I just let my lid slam down which I'm really kicking myself for doing.

Fortunately it's only a little test kiln so the lid doesn't have that much span. There's some thin cracks in the middle now but no chunks falling out yet. I figure I still have a bunch of firing to go before things start falling apart.

Given that it's a little lid, I'm thinking about building another when this one gets closer to falling apart.

Has anyone ever made an extra thick lid by turning their bricks sideways before bonding them together? If I'm going to eventually go through the trouble of cementing bricks together then cutting out a hexagonal shape, I might as well consider making an extra thick lid with really great insulating properties.

Are firebrick sides different than their faces?