1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

[tractorman44]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

I love it for its historical significance and it looks beautiful.
I would love to see what it creates and how hungry it is and how it holds up.
Keep posting.

Thank you for the compliment. And you'd be surprised how little wood it consumes. Wood is of ample supply and costs nothing but time and the amount of time it takes preparing wood for the oven is a pittance compared to the time spent for heating my house and shop.

Stay tuned, you'll see some surprizingly sweet looking items coming out of the doorway.

[tractorman44]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

G'day tractorman
REDBEARD historic bakery - sourdough bakery caf? in Trentham, Victoria
I for one would like to see you continue your posts.

In the scheme of things your ovens a dinosaur.

Tscar right in a way. As long as people realize that a big oven like yours is for serious long mass cooker and not just a weekend pizza cooker for family and friends it should be right.
Regards dave

I absolutely LOVE the term dinosaur in reference to our oven, Dave. There was never an intent to build a new style oven. There was never an intent to build an efficient oven. There WAS however, an intent to build an oven very similar in operation as that of the original. And the "dinosaur" reference lends belief that we have been successful in attaining our original goal.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

Yes, I worded a very strong statement that this NOT how you should build a wood fired oven as a message to anyone in the future who reads this thread. I am not denigrating what Tractorman is doing, but explaining that there is a better way to do it.

I am in the industry, and see people on a regular basis build ovens that are not efficient or even suitable for the intended use. On a daily basis I deal with the issue of why the oven they spent thousands on does not "work".

Tractorman is not spending much money since he has the requisite materials on hand, but how would you feel if you spent a thousand or 10,000 bucks on an oven that could not perform to your expectations?

[stonecutter]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

I agree with stonecutter and Dave, the comment to pul it down or not post is a bit over the top. I have enjoyed the build, and as you appear able to resource plenty of wood I expect it will work. It has been interesting and you should post the rest of the journey

I'm not sure that you saw this follow up comment....

I don't seriously mean for him to tear it down or quit posting, I am just putting in the word that there ARE better ways to do things than these hardworking gentlemen have done.

Again, being encouraging is one thing......discussing all the angles is another.

[kanoer54]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

Tractorman, I salute you for keeping the family treasures. You have done a great job of preserving history of your ancestors. My wife has property in SW Missouri and we know how important it is to document everything you can for your heirs. Great job!!!!!!!!!!! It will be a tribute to your kin to cook on their oven even in our own times. History is so important. They cooked breads,etc, but you will cook breads and so much more. Keep posting....absolutely love what you have done to help preserve your family history! In another 150 years or so, the oven will be on a different mountain in the Ozarks where your great grandkids have property.

jon

[tractorman44]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

Wow !! Certainly a LOT of activity today. I want to respond to each of you and your points as soon as possible, but tonight is our weekly family night supper where all of our kids and grandkids come out to the house and I'm helping the missus with the cooking again.

Thank you all for suggestions and opinions, and I have no intention of stopping the posts, but I will add a disclaimer to make sure anyone that reads it understands this is not your typical backyard pizza oven.

I will get back to all of you soon.

Thanks again for your interest, whether you are slapping your knees laughing, shaking your head in disgust or enjoying it for what it is.... a pile of stone once providing sustenance to a family of 17 people, recently destined to be bulldozed into a ditch for fill and at the last minute rescued and brought back to life as a tribute to what it was more than a century ago.

[Toomulla]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

I agree with stonecutter and Dave, the comment to pul it down or not post is a bit over the top. I have enjoyed the build, and as you appear able to resource plenty of wood I expect it will work. It has been interesting and you should post the rest of the journey

[stonecutter]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

My assessment was not meant to discourage or criticize the build, but share what can or will happen. I share the same viewpoint mentioned by Tscar, that it's best to have a full understanding of the scope of an application, technique or method...especially in a place like here. New builders are looking for information, and sometimes the limitations of material or improper technique needs to be discussed( the red brick thread is a recent one). It is not always well received, especially if time and resources have already been invested. I'm not saying this is the case with tractorman, because he's already said it's his first one, and he wants to improve the second oven.

[v12spirit]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

After clamping it in place, a "rosebud" was used on the torch to direct heat around the perimeter of the piece and while red hot, tapped in place with a four pound hammer.

One on the go DIY question. If I want to bend a metal TUBE using the same technique you have used, how can I guarantee that the tube ends up as a perfect torus I mean with no irregularities? One thought came to me is to fill it with sand and close both of the ends before bending!! May that help regulate the inner pressure on the walls of the tube to oppose local deformation that hammering will cause?

[v12spirit]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

This oven is built and I am sure he will use it just fine. The problem is the person who stumbles along and sees it and decides to do the same. Why not do it right. It doesn't cost any more, it doesn't take any more time and it will, since it is efficient, be used that much more often if built correctly.

I don't seriously mean for him to tear it down or quit posting, I am just putting in the word that there ARE better ways to do things than these hardworking gentlemen have done.

When a man reconstructs a classic car, he pays a fortune to provide the original parts hoping to restore it to its factory state in spite of his awareness that it will still perform as poor as old fashioned cars. However, other people prefer to restore classic cars by maintaining their appearance while powering the hidden moving equipment by providing a stronger engine, a more efficient power train, and an adequate power steering..
I think tractorman is doing both. He did the first in this oven, and will do the second in his second oven as he told. I find that a very cool idea.

[Tscarborough]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

This oven is built and I am sure he will use it just fine. The problem is the person who stumbles along and sees it and decides to do the same. Why not do it right. It doesn't cost any more, it doesn't take any more time and it will, since it is efficient, be used that much more often if built correctly.

I don't seriously mean for him to tear it down or quit posting, I am just putting in the word that there ARE better ways to do things than these hardworking gentlemen have done.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

G'day stonecutter
Sadly you are right this will finally bring about the destruction of this oven. But when, I'm not sure.
The roman oven gave way to the more modern side draft oven. The use of long steel bars gave the ability to form large ovens. Brick interiors sand moderators above this ( note I didn't say insulation) then a brick exterior. This all tied with the steel bars to account for the expansion .
I recon these folk are having a great time building this thing. Its a great project. I for one am enjoying the build, your right to explain the pitfalls but I think
This ovens built .

As always
Regards dave

[stonecutter]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

Tractorman, I've followed your build from the beginning, and the uniqueness of the material makes it very special.

But besides the issues that Tscar brought up, I see a bigger problem in the future. The thermal expanision of the dome is going to cause major problems with your exterior finish. As your oven cycles, the pressure will crack your mortar joints on the stonework, which then will lead to moisture intrusion. That's bad in the spring and summer, detrimental in the winter. Even if you tarp it, or build a roof over the oven, the cycling is going to eventually damage the veneer and the brick dome itself.

[cobblerdave]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

G'day
I've been trying to copy a pic of one but with no success.
Why not consider cutting the handle of a wire wound welding hammer for your oven door handles. They look really industrial and are designed to stay cool to the touch.
Regards

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: 1880's Limestone Oven Dismantling and Rebuild in Missouri

I love it for its historical significance and it looks beautiful.
I would love to see what it creates and how hungry it is and how it holds up.
Keep posting.