New Member

[staestc]

Hi all,

I have been wanting to build an oven for years, and have read a few books and all over the internet for years as well. I finally have the space to actually build one, and am in the serious planning stages finally.

I have a ton of questions at the moment, but from just a brief search of the forum I can tell that most of them have already been addressed at one time or another. So I will spend some time going through what has already been discussed before I throw out a frequently asked question.

What led me here, was the fact that I want to build an oven with a stone facade and as much stone as possible that is visible around the entry. Most everything and every example on the net deals with brick. The type of questions I have at the moment are mostly about the hot parts around oven entry and whether stone will expand more than brick and cause stresses, etc.

Well, just wanted to say hello, and will start pouring over all the information here. Thanks in advance to all those who have posted to make this information available!

Travis n'Texas

[dmun]

Re: New Member

What led me here, was the fact that I want to build an oven with a stone facade and as much stone as possible that is visible around the entry. Most everything and every example on the net deals with brick.

Brick is easier because it's rectangular and dimensional. Most of the ovens that you see here that look like stone mostly have stone facades, a facing over the block/durock structure for appearance. There's not reason why you couldn't build a structural stone oven enclosure, it just would be more work.

As far as expansion, most of us have left a gap between the firebrick oven and the enclosure, not so much because of differential expansion, as because one part is so much hotter than the other. I just made a foil barrier between the oven mouth and the outside arch, so if something cracked, it would be there.

[staestc]

Re: New Member

Thanks dmun,

A facade of stone is exactly what I was describing. The base, and heart slab, and dome will all be done with block, fire brick, and probably fire brick respectively. I am just concerned about the interface between the fire brick and the stone at the oven mouth.

But then I have not yet begun to search this site for all the info that is here, but it is way cool to already get a response just from a hello!

Thanks,
Travis n'Texas

[dusty]

Re: New Member

Have you downloaded the Forno Bravo oven plans yet?

I did that first. Pretty handy.

Welcome aboard, you're gonna like it here.

dusty

[asudavew]

Re: New Member

Welcome aboard fellow Texan.

go Cowboys!!!!!!!

ask away

dave

[staestc]

Re: New Member

@ Dusty, yes, I downloaded and went through the Forno Bravo plans a couple of days ago. Now I have taken a step backwards and am pondering circular oven instead of the barrel oven that I had decided on before!

[asudavew]

Re: New Member

@ Dusty, yes, I downloaded and went through the Forno Bravo plans a couple of days ago. Now I have taken a step backwards and am pondering circular oven instead of the barrel oven that I had decided on before!

Dome!
It's much more versatile.. in my opinion.

If you are going to bake bread, pizza, roasts. .. etc...
A dome is the way to go.

If you are just going to bake bread. Then a barrel vault will serve the purpose.

My 2 cents.

Dave

[staestc]

Re: New Member

I was just going through your thread Dave, and had vectored off to the lava rock thread, when I got to the form you built for your hearth insullation pour!

Very nice form, by the way.

I am anxious to get through the rest of your thread, since I left it to read the lava rock stuff just after you completed the base. Thanks for all the photos, by the way

Travis n'Texas

[asudavew]

Re: New Member

Forget about the lava rock..........

Although I still think they would have worked......

[dbhansen]

Re: New Member

I'll second what Dave said. I too was almost ready to start a barrel vault oven when I found this site. Needless to say, I'm incredibly happy with my dome. It heats up fast and is quite versatile. I originally wanted an oven for bread only; I never knew that I would be so interested in making pizza! But I think you can cook just about anything in these ovens.

[egalecki]

Re: New Member

When I came to this forum in April, I was pondering a barrel oven too. I quickly became convinced that the pompeii oven was a better choice, even though it was a bit more complex for me to make. Much better heat retention capability (the barrel oven I was looking at making didn't have any insulation), the chimney is in a much more logical place (barrel wanted it out the back!), and it's a generally more attractive shape to my eyes.

I now have an oven which I can use for a whole lot more than I had ever dreamed of. I just wish I'd been able to get a 42 inch into the space I had!

[asudavew]

Re: New Member

When I came to this forum in April, I was pondering a barrel oven too. I quickly became convinced that the pompeii oven was a better choice, even though it was a bit more complex for me to make. Much better heat retention capability (the barrel oven I was looking at making didn't have any insulation), the chimney is in a much more logical place (barrel wanted it out the back!), and it's a generally more attractive shape to my eyes.

I now have an oven which I can use for a whole lot more than I had ever dreamed of. I just wish I'd been able to get a 42 inch into the space I had!

Did you build a 36" Elizabeth?
Your wish of building a 42" is funny, because I built a 42" and sometimes I wished I had built a 36".

Is the grass greener here?

[staestc]

Re: New Member

I'm leaning towards a 42" dome now, since when I drew out a 36" it seemed kinda small. I assume the door would be smaller as well, but have not actually looked up or calculated that yet.

I am curious though, why Elizabeth do you sometimes wish for a 42" and why Dave to you sometimes wish for a 36"?

Thanks,
Travis

[egalecki]

Re: New Member

I wish I had built a 42 because, while my 36 does do everything I need it to, and does it well, I would just like a bit more elbow room. Why? Well, you have to remember I've been used to cooking for 8 on a regular basis. I don't have to now, and I'm still learning to scale down... so really, the 36 is fine for us now. If I were making a lot of bread at a time, as I used to, I would have definitely gone with a 42. You can get more in with less crowding that way.

But then again, if I had a 42, I might not be able to reach in far enough to take advantage of it. I'm short. I also do not have a real peel yet, so my reach is limited to what I can get to with a cookie sheet. I have a couple of the "air bake" flat sheets which are no good for cookies at all, but they make ok peels...

[christo]

Re: New Member

I'm quite happy with my 39" and I'm pretty sure the grass is a bit greener here!!!

Cooked Pizza Saturday night; Bread sunday morning; left the door off to let it cool down some and put in a boston butt and a rather large chunk of beef to slow cook later that day. (BTW - I used the Paula dean rub and seasonings on the pork - it was great)

Yeah - pretty versatile!!!

Christo