annealing oven. Each superstructure used an equal amount of daub, 36 bags each, with each bag weighing between 20 and 30kg.

The close ups of the walls show the baked and burnt daub, tiles and stone behind the thin covering of daub, which has been removed. Several of the tiles and stones are blue-black, a colour caused by the reducing atmosphere acting on the iron oxide in the materials.

1. The cleaned fire chamber ready for the rebuild. 2. The cleaned fire chamber ready for the rebuild.
3. The two piles of daub. 4. The two piles of daub.
5. Close up of the wall of the fire chamber. 6. Close up of the wall of the fire chamber.
7. Close up of the wall of the fire chamber. 8. Close up of the wall of the fire chamber.


The second set of photographs shows the first 30cm or so of the build, including the stoke hole entrance. The daub has been added by the handful and the walls have been smoothed by smearing a damper daub on the inside and outside.

9. The start of the build. 10. Close up of the junction of the fire chamber wall and the new daub wall.
11. The start of the build. 12. The start of the build.
13. Building the arch for the stoke hole. 14. The finished arch for the stoke hole.


These photographs show the tile fragments being set into the wall, followed by the shelves, which have been formed by progressively widening the wall and shaping the result. The tile fragments will eventually support the shelf for the pot (see this page for the pot sequence). The gathering holes and pipe warming holes are the next features to be added.

15. Positioning the tile fragments. 16. Positioning the tile fragments.
17. Fixing the fragments in place with daub. 18. Fixing the fragments in place with daub.
19. Fixing the fragments in place with daub. 20. Using a board to check the alignment of the stoke hole entrance.
21. Continuing the wall upwards and starting the shelves. 22. Continuing the wall upwards and starting the shelves.
23. Building the shelves. 24. Close up showing the tiles in place.
25. Building the shelves. 26. Building the shelves.
27. Building the shelves. 28. Building the shelves.
29. Building the shelves. 30. Smoothing the wall above the gathering hole.


The newspaper separating the domed roof is visible. The roof is built in the same way as the walls, working towards the centre until only a small hole is left at the apex (the 'top hole'). This is very useful as an extra vent during firing.

The short stick in photograph 33 is used to scrape and smooth the walls, in order to create a uniform finish.

The lehr was built in tandem with the small furnace, and it can be seen in photographs 35 and 36. (See this page for the lehr construction photographs.)

31. The walls are virtually finished. 32. Adding the finishing touches to the inside of the walls.
33. The superstructure ready to receive the roof. 34. The nearly finished dome.
35. The nearly finished dome. 36. The nearly finished dome.


The various holes in the roof include the top hole, the small warming hole (with a fired daub plug, re-used from the previous year), and two small tunnels, through which two metal bars can be passed to lift the roof off the walls. The two 'V's are guide points, used when relocating the roof.

37. #. 38. #.
39. #. 40. #.


The last set of photographs show the completed gathering and warming holes. Notice the narrower portion of each shelf. These are only used for resting the collars and stoppers, so do not have to be as wide as the portions in front of the gathering holes.

41. #. 42. #.
43. #. 44. #.
45. #. 46. #.

"If you build it, they will come."

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