36" rhode Island build

[UtahBeehiver]

Pcrete set up pretty slow. I made a homemade curved trowel to help with the forming of the p-crete, Gulf did a curved trowel mounted on a rotating bracket. Remember, Pcrete will hold a lot of water so be patient with the water removal curing. You might want to consider a vent at the apex of the dome to vent steam out.

[Northup]

Thanks for the quick reply. I was re-reading yours and gulfs builds to look at how it was done. Really liked the idea of the rotating bracket and trowel to keep a nice even shape. I plan on possibly using a copper pipe/brass threaded coupling vent type thing at the top to help let out steam or moisture.

[Northup]

well got some more work done. Did not really enjoy the Pcrete work, Found it annoying to work with. It was not sticky enough to hold in place and it wouldn't pack well to support itself. I used up two large bags of super coarse perlite and was able to get a full inch crust over the oven. Pcrete is thicker in some places then other but at least 1inch at the thinnest, took two coats. Made a rotating "template" to guide my shape. Also was able to start curing with a small electric heater, Oven started at 65* and the heater got it to about 100-120*. Made a mold and cast some concrete to make a front so the fire bricks are not exposed. We shall see how it looks once I flip the mold in a few days.

[Northup]

Also scored this granite piece for free. I will use for a prep table next to the oven, it is about 30" wide and about 4 feet long

[Gulf]

..........Did not really enjoy the Pcrete work, Found it annoying to work with. It was not sticky enough to hold in place and it wouldn't pack well to support itself........

From looking at your first pick, I think that it was your technique. I worked from the bottom up like laying brick in courses (full thickness). By the time I got all the way around it was it had set enough to support another course beginning where I had previously started. I'm just adding this for someone following the thread later. Yours is done now and looks great!

[Northup]

From looking at your first pick, I think that it was your technique. I worked from the bottom up like laying brick in courses (full thickness). By the time I got all the way around it was it had set enough to support another course beginning where I had previously started. I'm just adding this for someone following the thread later. Yours is done now and looks great!

Thank you, for that info.
Yes I did try that and I would recommend people do it also. My problem was the set time was so long. I was able to get a circle around the dome, go squid fishing for a few hours and come back and it was just firming up, About 3-4 hours later. It was very cool that night and my first mix may have been too wet. Also the perlite was very large and i think a finer mix may have stuck better but I think the coarse will insulate better

I am still really glad i spent the time with it and got a good crust on the dome, It should make a great base for my brown coat.

[Northup]

Also for people who cant find it local I got mine on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Northup]

Was able to get my brown coat on today. Went on pretty well and smooth. Also pulled my cast concrete and started to polish it up. Made a mistake on my forms by using MDF. Store was out of melamine so I figured i could get away with MDF if I waxed up the forms sufficiently before. Well that didn't work great, The mdf pulled too much moisture from the bottom side or the front of the cast and as soon as I began polishing all the loose portland came off. Happy accident as it gives it a cool natural washed look and I was still able to polish the aggregate to make it pop. I was happy with how it came out. Next up is mortaring the face in place and then brown coat the outer arch where it meet the face.

[Northup]

Well I am almost to the end, or at least the end is in sight. Got another coat of stucco on and was able to scribe and cut blue stone for around the oven. Used 1 1/2 natural blue stone which I cut with a 4 1/2 inch diamond wheel on a grinder to make the counter edge around the oven. These are pitch outward so any water will easily run out and away from the oven. More curing still to be done, and I need to make a decision on what I am doing with the block base to make it look more appealing. This stucco coat had an acrylic additive for bonding/water repellent it also had fiberglass strands added in to help prevent cracking. This is most likely the final coat for a while, more towards the end of the summer I will either paint it with a exterior concerete paint/sealer or try and find a fully acrylic stucco to brush on. Seem really hard to source true acrylic stucco here in the New England area.

[Northup]

Finally had a night with friends over and we cooked up a few pizzas. We had already tried cooking things like steaks, chicken, and roasting veggies, All of which turned out great. Dome cleared around 850-900* and after 3 hours at 850-900 the outside of the oven was 80* or so. Oven was closed up at 9:30 last night with temps around 750 or so and at 9:30 this morning oven is 450 on the floor and around 485 on the dome. Pretty happy with the results Starting to build a pergola/pavilion roof over the oven soon. Since we do raise chickens for eggs and meat we had to try a pizza with an egg on it. Ham egg and cheese, was delicious! Things I learned from the first pizza run... Use less floor on the peel, jsut enough for it to slide, the excess flour tends to clump and burn under the pizza if there is too much. Have an extra wooden peel to use, one wasn't enough to move the pizza back and forth while others are making pizza.

[UtahBeehiver]

This makes all the effort of building an oven worth it. Enjoy exploring cooking in a WFO. PS, it seems once the ovens are workable, the finish work on the project seems to slow down LOL

[Northup]

Got most of the covering and roofing done. Tiber framing was enjoyable yet some parts were frustrating. Red cedar shakes on the roof and copper cap and flashing few more cross braces to go up, then to make a final decision on the base treatment for over the blocks

[Gulf]

Northup,

I've been meaning to get back to this post. I have been busy with life, and the forum is beginning to hop. I really like what you have done. You have the best of both worlds. You will have the shape of the dome for all to admire and the protection of a roof over the oven. The "roof over" should also greatly extend the usable days per year for your oven .

[Northup]

Been a while since my last post but I'll update whats been happening....
Roof was finished last summer and stained the structure in the fall... Welded up a steal door with 2" of insulation inside, works well but could seal better with a gasket. Then we cooked... And we cooked a lot
roasting whole fish.... clams.... squid.... PIzza and then ribs... On Easter we did 12 racks of ribs in the oven and they cooked great. I think we enjoy cooking other foods in it more then pizza.
Started to clad the base with fieldstone that I have been gathering. This is the last part to finish on this build but it is just cosmetic Hopefully be done in a few weeks.
Oven temps have been great usually have 2-3 days of cooking. Pizza nights then the next day we have a 450-375* oven all day for roasting. Then the third day is still a good 250-275. Super happy with the insulation we went with.
Only changes I would make would be, to go bigger with a 42" since it wouldn't have been much more money, and I def would make the outer arch slightly larger. I gave myself maybe a 1inch reveal for my door to sit against. And it works but Would have been nicer to have a fatter surface to seal against. Also would read and think more about a thermal break between the floor and the entry, still have not been sold on the best way to do it that has proven results.

[Gulf]

Northup,

It really looks great. I'm glad that I'm not alone in enjoying cooking other foods better than cooking pizza. Most of the time, pizza, is just one of those things that I cook when I'm heating the oven to cook real food . As for as the floor heat break is concerned, I'm sold on the simple way that I did mine. But,

the best way to do it that has proven results

will not happen until someone builds two otherwise identical ovens, side by side, one with and one without. That said, imo, heatbreaks are only a real issue for those who are in areas where wood is a scarce commodity. Form the pics, it appears that you have renewable resources at hand.