First Post here :)

[Lburou]

Excited about this new project: A WFO!

A friend recommended this site and I'm happy to be here and glean from this specialized knowledge base and the corporate memory each veteran member brings to the table

Feedback for Admin follows -You asked for it :

As I look around the site, I'm interested in "Best Practices" for building a Slab, a Base, an Insulated slab under the oven, the best oven plans, the basic materials, tools and where to get them. I'm interested in pictures with captions spelling it out for those of us who are low on the learning curve. I'm interested in actual WFO plans, like the pompei plans. I'm not going to be a purist, but, I'd like to see all the plans available without any copyright infringement.

From a newbe's perspective, a formal Knowledge Base, or forum if you will, containing the best/most current information available to illustrate the major phases of WFO construction would be an answer to the needs of a newbe.

[Lburou]

Slab and Base to date

I have poured a 8' X 9' reinforced slab and made the oven base so far

ADDED after the oven was finished: I came to my senses, modified my base and built a pompeii oven as close to the plans as I could manage....And, I'm happy with it. So, disregard my original paragraph below

Made a run to Mineral Wells, Texas for some used fire brick today. Planning to use 2" thick bricks for the floor (shorter heating time) and standard sized brick for the walls and top arch of a barrel oven (yes, I know a barrel oven is frowned upon). There is a whole mountain of clay there, the same color as the fire clay I bought last week....May take the pickup back and get some to use as fire clay. If anyone in the North central TX area needs used fire brick, PM me and I can pass the contact info on to you, there is enough brick for several more ovens available.

Will gather more materials this week and get ready to pour the slab on the base.

[mn8tr]

Re: First Post here

I was not able to use a pre-cast or purchase a set of plans. First of all I am by no means an expert except what I have learned from my own built/mistakes. This is how I was able to make it work for me.

I had some drawings that I had done and decided how large my oven could be based upon blending in with the existing landscape and hardscape. I broke the project down into various stages. I spent a lot of time on this site reading as much as I could about each stage of the project before I bought any materials.

Once I was comfortable about the next phase I would buy only the materials needed to complete that portion, and then repeated the process many, many times over.

Foundation, stand, slab for dome, dome, insulation, vermiculite/cement over dome, counters, stucco, painting, tile, finishing touches.

Every build is different so be flexible. This schedule worked for me but depending on the size, style and complexity of your project some changes may be necessary. Just have a plan even if it is in you head and go for it.

Enjoy you build.

[lwood]

Re: First Post here

It's all here. You just have to look for it. I would start by downloading the free building plans from this site.

[Lburou]

Re: First Post here

It's all here. You just have to look for it. I would start by downloading the free building plans from this site.

Would love to, where can they be found?

[Ken524]

Re: First Post here

Welcome!

The plans are here:
Brick Oven Plans | Build an Italian Brick Oven

They are located in the FB store. You'll walk through the purchase process but you won't need to enter a credit card.

Once you download the plans, read over them a few times and start reading discussions on this forum (I spent months reading before I picked up my shovel). There are as many ways to build an oven as there are builders.

As for best practices, you absolutely won't go wrong if you follow the plans.

Good luck and keep us up-to-date on your progress!

[Lburou]

Re: First Post here

Welcome!

The plans are here:
Brick Oven Plans | Build an Italian Brick Oven

They are located in the FB store. You'll walk through the purchase process but you won't need to enter a credit card.

Once you download the plans, read over them a few times and start reading discussions on this forum (I spent months reading before I picked up my shovel). There are as many ways to build an oven as there are builders.

As for best practices, you absolutely won't go wrong if you follow the plans.

Good luck and keep us up-to-date on your progress!

Extremely helpful, Thank you!!

Any more plans out there online?

[Lburou]

Re: First Post here

snip.... I spent a lot of time on this site reading as much as I could about each stage of the project before I bought any materials.

Once I was comfortable about the next phase I would buy only the materials needed to complete that portion, and then repeated the process many, many times over.

Foundation, stand, slab for dome, dome, insulation, vermiculite/cement over dome, counters, stucco, painting, tile, finishing touches. snip

Thanks, I'm an analytical person also, I must gather a lot of information before I act.

Go big Red!

[Tscarborough]

Re: First Post here

The FB plans are best practice, to the point of massive overkill on certain aspects for certain areas of the world, like DFW.

If you want localized best practices for a particular aspect of your build, consult your local suppliers and trade associations.

The best investment you can make is simply to grab a beverage and read through the posts on this board. There are many threads with step by step builds, including many pictures.

As for other plans, I can tell you from a professional standpoint that there are no better ones than the free ones offered here, and there are many out there that are not really that good, if not downright wrong.

[Ken524]

Re: First Post here

Lburou,

I started out just like you are. I scoured the internet for plans and ideas. I found NOTHING that came close to the comprehensive plans that FornoBravo provides for free.

This forum is very much biased towards the Pompeii Oven design and I think with good reason. Before I built my oven I had NO masonry experience. I am an avid do-it-yourselfer but have never tackled a project like this. Many others here have much less experience with tools than I. The really cool thing is that all of us who built using the Pompeii plans have working ovens. And they work AMAZINGLY well.

We often have visitors to the forum who built ovens based on other plans (or no plans!). They ask us why their ovens aren't performing properly. Almost all the problems other builders experience could have been eliminated by following the Pompeii Oven plans.

You found the right place for Wood Fired Oven info!

[Lburou]

Re: First Post here

Lburou,

I started out just like you are. I scoured the internet for plans and ideas. I found NOTHING that came close to the comprehensive plans that FornoBravo provides for free.

This forum is very much biased towards the Pompeii Oven design and I think with good reason. Before I built my oven I had NO masonry experience. I am an avid do-it-yourselfer but have never tackled a project like this. Many others here have much less experience with tools than I. The really cool thing is that all of us who built using the Pompeii plans have working ovens. And they work AMAZINGLY well.

We often have visitors to the forum who built ovens based on other plans (or no plans!). They ask us why their ovens aren't performing properly. Almost all the problems other builders experience could have been eliminated by following the Pompeii Oven plans.

You found the right place for Wood Fired Oven info!

:epiphany: I feel myself being drawn "to the Pompeii side".

[cabsauv]

Re: First Post here

Hi Lburou,

I like many I too spent many hours of planning and reading, the FB site is the best in the world. I was amazed that there are so many like minded people around the globe. I'm a tradesman, but not a brickie, it has been almost an obssession over the past 12 months but to light that first curing fire over the weekend was a real buzz.

You've made a great start; given that you've found FB all your questions can be answered.

Best of Luck,

Regards,

[SDDuc996]

Re: First Post here

New to the forum and to brick ovens and masonry.
I am currently in Afghanistan and we've been talking about building a brick oven on our base for morale reasons. It also helps that one of our guys use to own a pizza place in New York and said he'd "do it up right".

I'm trying to find some of the easiest designs, so that we could make one easily here.

[Lburou]

Re: First Post here

New to the forum and to brick ovens and masonry.
I am currently in Afghanistan and we've been talking about building a brick oven on our base for morale reasons. It also helps that one of our guys use to own a pizza place in New York and said he'd "do it up right".

I'm trying to find some of the easiest designs, so that we could make one easily here.

I'm making a lot of assumptions as I respond to your query:
1) It may be a short lived installation
2) It may need to service a larger group of people in one firing
3) It will be used for more than baking pizza
4) It may be hard to find some of the 'usual' components
5) Who knows what other variables you are dealing with

Of course, the consensus here is that a domed oven is the best all around oven style for the homeowner. Serving more people at one time, or, in a location that may not be there in a year, you may choose to consider another style oven. Aside from building an oven on a trailer, you might want an oven like This or This.

Whichever oven you choose, try to get some insulation under the cooking floor of the oven. That will provide the extended cooking time you will need for the larger groups. The information on each phase of your oven build is available here, I trust 99% of the advice I've seen given here.

Well, there you have a stab in the dark, HTH.

[Tscarborough]

Re: First Post here

Make a beehive of dried laid mudbrick with an angle iron for the door opening support. Just look around, I am sure there are plenty of them there.