Hello from UK.

[MGB4230]

Hello all, been lurking for a while and decided to join as you lot seem like good folks.

Hoping to start building my oven in the next few weeks so very much gathering info at the mo.

I am still in 2 minds about barrel or dome would prefer dome and have the plans from the site (thankyou) but my back garden is not very big so a barrel would be better from a width point of view, or rather my available space (what she says I can use ) is narrow. I am looking at a foot print of about 3ft 6 wide by 4ft 6 long.

I think I may end up doing a bit of a hybrid i.e oval shape maybe barrel in the middle with dome ends, does anyone have any info of a similar design.

cheers

Matt

[David Reekie]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi Matt,

I'm in the UK too (Enfield, North London) and I've nearly finished my oven which has the same kind of size constraints as you had. I've gone for a cast refractory concrete dome of c. 84cm inside diameter. Hopefully in a few days I'll post more info and pictures - might be useful. I won't know what the performance is like til I've used it quite a few times though.

I'm sure lots of other people will have good ideas.

Dave.

[MGB4230]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi Dave,

Nice to hear from another Brit.

Interesting, did you buy the dome or did you cast it yourself. ?? Would love to see pics. I'm hoping some good feedback comes through from the forum, at present I am thinking I will free style the design, i.e. remain undecided then see where the bricks take me once the base is laid. ()

Still unsure about type of brick to use for dome top, would love to do fire brick but they are soooooooo expensive and I'm a true Yorkshire man (Tight as a ducks you know what ) Cheapest new fire bricks I can find are in Sheffield at ?1.20 for 52 mm deep bricks or ?1.50 for 76mm deep bricks. (Ex Vat)

Think I will splash out for the oven floor then see what brick I can get at a reasonable price for the dome, just hope the weather stays good over the summer.

Cheers

Matt

[muppety1]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi folks, UK Suffolk- my oven has got to insulated floor level and I'm about to lay the hearth, I was looking for firebricks but found the same probs -ie. ?1.40 each ! I have opted to use some old floor pamments that are laying around the garden as edging! Well , I can think of no reason why not - these things are in a bread oven I know of that was built in 1483 so they must be fairly tough.Has anyone else used these ? My main search still, is for fireclay , cannot find the stuff here at all.

[TonyBatty]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi fellow UK builders!

Matt, I think you will really struggle with diy oven in the space you have. With 4.5" brick walls + 2" blanket + 3" vermicrete (my spec) that will only leave you with 42-2(4.5+2+3)= 23" dia Pompeii oven, 11.5" high and door about 6" high, if you follow the Pompeii design. If you start oing away from the design, you have to make compromises re surface temps, retained eat, what you can use the oven for. I'm sure I've read of small ovens around this size on here, you need to search the forum for details. A barrel design will give you a little more floor room but still some issues.

I think you need to sharpen up your persuasive skills and tell her of all the benefits she'll get if she lets you have a bit more space.

Good luck.

See my WFO building blog The Batty Blog

[kyle82]

Re: Hello from UK.

that sounds nice. i am not from uk but i made an oven that looks somewhat what they call kettle cooking oven. it's more of a brick-made oven. heat concentrated from the inside and fine vent. i had one chicken cooked in perfection.

[dmun]

Re: Hello from UK.

I have opted to use some old floor pamments that are laying around the garden as edging

Around here, paving slabs are made from concrete. If that's the case, that won't work at all. They will just break up in the heat. If they are fired clay, like terra cotta, than that might be a better bet. They still won't be as good as refractory tiles or firebrick

[MGB4230]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi Muppety, I too am thinking some heavy clay bricks, like the ones my fire place is made of should do the trick, after all they have been doing the job on the inside of my fire place for 120 years so should manage 3 or 4 firings a month, historically bricks round here were made in a place called Bramley and are essentially the same as a lot of the old mill chimneys in Leeds, big heavy red brick with a smooth face.

Hi Tony, I see what you mean about the size issue, (I did post earlier to say she wouldn?t budge so I would have to be inventive and make an oval oven but it didn?t upload for some reason) however I cunningly laid out some concrete blocks to show how big the oven would be in the position I previously had permission to put it and low and behold its now being moved to the corner (Where I originally wanted it) so I've got more space. Yeah !! .

Now looking at a footprint 4ft 10in by 4ft 10in so I recon I should be able to just about squeeze a 36 inch oven in if I use thinner but higher spec insulation.

[jammyweb]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hi

I am just rebuilding my oven mk2. My first was built on a very tight budget - a cylinder of house bricks and with a patio paving slab top - total area it was built on was 1.2mx1.2m.

It worked very well, the bricks did not crumble - neither did the paving slab roof.

I don't think it held heat that well though - but could easily do a 90 second pizza.

I am now rebuilding on the same base - using old storage heater bricks. I aim to do a proper dome this time. So far the base insulation and floor are down. I hope to get the dome and opening done this weekend.

There will be a time lapse video on YouTube when finished...

James

[mickfitz]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hello

I'm also gonna build my dome with storage heater bricks. How have you got on with the project? Any pictures please?

Mick

[sonomacast]

Re: Hello from UK.

I csat my first oven in the UK, it took me a few days to make the forms (And that is my job) I now live abroad and decided to build a brick oven, it only took 1 day, cost much less looks much better and I have never laid a brick in my life. Just use normal red brick for the dome and refractory brick for the slab.

[simsavage]

Re: Hello from UK.

Did the storage heater bricks work...I am thinking along the same lines...

[cannyfradock]

Re: Hello from UK.

Hello simsavage and other U.K members

I am also interested in finding out if storage heater bricks work. After reading many posts on FB forum over the last 4 months I realise that there are many types of fire/refractory bricks and would like to know if storage heater bricks actually work in a wood-oven.

The problem here in Blighty is that fire-brick suppliers are very thin on the ground. Forno Bravo U.K have a good range of ready made/kit oven's and wood-oven accessories but to find builders merchants or suppliers of basic oven building materials is very difficult.

Because of this problem I have been trying to compile a list of suppliers in the U.K. Any Brits wishing to help with names info etc. can leave a message on my home page or( if it's O.K with FB mods) click on this link for more info

woodpizzaovenukforum :: Index

Terry (C.F)

[muppety1]

Re: Hello from UK.

HI Folks.
Update on the materials used on my oven, finished in the summer-- I used the floor pamments, made from terracotta for the floor,very hard things ,but the diamond blade cut them ok in a hand held grindette. For the dome I purchased some bricks and the ready made mortar from Vitcas, they are so helpful it was worth every penny.