100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

[MarkB]

Hello all,

Purchased my first house 6 months ago, and get the keys this Friday after it has been rented out.

Been lurking on here for a couple of months doing my research ready for the build.

Have Friday off work to get started so can get stuck in for a full 3 days. Getting my bricks delivered, sand, and already have a work ute filled with high heat mortar, ceramic board (2"), Tbar (for the opening), 650C insulation.

Plan is a mass brick plinth (1430mm x 1430mm filled solid with bricks) with a small recess for firewood. ceramic board over the plinth at 772mm high, firebrick hearth over the ceramic board (undecided on 76mm high, or 110mm brick on edge?). Will then construct the dome, with 2 layers of 50mm 650C rated insulation over the dome, then skim coat of render followed by acratex/acrylic coating. The insulation has a steel mesh backing which should help the render stage.

I was a bricklayer by trade for 5 years, but also did a diploma in building/construction during my apprenticeship, and now work in the office for a luxury builder, which has helped me obtain all materials and gotten me good pricing as I work in pricing/materials/estimating.

Only thing now is to get my eye back in on the trowel.

Pictures to follow this weekend as I should get the plinth and hearth all done, and the dome the following weekend then a week of curing fires prior to the insulation/render stage on the 3rd weekend. This is of course all going to plan, which building seldom does.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

Looks like we are at pretty much the same stage mate. I just poured the insulating layer last night and will let it cure for 4 days before beginning with the bricks. Your schedule sounds promising as I have "promised" pizzas within 4 weeks.
Let's race! =)

[cobblerdave]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

G'day
A bricklayer by trade, dry insulation, as long as you don't get bogged down with fancy brickwork cuts.....I recon you'll make your deadline.
As for the bricks at the 75 or the 110, id consider the 75 for balance between heat heat up times and heat retention. Most ovens have 50 mm and operate well enough for days. They will still produce multiple loaves dependant on size of course but not multiple batches. So unless you doing multiple bread batches regularly....?
Regards Dave

[jeeppiper]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

I like the fact that your first project in your new home is to build an oven. I have been wanting to sell my house just so I have an excuse to build a new oven.

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

Most ovens have 50 mm and operate well enough for days.
Regards Dave

Could you please expand on that?

[cobblerdave]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

G'day
The Pompeii are your all rounder oven. It will get to Neo pizza temps and stay there for continuous pizzas. You can bake bread, roast meats, slow casseroles over a weekend. Cook with fire in the oven or on the heat stored in the brick.
All ovens are a little different.i know mine best. Its a 1 mtre full dome, 75 mm firebrick hearth, 1/2 brick thick dome.
2 hours burn on the Friday will see you at pizza temps, keep a fire on the side licking up the walls. This will replenish the heat lost as you cook pizza continuously.
Cap the oven off with an insulated door and you'll be able to bake next morning. A bread load for me is a focaccia a couple of bread sticks and bread. Ill have enough heat to slow roast dome meat and veg that afternoon. I'd probably start a small fire on the side to brown thing off.
All going well you'll have enough heat to put a casserole next day.
If you run out of stored heat just flashing up a fire for 1/2 hr or so and then waiting for things to equalize will usually see things right.
Raising the oven mass will result in longer firing times to get enough heat in the mass. Yes you can still cook pizza and have longer baking ability to make masses of bread but if you don't have the use for the heats, its lost to later in the week. Myself I'm like most folk the flexibility more important.
This afternoons the Tuscan grill. Take my oven from cold with a 1 hrs burn of iron bark. Spread the coals out and put on grill over them. The food cooks from the coals and the reflected heat from the dome. Cooks fast and tender better than any BBQ. Have a 40 cm pair of tongs and a pair of welding gloves this time, I lost a few arm hairs last time!
Regards dave

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

So i didnt get to lay any bricks on the Friday off, had too many of my trades coming through, materials deliveries and all sorts for what I am doing inside the house.

However, spent Saturday and Sunday laying bricks, and this is where I am at now. Have gone with 75mm on top of the ceramic fibre board (though it was 100mm short, but the dome wont be on the outer edge so you can see the 1 course of bricks around the edge below the herringbone).

All going well, I should get the dome up next weekend.

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

So after a couple of long days I got there, 4 days total. This afternoon I did a quick fire of newspaper for a couple of minutes. The chimney gets nice draw on it, plus I have a fan on an angle ready in case the prevailing winds ever decide to blow closer to the house. Don't want to smoke myself out. So a few curing fires over this week, then a small skim of refractory mortar, insulation, skim coat and then acrylic finish on the dome.

Now for years of practice making food in it.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

G'day
If you worried about smoking out the house get a s /s chimney on that thing to carry it above the house . Once cured and if you use well dried wood that's not a problem.
Give that bare dome a time for the cement to cure and dry before you you lite any big fires. WA has plenty of wind at any time of the year so that's good but if you expect rain, cover ,it over.
What are you using for dome insulation? It's better to dry the dome then insulate before trying any big fires .
Water turns to steam at 100C and 1 ltre of water expands to 1500 ltre of steam.
Take it slow with the fires
Regards dave

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

Thanks Dave.

I have 2 rolls of 50mm Bradford 650c insulation to do two layers over. Picked this product due to the mesh backing which should make the plastering a bit easier. I am going to leave it bare dome and just do newspaper fires this week to dry it out for a while. Then as you said, wrap the insulation over and insulate and then start larger curing fires.

As for the s/s flue, as you mentioned, i'll see how I go. A SW (normal sea breeze) actually blows away from the house, so might be ok anyway.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

G'day
I live in a Queenslander , two stories , the ovens down wind and has a short chimney. It's down wind from the prevailing winds and surrounded by trees and bush to cut down the gusts and strength of the breezes . Long way from the kitchen , but the old gas BBQ was close and suffered from the wind.I'm lucky to have had some experience to build on in that respect
Regards dave

[ugnsnisse]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

Thanks Dave.

I have 2 rolls of 50mm Bradford 650c insulation to do two layers over. Picked this product due to the mesh backing which should make the plastering a bit easier. I am going to leave it bare dome and just do newspaper fires this week to dry it out for a while. Then as you said, wrap the insulation over and insulate and then start larger curing fires.

As for the s/s flue, as you mentioned, i'll see how I go. A SW (normal sea breeze) actually blows away from the house, so might be ok anyway.

I don't really understand, for how long have you kept the mortar wet before firing it up?

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

I don't really understand, for how long have you kept the mortar wet before firing it up?

The dome was left for a couple of days before I tried the newspaper fire, as everything was nice and dry.

Now the weather has changed and its raining it is sitting dormant under a tarp until I can let it dry out again and start some proper curing fires each day.

[MarkB]

Re: 100cm Oven Perth, Western Australia

Hit 842F on the walls this week, or 450c for other Aussies.

Pretty happy with it all, just possibly needs another roll of insulation over before I texture the dome as it got a bit warm (still can be touched easily though).

Cooking on Monday.