Hello from Virginia

[egalecki]

I've been eyeballing a backyard oven for some time- I was initially attracted to them by the inability to make my inside oven hot enough to suit me when making pizza and bread. I was looking at the one you make with adobe and half a paper barrel at first, but I was turned off by the vent at the back.

I found this place quite by accident, and I am really impressed by all the ovens you all have made! I am convinced that the dome (I think Tuscan for me) shape is much better (thanks for the tutorial, James) than the barrel I was looking at making originally. This is a great resource, and I can tell that all of you are very helpful to those just getting started. You also seem to love good food as much as we do!

I don't think I can swing the shipping for supplies from CA, so I'm going to have to do some local sourcing. I know I can get the firebrick and Heatstop, but I am not sure about the insulating board or the ceramic blanketing. What kinds of options are there for those? A sheet of the insulating board looks like it will cost as much to get it here from CA as it does to buy it. Unless I'm wrong? (boy would I love to be wrong!)

I'm working out the location for the oven now, and my dh has already brought a load of wood down to split. It's little backward, but hey, he's enthusiastic about the prospect of pizza like he had in Italy. It also means I have to do this project, since we have no wood-burning fireplaces to use it up, and there's a big old pile of it in the yard now!

I'm going to do some more collecting of information before I begin, but when I get started I'll be sure to post and have pictures.

[RCLake]

Re: Hello from Virginia

You'll totaling love the process of building a WFO, and I wish I would have collected wood to season the same time I searched for materials. I found the majority of my items in Dallas about 90 miles away. Check yellow pages for insulation materials, also search the web. James (FB) has found two new products since I purchased my material, FR Board and Blanket; they cost probably half what he had previous and are competively priced. I don't know about shipping though.
Welcome and enjoy the build. Oh by the way is the dh your designated hitter?

[Ken524]

Re: Hello from Virginia

I don't think I can swing the shipping for supplies from CA, so I'm going to have to do some local sourcing. I know I can get the firebrick and Heatstop, but I am not sure about the insulating board or the ceramic blanketing.

You might be surprised. Most large towns have some sort of refractory supply for local kilns, commercial ovens, fireplaces, etc. As RC said, check the phone book and/or call some local brick suppliers and ask where to get refractory stuff.

A sheet of the insulating board looks like it will cost as much to get it here from CA as it does to buy it. Unless I'm wrong? (boy would I love to be wrong!)

Don't go by the shipping prices on the FB web store. In the past the shipping prices were screwed up. Call them on the phone to verify shipping cost. I'm not sure if James got that fixed or not.

You can cut corners and save $$ in several areas of your oven build, but DON'T skimp on the floor insulation! Bite the bullet and get the FB board or a similar product (or vermiculite concrete). If you find something locally that you think might work, feel free to run it past us. The folks on here have tried just about everything.

I'm going to do some more collecting of information before I begin, but when I get started I'll be sure to post and have pictures.

Excellent! We're here when you need us!

[orsonw1]

Re: Hello from Virginia

Check around for fire brick also if you have construction company that does demo they might have stuff that you can use. half the fun of the build is finding the stuff to build with. I just scored 400 old fire brick for 80 bucks today and a trailer load of pumice for insulation for free. good luck.

[gjbingham]

Re: Hello from Virginia

I agree with Ken on the floor issue. If you're going to build it, do it right. The cost of ceramic board for the floor of the oven is not so high. You will spend plenty before you are done. Nothing worse to finish the oven and find out that it doesn't perform as you desired. I followed the Pompeii oven plans. I'd add more floor insulation if I was to do it again.

[Frances]

Re: Hello from Virginia

Yep, same here... and if I could do it all over again, I'd get hold of an insulating blanket regardless of costs! Because even if the oven performs fine, you'll be going "I wonder if it could be even better...?"

Good luck and keep us informed! How about a picture of your split wood to be going on with?

[egalecki]

Re: Hello from Virginia

my computer just ate my post. or it has sent it somewhere strange, so if you see it somewhere else, just ignore it.

Trying again!

Sigh...

I went over to check at the local store (one of those you can't figure out how they're still in business with the big box ones around) to check on supplies. They do have firebrick for 1.19, which is pretty good for here, but the heatstop was 73.00 a bag. Not good. They did try to locate an insulator for me, but they were a little confused by what I wanted. I'll have to do a search and get more specific, I think.

They also think I'm weird to want to cook outside (unless it's on a nice gas grill). Apparently the advent of all the mod. cons. to Southwestern VA has extinguished the pioneer spirit.

I did get a tip from a nice man to go check with the chimney and fireplace guy I didn't know existed locally, however. Now, as soon as I can find him, I'll see what he knows.

Now I'm going to go ride. Day's too nice to be at the computer! And by the way- I've been watching how single-minded this project seems to be once you start. Maybe I need to put in my garden first? Freeze meals so my husband and kids don't starve while I'm out "putting just one more brick in this course"? 'Cause I know I'm going to get sucked into this once I start!

[gjbingham]

Re: Hello from Virginia

Check and see if there's a Mutual Materials or some other big corporation supplying masonry supples in your vicinity. You may be able to get a better price on the Heat Stop 50.

[Frances]

Re: Hello from Virginia

While you're at it, see if there's a WFO-builders Anonymous branch round where you live... sounds like you may need it

[Ken524]

Re: Hello from Virginia

but the heatstop was 73.00 a bag. Not good.

Actually, that's not too bad. I paid about $83/bag. You'll only need 2-3 bags.

[gjbingham]

Re: Hello from Virginia

Ken,
I thought someone posted about getting it for 35 -40 bucks a bag awhile back. I might be wrong.

[thebadger]

Re: Hello from Virginia

I just picked up 3 bags of heat stop 50 for about $79 a bag in Cincinnati.

FYI - I'm planning on making a 5-6 vermiculite/portland insulating layer for the hearth... for the added height and floor insulation.

Dick

[egalecki]

Re: Hello from Virginia

Hmm. The local concrete products supplier quoted me 62.00 a bag. It's looking like I might need to grab a couple of bags and the bricks at 1.19, since nothing seems to be getting less expensive these days.

If I buy it now, how long can you store the heatstop without it getting hard? Not planning to put this off unnecessarily long, but since I need my husband's help with the concrete, I may have to wait a bit. I will also have some work to do soon at my inlaw's new house under construction. Hey, maybe I can talk my mother in law into an oven, then I can guinea pig on hers??? (not likely, the new house is at the golf course and the covenants are sort of designed to make it look as though no one actually lives there, I think)

No matter what, I know that if I wait too long, we'll actually be back at real work (construction business is a bit slow right now, thank goodness for alternative income sources!) at some point, and I really want to get it finished before that happens. although when it does, I'll be too tired every night to use it...

[gjbingham]

Re: Hello from Virginia

I'm working from memory and not experience here - Make sure you get the Heat Stop 50, which is a unmixed powder. I think the pre-mixed pails are not water tolerant, and the stuff gets goopy again when it gets wet.

Anyone/everyone - please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

[egalecki]

Re: Hello from Virginia

For Frances:

Of course I have managed to post them in reverse order, but I did manage to get them to be smaller when you click on them. I think. I have lovely black walnut, locust and some chinese chestnut in there. What do you all use in your ovens?