Hi from Oregon

[mine]

Steve here,
I'm all ate up about these pizza ovens and am planning a portable 36" oven.
Started drawings and material location for a springtime construction start.
What a wealth of information and ideas here!

[dmun]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Hey Steve, welcome. Building a portable oven is a challenge because the ovens work on mass and mass is heavy, and must be kept rigid to prevent cracking. It's been done, mostly with catering ovens on trucks and trailers, but it's not something you are going to tow behind a mini cooper.

[asudavew]

Re: Hi from Oregon

I want to build a portable too.
I think it would work well to make extra dough!

But I do have an Excursion with a big V10

My only concern is keeping it in one piece! Cuz man....... the roads in this town suck!
I'd probably bounce it into 250 separate bricks.

[Baba73]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Welcome Steve,
I am a newbie here also. Planning on a spring/summer build. Long winter for planning/saving. We got our first storm here in NH on Monday. About 8". The pizza stone will get a hearty workout this winter. Happy planning.

[asudavew]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Welcome Steve,
The pizza stone will get a hearty workout this winter.

Try some fire bricks in your oven. They don't break like stones will.

If you line the lower rack with bricks to put the pizza on, and then the top rack with more bricks to cook the top. It works pretty well. I went through about 3 stones in a less than a year before my WFO was ready!

Have fun!

[gjbingham]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Welcome Steve,
Where's Redmond? Are you planning a commercial venture with your portable?
George

[mine]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Redmond is in the middle of the state, 18 miles N of Bend.
No commercial plans, but along with my smoker we have talked about it.
Are you building?

[gjbingham]

Re: Hi from Oregon

Steve,
I'm just finishing up. Look in the Pompeii Oven Construction forum for George's Pompeii (or something like that) to see my pics.

If I was building a portable, I think I would purchase a Forno Bravo prefab and iron stand, both available in the FB store. Use all ceramic insulation, both under and around the dome, and do a stucco finish, which should be fine for your drier climate east of the Cascades. I think you'd cut down your weight significantly, and the cost would not be that much higher than building an oven from brick.

You might be able to find someone locally to do the iron work for the stand and save a few dollars there too. Otherwise, I agree with the others in thinking that a brick built oven might be too much weight for anything other than a heavy duty trailer.
George