Row 25

It has taken awhile to get this far. Photo on the left is the back wall with part of the left side wall. That is a fluorescent green, 4-foot long level resting on the back wall.
Photo on the right is 4" angle iron (L-shaped) that has bricks set on the iron.
Back 2 blogs, on Sunday, October 4, I posted a photo similar to the one on the right above, but without the angle iron. The photo from Oct 4 also showed a sample of skewback brick which is cut at an angle. The skewback bricks, cut at an angle, will also have to have a notch cut into them to set on the angle iron. It doesn't show in the photo, but the 4" angle iron is holding the 2.25" side of the brick. Therefore over 1" of angle iron sticks out - this is the brown strip seen below the vertical side wall bricks.

The edges of the angle iron had to be ground smooth, I got a sliver in my thumb right away.
Then they were lifted onto the side wall - they were so-o heavy!
Each brick that is sitting on the angle iron had to have one edge ground down. Because the bricks have sharp corners, and the angle iron has a rounded corner.

Howard says I want to make a wooden box to put a brick into so I can cut the skewback angle the same for all 36 bricks that will be used. Makes sense to me. Sounds like the best way to get the exact same cut on each brick.

The top row on the back wall is not yet mortared. I'm checking to see if I set the arch up to the already mortared back wall, or I brick up the back wall to the already set arch.
I'm thinking the former is the best idea: mortar the back wall, then set the arch against the wall.
I'm planning on mortaring the front wall to fit against the already set arch. Seems that the bricks have the best chance of fitting snuggest that way.
Hard to think of bricks being snug, but the word seemed to fit.
One more day at the winery, then Howard comes over on Saturday with the first installment of angle iron.
I'm excited. There will be big changes to see then.