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Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

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  • Red brick oven in NSW, Australia



    Got the slab finished. Pretty exciting.

    Wife was worried about me starting another project before finishing any of my other projects. When she saw the slab, she stopped worrying. If I didn't get any further, she could use it as a nice place for a garden seat and a cup of tea. She's worried again now though. I have eight hundred bricks stacked up around the place. Not a very relaxing place for a cup of tea, and if I don't get going with it- what will we do with all these bricks!

    Got the bricks for free. I like that. Wire cut, extruded bricks for the base and red clay bricks for the dome. They were free- if you don't factor in the cost of my little trailer's suspension, my back, shoulders and legs. And a pair of gloves. And the time involved in loading, unloading and stacking. And the time yet to be spent cleaning the old mortar off the used ones. Actually, the bricks weren't free at all.

    Bought half a tonne of sand and a couple of bags of mortar and cement. It was raining. I hate that. I don't hate the wet and cold bit. I just don't like the mass of water that is in sand that I am paying for by weight. I really only bought a quarter of a tonne of sand combined with a quarter of a tonne of rain-water at a rate of thirty-five dollars a tonne. Even if you were just a tiny bit price sensitive that would hurt. For me it was really painful.

    Wife needn't worry. I'm committed to finishing this project. I'm actually becoming a little bit obsessed with the whole pizza oven thing. I wake up in the middle of the night counting bricks and measuring angles, radii, volumes and masses. Is there anyone else here obsessed with wood fired ovens? Is there an easy cure?

    I'm looking at the end goal: I like pizza. ?No oven: no pizza!? That will keep me going.

    God-willing, I?ll start the base tomorrow.

    Cheers,
    Pete.
    No oven:no pizza- keep going!

    Record of Progress: here

  • #2
    Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

    Good to see another Aussie onboard! Unfortunately for yourself.. the pizza oven will consume your every thought. For me it was just constant, and only stopped once it was completed.

    Everyone will doubt you through the entire project, as did my wife/family.. now i have a pizza oven they tell all their friends about.. and poeple beg to come over!

    enjoy the process.. and goodluck

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

      Pete,

      There is no cure! You are certainly in deep and fully committed. When you are finished though it is a great sense of accomplishment, especially while consuming your own pizza.

      Good luck with your project,
      Brian

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

        Thanks chidding and Brian. It's good to know there's other obsessed oven-builders out there, even if there isn't a cure for it.

        Cheers,
        Peter
        No oven:no pizza- keep going!

        Record of Progress: here

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

          I've put together a sequence of photos of the work I completed on the base of the oven over the weekend. I set up a web-cam, taking photos every 5 mins. These were then copied into a video with each photo being displayed for 0.25 seconds. If you have lots of time on your hands you can play games such as: watch the wheelbarrow, or watch the coffee mug, or watch the hose, etc., etc.

          The video doesn't show much detail, so luckily it doesn't show how badly my brickwork turned out. I intended for a Flemish bond, but it soon degenerated into a Flemish/English/Bullster bond with a semi random pattern. Structurally, the three walls should really be considered as six pillars in close proximity, because of so many vertical joints lining up. Anyway, glad you probably can 't see all that.

          On a more positive note, I managed to not have to cut any bricks at all. And also, it was terrific having my 12yo daughter giving a hand with some of the laying- she is amazing.

          Here is the video: day 1 & 2 of the base
          Last edited by bullster; 09-14-2011, 04:27 AM. Reason: right side of video clipped, attempt embedding video
          No oven:no pizza- keep going!

          Record of Progress: here

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

            Hi Pete, I thought it was just me! I woke up last night at about 2am thinking about the final keystone I hope to install in the top of my dome on the weekend. My wife cracked up at me today calling it ..... Wait for it , my STUPID pizza oven because I wouldn't go to David jones to help her choose a new washing machine to replace our one that just died! I've been working on my oven most weekends for the last 2 months and loved every minute of it! Hopefully not much longer now.
            Good luck on yours,
            Tony.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

              Tony Pete

              It definitly isn't just you 2 the forum full of us wfo nuts.... the cure...none

              Regards Dave
              Measure twice
              Cut once
              Fit in position with largest hammer

              My Build
              http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f51/...ild-14444.html
              My Door
              http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f28/...ock-17190.html

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                Hi Pete,
                i've almost finished my oven - taken a month of weekends and quite a few $$ on materials to do it my way. I used a steel arch support - that I'm still not 100% sure if it should stay. Have a look - happy to answer any questions as its my first, but did heaps of research
                cheers
                Matt

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                  Looks good...reminds me of the Sydney Opera House

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                    Yes I had to look twice.....
                    Think the camera angle doesn't do the oven justice in this case

                    Regards Dave
                    Measure twice
                    Cut once
                    Fit in position with largest hammer

                    My Build
                    http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f51/...ild-14444.html
                    My Door
                    http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f28/...ock-17190.html

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                      Originally posted by Tony DF 69 View Post
                      Hi Pete, I thought it was just me! I woke up last night at about 2am thinking about the final keystone I hope to install in the top of my dome on the weekend. My wife cracked up at me today calling it ..... Wait for it , my STUPID pizza oven because I wouldn't go to David jones to help her choose a new washing machine to replace our one that just died! I've been working on my oven most weekends for the last 2 months and loved every minute of it! Hopefully not much longer now.
                      Good luck on yours,
                      Tony.
                      Tony, I can't believe your wife called your oven STUPID! that's very harsh! Hope she eventually enjoys it when it starts cooking yummy food.

                      Possibly one good thing about a broken washing machine is if it has a stainless steel drum- you can make a great brazier out of it.

                      all the best with your oven!
                      cheers,
                      Pete
                      No oven:no pizza- keep going!

                      Record of Progress: here

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                        Originally posted by mattfruitbat View Post
                        Hi Pete,
                        i've almost finished my oven - taken a month of weekends and quite a few $$ on materials to do it my way. I used a steel arch support - that I'm still not 100% sure if it should stay. Have a look - happy to answer any questions as its my first, but did heaps of research
                        cheers
                        Matt
                        Hi Matt,
                        I see your steel arch- nicely bent! Are you thinking that now the bricks/mortar are set, you could remove the steel? have you got another steel arch at the oven end of the vent too?
                        Is there a chimney, or will your door= the chimney?
                        Nifty steel base too!

                        cheers,
                        Pete
                        No oven:no pizza- keep going!

                        Record of Progress: here

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Red brick oven in NSW, Australia

                          Originally posted by bullster View Post
                          [IMG]
                          Wife was worried about me starting another project before finishing any of my other projects. When she saw the slab, she stopped worrying.
                          I'm actually becoming a little bit obsessed with the whole pizza oven thing. I wake up in the middle of the night counting bricks and measuring angles, radii, volumes and masses. Is there anyone else here obsessed with wood fired ovens? Is there an easy cure?

                          I'm looking at the end goal: I like pizza. “No oven: no pizza!” That will keep me going.

                          God-willing, I’ll start the base tomorrow.

                          Cheers,
                          Pete.
                          Hi Pete, my wife was also worried about me starting another project before finishing the last one.
                          I showed her, my oven is almost finished and it's only taken me 12mths.

                          Originally posted by Tony DF 69 View Post
                          My wife cracked up at me today calling it ..... Wait for it , my STUPID pizza oven because I wouldn't go to David jones to help her choose a new washing machine to replace our one that just died!

                          Tony.
                          Hi Tony, just wait till it's finished and she'll be bragging to her friends about how great it is.

                          Good luck with your build guys.

                          Comment

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