At 01:53 PM 1/29/2006 -0500, you wrote: Dear Norbert, Hope you're ready to sit back and see a long journey of pictures and details about the building of our brick-oven.: You certainly remember this moment, in Binghamton. The master being watched closely by a new pupil. The very first picture of the project. It took a good time to take it out from the truck. Observer that we do not miss hardwood in our backyard for the next few years and still the trees do not stop to fall... The bottom end being set. Here the first mistake: the metal lath supplied (because I didn't read the instructions on the finishing at this stage) I used underneath the bottom. It was good to close the ash hole from the original fireplace but the wrong spot. Her I suggest that you could make a attached packing list explaining every item in which phase it will be used. By the connecting channel I recycled old 1/2 firebricks from the old fire-place due to the fact that they were the exact size avoiding cuts. I suspected a LOT of cuts would still be on my way for the next weeks... Platform ready to receive firebox's floor; please observe the detail of drilling holes to receive the water lines for the heating coil. Firebox in mode B; note the rehearsal for the flute connection on right. Also the liner and the firebox's base is incorporated into one block with a final opening of approx 8x8'. The fourth wall of supporting the flute is done by a aluminum edge; the inside side has the flute's contour. The two screws you see go into a steel plate (about the same size) with threat, acting as a big washer and nut at the same time. The 8x8" flute on right is the oil fired boiler's. After two weeks of burning wood with no observations to make about the functionality of the stove, I'm convinced that the bypass hole between the channel and the flute was a key detail to "teach" the smoke where to go to. Here is the 1 3/4" hole in the side middle channel to be tuned with the one in the flute. Because I worked basically alone, I had to come up with a solution to bring this cast oven to its place and then fine tune its position on to. Observe in the firebox chamber a 4x4 wood (which is on top of another jack) to secure that the oven's floor would not crack with the increment of weight in the center. Observe that the oven is not touching the two supplied brick halfs. This way allowed to go very smooth down to its final address. Core is ready to be wrapped by fiber-glass so project can go ahead. Small detail for the air inlet ramps (left over from your Pict # 25) Start to see how the uneven bent heat coil could best fit. On left, the total length of the drill to go trough all bricks and basement slab. Making the flange for the connecting flexible copper pipe. Next step would be hooking up the connection on the open water loop and check for leaks. With that OK, liner proceeded upwards... Not much to add but you can see how the coil is not parallel to the wall because the bending were made with different angles and it hurts the eye but after the door is closed and the fire is on, nobody sees it, haha. Direct contact between mortar and copper was avoided. Not much to add here. Coil exit almost covered by the liner. Observe the insulation between chimneys. Because I couldn't find the right tool, I used this little device. The coil's support on the left was matched on the right. Detail on the 1/2 brick supporting the coil on its half way follows: The fire door's lintel is made by an 1 1/2 x 1 1/2" steel. The bricks received a central cut and they could "ride" along it. Let's move forward to the oven's arch: here you can see the model I made to mimic the door's contour. gap Observe that the only thing holding this in place is composed by 6 firebricks in the rear. On each side of the oven, I made a wall of halfs. I started in the center cutting a shim like peace of brick to insert in between every brick. The little peaces you see (some are under the model) are to "fill" the gap between the red brick and the bottom of the oven's door. Some progress has been made the next day... and by the next day... Ready to start with the bricks only around the flutes. and going up in the back as well. The original wall here, behind the Sheetrock, was made with cinder-blocks; I knocked it down. This is the master bedroom's side. The woody wall was one of the first projects I did in the house, after the kitchen. Detail of the damper's slot with steel bars on top. Until this point, all flutes and mason were tested for leak with ultrasound. From her to the stainless chimney was no sense no more. After six weeks, Christmas & New year included, almost done... On the left side you see a recessed area to keep my milk warm. The vertical halfs are just as a support; they were later removed. The fourth chimney wall on top was made with an extra strong lintel (is was recycled from the fire-place's top front mouth. The doors from the oven and firebox were removed in order to allow me to install them by myself. Two white Greek tiles were recessed in the bricks to justify the Kachelofen name.. I used a air-duct adapter, corrupted to have a mouth of 8.5x13 to round 8". I figured that I would not be able to perform this contour by free hand as your pictures showed. So I recessed it into the mortar and bricks on the attic and on top of which came the mason adapter. Be well & keep in touch. Uwe