my neapolitan style oven in progress

[Hampelschwein]

Hello everyone!
So I started building my neapolitan oven in my garden, located in germany. My city lacks a nepolitan pizza place and I got severely addicted since I spend a month in napoli. I wanted to share the project here and maybe catch some advice of you guys.

I started with a concrete foundation about 20 cm thick. I got this nice steel table from a blacksmith who will also build the ovens entrance for me. First layer on the table is a perlcrete mix where I put the first layer of firebricks with clay in the gaps on top. For the soldier I used rath universal super mortar, a bit expensive but I was too unsure with too many diy options and opinions about mixtures, clay and so on. So I thought I stick to something thats most likely to make the dome as stable as possible and where I couldnt find a negative opinion on. Well we'll see...

[UtahBeehiver]

It will be interesting to watch a neo being build, we do not see many on the blog. How are you going to bolster the full brick soldiers?

[Hampelschwein]

you mean the ones already visible on the photo? I've only once seen them beeing bolstered at all on another build at the pizzamaking forum from the outside with one or two metal rings surrounding the soldiers. But I also want to do it because I will need them for my vent costruction to hold the vent opening above the entrance. Was that what you meant or did I missunderstand something?

[david s]

The increase of sideways thrust from a large radius arc, compared to a hemisphere, combined with a vertical soldier course is a recipe for failure athe base of the dome. Presumably this has been born out in practice and led to the idea of holding in the soldiers by a steel ring running around them. Maybe you can get away without it, but the inherent instability of the structure has presumably led others to devise counter measures to support this vulnerable area. Low dome large radius arc bakers ovens usually do it with steel rods running over the top of the vault and anchored to heavy walls on the outside. There are probably other solutions too.

[UtahBeehiver]

I do not see any rings around the soldiers in the attached pics but if you are going to do it for the vent then DavidS and my concern/question is answered.

[Hampelschwein]

ok, i was not aware that it's that important, but I'll do it as soon as i finished the entire souldier course including the entrance so I guess I'll be save.
Would you say some bands of this kind are enough or does it have to be steel? : https://www.hornbach.de/data/shop/D0...0204235500.jpg

[UtahBeehiver]

Here are a couple buttressing ideas we have seen, I am sure there are others as well but it looks like some type of metal bands are your best bet since you do not have a lot of room between the soldiers and the outside diameter of your steel base by time you insulate and place your final the dome coating.

[Hampelschwein]

yes thanks!
Here is the plan for the dome and some numbers:

[david s]

Getting a steel band all the way around the dome presents problems because the oven door is in the way. Some builders have overcome this problem by anchoring the band into the supporting slab at the sides of the oven door. Another solution is here on attachment.It requires at least two pairs of threaded rods. Other solutions like buttressing are also possibilities. IMG_0461.jpg

[Hampelschwein]

your picture somehow can't be viewed? I think I will be able to fit one steel band over the door. For another lower places band my plan was to attach it on the door

[david s]

The band should go where the most thrust will be ie at the top of the soldier course.
Sorry about the last pic. Here are a couple of solutions I've seen.

[Hampelschwein]

door! Thursday I will go on building

[UtahBeehiver]

Nicely fabricated arch. I notice there is not a reveal on the arch for a door to seal against, what does your door design look like?

[Hampelschwein]

I was actually not planning on building a door thats attached to the frame... I mean as its the only opening of the oven it would not really be possible to close it at all during use, because it would also have no connection to the chimney which wil start in front/on top of the opening...?
Most neapolitan oven builds I followed actually didnt have any doors and there was no talking about doors, hmmm
Do you consider it necessary? I mean I could still build something that I can just put in front of it...

[UtahBeehiver]

You are correct that a door is not needed when doing pizza, but if you go through all the effort to heat up an oven, a lot of builders, use the second and third day residual heat to bake or roast. Without a door (after you are done doing pizza) you will lose too much heat for extended multi-day cooking. I've seen some builders able to tweak out up to 4 days of cooking from the original heat cycle. Also, if you chose to have multi day pizza, the higher the oven temp, the less fuel it takes to bring back up to cooking temp.