Another UK oven started

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

Thanks everyone - couldn't have done it without you all, and especially this forum. I got my cheapo marble slab as an ugly 'occasional table' - by taking its legs off it gave me a nice slab to work on. Good old ebay.

My oven's only a small one, so I don't think I'll have your bottleneck James! Top recipe & pizza guide by the way - this was the first time I'd ever made proper pizza, and the instructions couldn't have been easier to follow.

[Wlodek]

Re: Another UK oven started

This is really a great setup Carl. Congratulations.

W.

[james]

Re: Another UK oven started

- picture 1, the pine cooking table. This and the four chairs were at a giveaway price from ebay, and the marble slab was another ebay find for ?1.20. I've been using the marble slab to make the pizzas on, as it seems easier to get the peel under them that way

I'm going to buy a second marble slab to set next to the one I already have. We're finding that the pizza making is going one to 1 1/2 at a time, while the oven can bake more. I think that's called a bottleneck.

With the second slab, we can get family dinner baked more quickly and everyone's pizza is hot at the same time.
James

[asudavew]

Re: Another UK oven started

Congrats Carl.
That's one fine oven.
One fine setup
And one fine pizza.

Excellent work.

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

And finally:

- picture 1, the pine cooking table. This and the four chairs were at a giveaway price from ebay, and the marble slab was another ebay find for ?1.20. I've been using the marble slab to make the pizzas on, as it seems easier to get the peel under them that way

- picture 2, first pizza! 9pm on Sunday night. Actually, it's the second pizza, as gravity ate the first one, but I'm getting better with that peel now. Made as per the excellent recipe in James' wood fired pizza pdf from this site - a great set of instructions, especially for a newbie like me

Thank you to everyone here for all the kind and supportive comments throughout my build. It's been a slow build, but I'm thrilled to finally be using this thing. If you're still in the middle of your build - keep going! You'll be finished soon - there were days when I thought I'd never cook in this thing.

I've still got a lot to learn with the cooking though...

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

More photos:

- number 1, my third door, made out of aluminium scrap, left over vermiculite, and the handle from doors number 1 and 2 (an old oak branch)

- number 2, the 12V halogen spotlight bulb fitted on one of the beams, angled to shine into the oven so I can see what I'm cooking/burning. The light (and the electronic thermometer) are powered by a 12V battery (old car battery from a now scrapped car), charged by a 5W solar panel on the roof of the summerhouse. The rest of the light comes from the Tilley lamps, hanging up

- number 3, the snazzy switches I use to turn the halogen light (blue) and thermometer (red) on and off with. They're hidden in the flint block wall - you can just see them off to the right of the oven entry. These look very nice in the dark - I originally bought them to use for my Landrover, but never fitted them...

- number 4, the oven instruction manual. Actually just an easy way to remember which thermocouple is where - I've got six in this oven (on the rotary switch at the front) and this seemed an easy way to keep track of them. The design is burned into some scrap oak floorboard - I hear it's called pyrography, but to me it's still called 'burning things with a soldering iron'

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

Finally - it's all finished, so time to wrap up this thread with the final pictures. I've posted some other details of bits of my build in other threads, so for continuity sake, here's the links:

- details of the heat retention with AAC hearth

- Bad ways to make doors

- A better door

I'll put up some final photos now it's all finished and try and talk through them a bit.

First picture here is the finished summerhouse from the front, now I've laid the block floor and added table, chairs and oven tools.

The second picture is the oven, stored wood (mostly waste wood, but the first of a load of split ash from my tree surgeon friend is on the top), and the oven tools. The peels and brush were bought, while the rest I've made from scrap aluminium and broom handles.

[Frances]

Re: Another UK oven started

Lovely graphs! Keep them coming - I'll be really interested to see what it looks like with a door on!

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

Had a longer fire last weekend (still drying the oven out - the flint & mortar introduced load of water into the thermalite blocks) so I had more chance to watch the oven cool down. Still no door, but hope to build one next few days...

I've added the graphs again below if anyone's interested - one degrees C, one in degrees F, depending on your preference...

I stopped adding wood after 1 1/4 hours (tea break) then added more wood until 4 hours, after which I left the whole thing to cool down. Interesting to see how variable the surface temperature of the dome is, and how it drops very quickly once the fire goes out. You can really see how all the heat is locked up in the core of the dome - the 2" thick probe remained hottest all the way through the cool down.

[sarah h]

Re: Another UK oven started

I was following your progress earlier on, then lost track for a while...
I caught up again this morning and just want to say well done - your oven looks great! I love the round shape and your stonework.
Happy baking!

Sarah

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

Thanks Frances for the kind words - I've really enjoyed the build. Must build a door this weekend... The insulation (loose vermiculite) got damp after I mortared all the flints in - it was steaming during this fire. Hopefully the heat retention will get better and better with more fires.

[Frances]

Re: Another UK oven started

Cool heat graphs, looks good. I'm thinking the heat retention will improve as the oven dries out more. And with a door of course.

Its been really fun watching your build. I loved the way you built your stand when I saw it just as I was starting out on my oven... and its just got better and better since then

[Carl]

Re: Another UK oven started

Thanks everyone for you kind comments. I'd like to thank everyone on here who has provided advice to help me get this far.

I had a longer fire on Tuesday this week, and used my 6 thermocouples to keep track of what was happening. I've attached the graphs below.

The oven was still very damp, and steamed after the first hour - I think this was water in the vermiculite, thanks to all the mortar and render I used to finish it off. No damage though.

The 'below hearth insulation" line is the one underneath my AAC (thermalite) block. It seems to work well as an insulator - never went more than ~25 degrees above ambient, even as the oven cooled over the 24h. I should add that all this is without a door on the oven...

[asudavew]

Re: Another UK oven started

Excellent.

It turned out very nice.

Congrats!

Enjoy your pizza!

Dave

[Wlodek]

Re: Another UK oven started

I know you have heard this here a few times, but I'll add my little voice to the choir of admirers of your ideas, your resolve and of the result. Looks great and I am sure it will work great too.

W.