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ultra shoestring budget pizza oven
Hi All! I have started the base for my oven using rocks and boulders gathered from my property and around the area(and my back is not very happy about it).
I'll throw in a bit of my history/ bio. Chef/baker by trade, have used many types of wfo as well as commercial gas fired hearth ovens. One of my favorites is a clay cob behive style oven built by volunteers for a historical reenactment village in Columbia state park in northern California gold country. It has a huge limestone base and was built with locally gathered clay. Many layers were built up, with lots of straw cob. The walls are probably 8-10 inches thick. It takes about 3 hours to heat up, but will cook steadily for 5-6 hours. My plan is to make a hybrid. I have been lurking on these forums for a while and have gleaned lots of information. As the title states ultra low budget, but I am going to create an outdoor kitchen that will have a built in barbecue smoker and grill alongside the oven. The base of boulders and rocks is very rustic and has been a challenge (some of the boulders are probably 400-500 pounds) . I set the first course of the largest rocks into concrete(no slab, using an area where there used to be an above ground Swimming pool, so it is nice and level with a good base of sand and gravel. Because I have been using my indigenous rock that is a mix of granite like fieldstone and slate/shale mortared together. The hardest part has been to reach a level finish point because of the odd shapes and sizes. I'm pretty close to finishing up the oven side(with a wood storage cavity).
Planning on a thick hearth, with the obligatory 3" structural slab poured in place with steel grids and steel bar for support. Using a piece of concrete/ fiber siding for the bottom of the form(it will remain in the slab) with removable support underneath. Then I will be using some gathered brick to create an island (don't have enough bricks for a whole oven) and fill that with empty bottles and perlite concrete for insulation. Then firebrick and some locally quarried marble for the landing. The oven dome will be clay that I gathered mixed with sand and Portland cement, then a layer of clay, perlite and Portland cement with some chicken wire mesh added in for structural support/insurance. Final finish should be a clay/cement stucco. Planning on a brick arch/chimney and incorporating some gathered rusty gold(old cast iron furnace doors and an arch for a fireplace)......the plan so far. Letting it come together pretty organically. I'm confident that the base will be sturdy enough, the hearth slab should be plenty strong as well. I'll get some progress pics posted soon. Wish me luck, lol. Open to ideas/criticism on all aspects. Phew, long winded post, thanks for reading.
Burnt_edges
I'll throw in a bit of my history/ bio. Chef/baker by trade, have used many types of wfo as well as commercial gas fired hearth ovens. One of my favorites is a clay cob behive style oven built by volunteers for a historical reenactment village in Columbia state park in northern California gold country. It has a huge limestone base and was built with locally gathered clay. Many layers were built up, with lots of straw cob. The walls are probably 8-10 inches thick. It takes about 3 hours to heat up, but will cook steadily for 5-6 hours. My plan is to make a hybrid. I have been lurking on these forums for a while and have gleaned lots of information. As the title states ultra low budget, but I am going to create an outdoor kitchen that will have a built in barbecue smoker and grill alongside the oven. The base of boulders and rocks is very rustic and has been a challenge (some of the boulders are probably 400-500 pounds) . I set the first course of the largest rocks into concrete(no slab, using an area where there used to be an above ground Swimming pool, so it is nice and level with a good base of sand and gravel. Because I have been using my indigenous rock that is a mix of granite like fieldstone and slate/shale mortared together. The hardest part has been to reach a level finish point because of the odd shapes and sizes. I'm pretty close to finishing up the oven side(with a wood storage cavity).
Planning on a thick hearth, with the obligatory 3" structural slab poured in place with steel grids and steel bar for support. Using a piece of concrete/ fiber siding for the bottom of the form(it will remain in the slab) with removable support underneath. Then I will be using some gathered brick to create an island (don't have enough bricks for a whole oven) and fill that with empty bottles and perlite concrete for insulation. Then firebrick and some locally quarried marble for the landing. The oven dome will be clay that I gathered mixed with sand and Portland cement, then a layer of clay, perlite and Portland cement with some chicken wire mesh added in for structural support/insurance. Final finish should be a clay/cement stucco. Planning on a brick arch/chimney and incorporating some gathered rusty gold(old cast iron furnace doors and an arch for a fireplace)......the plan so far. Letting it come together pretty organically. I'm confident that the base will be sturdy enough, the hearth slab should be plenty strong as well. I'll get some progress pics posted soon. Wish me luck, lol. Open to ideas/criticism on all aspects. Phew, long winded post, thanks for reading.
Burnt_edges
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