Dolf's Bushveld Oven

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

I had some time to play with my oven again this weekend.
Row 8 is almost done. The weekends layes also now took me past the final mouth/dome transition which I think came quite well :-)
I stacked bricks inside the oven and placed a piece of wood on top. On this I put other bricks. wedges, stones etc to do the supporting while the H40 sets. With the slide down of the angle progress is slow. The plan works, but calls for a lot of waiting.
In the down times I proceed with the Portland cement stone work around the mouth.
I am happy with the progress. Not as neat as some of the other folks' work on the list, but with rocks from the area it is shaping with a character of its own fitting into the environment I think

[Tscarborough]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

That is a nice chunk of stone.

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Rejoyce with me please friends! I found the right rock
I have been searching for the right rock to use as a natural landing entrance for my oven. Most rocks are either not big enough or flat enough to offer any reasonable surface or if the one side is nice & smooth, then the thing is so thick, there is no way I will be able to handle it to get it out of the bush to a road. But then on Saturday morning I found what I believe to be ideal :-)

As per the pic below, the dimensions are roughly 700x350x180
I only had to cut a small triangle out on the one side to get the fit I want. The plan is to fit shaped insulation bricks in the gap between the landing and the oven floor. (The outer arch will still be built with rock so the bricks you see are not planned to be the visible end)

At this stage I do not plan to do anything to the top op the insulation bricks as I believe it will fill up with ash. Should I rather seal it with something?

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Thanks Joe!
While I know I am biast to both oven and area, I love both :-)

[JosephW]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Hi Dolf,

your oven is looking really great.

Bela Bela is in such a beautiful part of the world. I've got family not too far from there up on the Lapalala Reserve.

Good luck and I'll definitely keep an eye on your progress.

Joe

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Hi All
(Don?t worry about the look of the oven yet as there is a stone front coming to cover all over the front)

As per my posting re the raised chimney, I have now obtained & used the insulation bricks to separate the oven from the vent. The black line you see between the landing arch and the insulation brick is a channel in which I plan to slide my draft door.

I am quite happy with the progress, but the angle & slide inclination on the arch is slowly getting interesting.

Cutting of bricks still an issue as the blades just don?t last. These bricks are really hard :-(

Still having loads of fun!

Dolf

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Yes, the baboons in question have loooong tails and do not carry any of my genes that I will admit to. My 21y old "baboon" studies mechanical engineering and can probably calculate the stresses in the arch ;-)

[eprante]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

I hate it when the baboons jump on my arches before they have had time to set up.
Nice to see the progress Dolf. Enjoy the process, the food is even better.
Eric

[lwood]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Lookin good

[Tscarborough]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

I told my baboons if they got anywhere near my oven before it was finished they were grounded for life. Your baboons are not teenagers, I will assume.

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

I made some progress this weekend. :-)
3 layers down and my newly restored arch in place. Perhaps good that arch number 1 failed as you will see in this pic, I took the advice elsewhere on the site (which was actually about a shaped doorway) and made the arch smaller to retain more heat, yet leave a larger gap at the bottom for a very large pizza. (The stack of bricks inside the oven is to act as temporary protection for the arch so that the baboons don't jump on it sideways & break it before I have a solid structure

Man this is fun !

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Thanks for your support Folks!

[lwood]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Keep it up Dolf, just one more story to tell while cooking pizza.

[heliman]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

Keep going boet - this is going to be an awesome oven when finished. Setbacks like this are bound to happen but in the end you will succeed for sure.

[Dolf]

Re: Dolf's Bushveld Oven

A weekend full of disappointment and fun.
I built my opening?s first arch and had some supporting loose bricks on the outsides to counter the push-out effect. Next morning, full of enthusiasm took the frame away and admired my nice arch. I then proceeded to take the loose support bricks on the sides away to allow me to start with the first course, but when I moved the support bricks away the whole arch collapsed
Only then did I realise how weak the H40 is! It?s almost like a smooth textured shortbread that just powders between my fingers. I guess that is what you get for being too much in a hurry. I then proceeded to build a part of the layers around the opening to do the support-work and left it. When I get back in a few weeks I trust the curing will be better and I trust the joints to be stronger this time. I will then re-build my arch before progressing with the courses.
The second hand bricks obviously has chipped sides and I did not try to select nice ones as I guess a random selection will spread a more even look throughout the oven. Not the same quality look you guys get with the new bricks, but some character I think.
All in a days learning I s?pose?