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Pizza oven design.help???????????

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:06 pm
by mark gadd
I've been harbering a desire to build a pizza/bread oven for a while and would welcome any input.
Thoughts so far:

For the base I've rescued some old thick concrete flags so the concrete should be really hard.

Do you cast a concrete shell with added LIME or build in brick.

Anyone tried to do this?

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:36 pm
by saucisson
Give me a few minutes and I'll find you the details you require :)

More seriously, I have a link somewhere I can find and a couple of books that I looked into getting that you can get cheaply off amazon/ebay. I'll post them when we get the kids to bed.

Dave

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:07 pm
by aris

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:53 pm
by Reaper

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:58 pm
by mark gadd
Cheers Mitch.
I'll take a gander.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:59 pm
by saucisson
Aris, that was the link I was going to post, I'd forgotten I picked it up from you in the first place :oops:

I'll get the books I mentioned up and I'll follow Reapers links too.

Dave

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:28 pm
by mark gadd
Had a look at Aris's site it looks easy.Can you put clay in a cement mixer?.Only kidding.
Look at it I think changing the clay for a limestone dust/ cement /lime mix like you used to use in chimneys may work.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:40 pm
by pokerpete
How about firebricks to start with, plus a fireclay cement. Nothing new about that system.
Jeez, how do think that fireplaces in the home were constructed, plus the bakers oven.
I give up.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:16 pm
by Paul Kribs
You need to use lime in the mortar mix for any parts that get hot. Lime stops the mortar from cracking under heat. The heavy duty concrete blocks are good for the base, and fire bricks for the inner chamber. Again, lime in the mix. Ordinary bricks are OK to dress the outside, no lime needed, as you will have a double wall with a small gap between..

Regards, Paul Kribs

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:26 am
by Simon S
I have been considering a similar project and this book has some useful info

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Wood-f ... F8&s=books

Simon

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:35 am
by dougal
I don't have Tom Jaine's oven book, but I do have "The Bread Builders" which I'd whole-heartedly recommend to anyone considering such a project,
I bought it for the sourdough half, but the oven half looks pretty serious.
Not cheap, so maybe one to ask the library about first of all...

I gather that making a "mud", "clay" or "adobe" oven can be very successful and much cheaper... (some more things for you to Google and amazon-research!)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:27 am
by saucisson
The book I have is the same as Simon S has posted. I have another on clay ovens but it has little to add over the link aris posted.

Dave

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:29 pm
by mark gadd
Hi I rang the one of the builders merchants I've an account with and fireclay brick are �2.82 inc at a guess there was around 140 in the one Brian built.Jeez I better start saving.
On the other hand Mossesrocket's looks pretty cool.

Mark :roll:

oven materials

PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 4:17 pm
by beardedwonder5
Try major pottery suppliers for firebricks. For the lining you don't want insulating bricks. They don't radiate heat. For the floor you might try kiln shelves. (?Acme Marls?)

The best pizzas are (IMHO) baked in an oven brought up to high heat with a hardwood fire. Important this - and I think against EU regs - the coals and some smoking wood are then swept around the edges of the oven floor. A pizza should cook in five minutes or under. Nice hint of hardwood smoke.

Unfortunately not for a smokefree zone - nor for one pizza at a go

PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:18 pm
by aris
If you're really keen on a wood oven, check out these forums:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/

Here is a blog of a chap in the UK who made one on the cheap. Very informative:

http://fornoeconomico.blogspot.com/

He did a spectacular job - his DIY skills are far higher than mine!