https://community.fornobravo.com/ vBulletin Forums en Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:39:18 GMT vBulletin 60 images/misc/rss.png https://community.fornobravo.com/ https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/good-background-information/newbie-forum/471734-shapes-of-ovens Wed, 24 Jun 2026 22:40:18 GMT Hi all. Due to position and size of my slab, im thinking of doing an elliptical shape oven. 2 possible strategies are a semi ellipse with a front buttress wall and external flue or an ellipse with a vertical slice making up the flat front wall, also with an external flue. pros and cons a d which... Due to position and size of my slab, im thinking of doing an elliptical shape oven. 2 possible strategies are a semi ellipse with a front buttress wall and external flue or an ellipse with a vertical slice making up the flat front wall, also with an external flue.
pros and cons a d which would be the better choice for air flow and cooking?
cheers.]]> Newbie Forum Geezer https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/good-background-information/newbie-forum/471734-shapes-of-ovens https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/good-background-information/introductions/471726-design-question-fire-underneath Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:14:15 GMT i am a retired carpebter/stone mason/farmer in SW WI and am including a sap cooker, grill, pizza oven in a retaining wall. The picture is a similar wall holding stairs. i want a rectangular firebox, under a metal farme holding a grill or sap cooker (18 inches by 36 inches) that also has a steel... i want a rectangular firebox, under a metal farme holding a grill or sap cooker (18 inches by 36 inches) that also has a steel plate grill cover, leading to a chmney that includes the pizza oven.
i would like the fire to be under the cookibg hearth. I envision a hexagonal metal frame, holding firebrick, suspendeed over the shared flame hearth below, with several slots around the outside of the pizza hearth, under a hexagonal dome, leading tothe shared chimmney. i also wonder how folks keep ash off the crust with fire in the dome. whaddya think?]]> Introductions TOM CROFTON https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/good-background-information/introductions/471726-design-question-fire-underneath https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/other-oven-types/471694-70cm-homebrew-pizza-oven-build-manchester-uk Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:05:04 GMT Me and my mate Oscar have taken on the fun (but challenging) task of building a pizza oven. Found this forum not so long ago and it’s been great reading through other people’s builds, so we thought we’d start putting ours up too! We’ve already been introduced to david s and UtahBeehiver from a previous post who’ve been really helpful, and they also pointed us towards Nick J C build which has become a bit of a bible for us recently.


So, where we’re at:

We built the structure out of reclaimed bricks — 11 courses high and 2 bricks wide. Apologies for the bricklaying, repointing is to come! On the top layer we only laid the outer bricks so the concrete slab could sit on a ledge for support. We also added a shelf underneath for wood and pan storage.

Once the concrete had set we poured a perlite/cement mix at a 5:1 ratio to a depth of around 50mm (some areas were a touch deeper). This came approximately 10mm short of the top layer of bricks which gives a nice enclosed effect for the oven.


Planning the dome:

Moving on to what has been the trickiest part. Figuring out the dimensions for the dome, layers, flue gallery and how it all connects. To be honest the depth of layers and dome dimensions were straightforward enough, it was more understanding the flue gallery sizing and how that integrates with the oven correctly.

We’ve settled on a 700mm internal diameter with a 350mm internal height.

For the arch opening we’re going with 390mm width, 220mm height (62% of internal dome height), 170mm height for the edges, and 250mm depth (the length of our firebricks). At the end of the firebrick length we’re adding a 20mm internal lip all the way around the top and sides to act as a door stop, giving us the option of regulating temperature. We’ll have a 150mm flue set 50mm back from the front of the arch. When creating the framework we’ll add an extra 5mm diameter for the flue to allow for expansion, filling in the gaps afterwards.


The mix:

We’ve decided to go with a homebrew refractory mix, which David S recommended at a 3:1:1:0.5 ratio — sharp sand, cement, hydrated lime and fireclay. And Polypropylene fibres too. The fireclay was reduced to 0.5 parts to allow for shrinkage and reduce the chances of shrinking cracking. This will be applied at 50mm depth over a sand mould, shaped to the internal dome dimensions. Once the dome has set enough, (around 24-48 hours), we’ll remove the sand mould and fill any gaps or cracks with the same homebrew mix.


Outer layers:

From the homebrew dome outward our layering will be:

• 50mm Homebrew

• 50mm ceramic blanket

• 50mm vermicrete (vermiculite/cement mix)

• 25mm render

Total depth from inner dome wall to outer render: 175mm


Firebricks:

Yesterday we laid the firebricks which ended up being fairly stressful as our blade blunted mid-cut and being 4:30pm on a Sunday made finding a replacement interesting, but we got there. Really happy with how they’ve come out. We added 100mm onto the internal diameter (50mm all the way around) to give the homebrew mix a ledge to sit on and hold the firebricks in place.


Next up, building the sand mould and getting the dome started. Will keep posting as we go!


Any feedback or opinions would be very much appreciated!

Cheers, Louis and Oscar
​]]> Other Oven Types loumw https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/other-oven-types/471694-70cm-homebrew-pizza-oven-build-manchester-uk https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/pompeii-oven-construction/471590-moisture-intrusion-prevention Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:32:43 GMT This seems to be a recurring discussion topic in many build threads, so I thought I would start an individual discussion topic for it. There are many strategies that seem to be adopted here from drain tiles under the hearth insulation to waterproof barriers on the slab materials. The ultimate...
For my own build in sunny Southern California where I only need to worry about rainfall for a couple months out of the year a tarp may be my best strategy during winter. But I want to incorporate some design features to prevent saturation of the hearth bricks and the underlying vermicrete layer embedded in the slab. I did create five .840" diameter drain holes in the area under the hearth and siliconed some fiberglass drywall tape over the openings to prevent the wasps from setting up house in there. Before I add the fibrous insulation blanket layer I plan to add a ramp of mortar around the dome ~5" wide and 1/2" tall, covered with a waterproof barrier like RedGuard or an asphalt product to help prevent any water collecting on the exposed edges of the flat oven slab from migrating directly into the highly porous sand/fireclay layer under the hearth stones. The stucco layer over the top of everything is the last line of defense and I plan to use a waterproof coating for that. There seem to be quiet a few on the market. Are there any that folks would recommend that can be tinted to provide a nice uniform non-sanded stucco finish kind of like a plaster look? I plan to use the same finish on the CMU structure holding up the oven, bar, and prep counter.

In the area where the stucco interfaces with the chimney stack, if I use a double-walled chimney can I just silicone caulk the stucco to the outer wall for a waterproof joint there?

What other areas of the oven have you all found to be water intrusion risks that may be relevant in a normally dry climate with short bouts of intense rain? The super el nino we are gearing up for may make for some intense storm later this year, so I want to take appropriate precautions.

]]> Pompeii Oven Construction Zimmy https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/pompeii-oven-construction/471590-moisture-intrusion-prevention https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/finding-building-materials/471566-manchester-pizza-oven-build Sun, 14 Jun 2026 10:50:07 GMT Finding Building Materials loumw https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/finding-building-materials/471566-manchester-pizza-oven-build https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/modular-refractory-oven-installation/471526-sealing-the-bottom-of-the-oven-outside Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:40:40 GMT Hello, my Napolino oven sits on a granite slab and there is a little space in between the surface and the oven. When it rains water can get under the oven (obviously I dont know how far it goes in, maybe very little). I am considering sealing the oven all around to close the gap between the oven... Hello, my Napolino oven sits on a granite slab and there is a little space in between the surface and the oven. When it rains water can get under the oven (obviously I dont know how far it goes in, maybe very little). I am considering sealing the oven all around to close the gap between the oven and the surface under. Is there any reason why this would be a bad idea? Forno Bravo Oven Installation lippolippi https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/modular-refractory-oven-installation/471526-sealing-the-bottom-of-the-oven-outside https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/design-styles-chimneys-and-finish/471387-unconventional-oven-build-design-help-needed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:40:11 GMT Design Styles, Chimneys and Finish thebonnefire https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/design-styles-chimneys-and-finish/471387-unconventional-oven-build-design-help-needed https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/other-oven-types/471383-unconventional-oven-build-design-help-needed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:40:11 GMT
This is all currently dry stacked. The octo shaped pavers are fire rated and can play into thermal mass I hope. Yellow bricks are fire bricks. Planning on doing door and roof with kiln shelves? Then over insulate the thing, then wire/mortar the outside maybe tile? What advice do you all have ]]> Other Oven Types thebonnefire https://community.fornobravo.com/forum/pizza-oven-design-and-installation/other-oven-types/471383-unconventional-oven-build-design-help-needed