Wood consumption

[mski2]

Hi, I have been wanting to build an oven for years now, only to find out Forno doesn't sell kits anymore. Been trying to find fire bricks and don't know if the ones I found will work Muddox brand.
which got me thinking before I start I was wondering about wood ?
Here in So CA I have priced firewood at $200 to $400 a cord,
At that price would it be reasonable to operate a brick oven ?
Thanks any opinions would be appreciated.

[Gulf]

Hi Mski2,

Welcome to the forum,

I didn't know that Forno Bravo had quit selling kits? Are you referring to the brick kits?

Muddox sells fine products. You will need to look at the material datta sheet to know what you are getting.

The medium price of that per cord sounds about right. However, you can offset that price, by searching for free sources of wood.

[mski2]

Thanks, Gulf
Yes the brick kits.
Guess Ill call for a sheet.
That seemed a lot for wood, there is free wood locally sometimes but usually its eucalyptus and I dont know if it is suitable for cooking food. I can drive to in-law's cut my own free but have to check if I can transport it due to bark beetles.
Any idea how much it takes to fire a 42" oven, I know it varies but ballpark.
Thanks again

[Gulf]

You can use eucalyptus for the initial heating as long as you are intending to fully clear the dome. Then, switch to hardwood just before cooking. Don't overlook wind/deadfalls as a source of wood. Most of it dried on the tree before falling. No limb or twig is too small to use as fuel.

My oven is 44". It takes about a wheel barrow full of wood to clear my dome.

[mski2]

Hi, asked earlier about firebrick, got the SDS , $1.75 each .
Any thoughts?

Firebrick Data Sheet 0119.pdf

[UtahBeehiver]

These are low duty wire cut fire brick which have a 1800 F temp use. Should be fine for a pizza oven. Wire cut bricks are not quite as consistent in dimensional squareness vs a pressed brick but fine for an oven, you just need to chose the best ones for the floor and the others for the dome. Price is good for low duty bricks. Muddox is also a suppler of powdered fire clay that would be used in home brew mortar so you might as well check into that as well. Should be cheap, less than 10 bucks or so a 50 lb bag.

[mski2]

Thanks UtahBeehiver ,
does low duty vs medium relate to heat retention or just durability or both ?
Also Im still debating using forno mortar and insulation vs vermiculite and home brew, I can see myself screwing up home brew.
I can drive there to pick it up but the price just went up and adds alot to the build.

[UtahBeehiver]

There is a good brick primer in the Forno Bravo ovens plans, if you have downloaded them yet you should, they are only a few bucks and provide a good baseline (a little dated). Combine that with the latest construction, material, and design improvements from the forum blog and you will be in good shape. You really cannot mess up home brew. The hardest things for builders are finding fire clay, then lime, the rest is available at any big box store. Ceramic insulation for the floor and the dome are the best but also the most expensive but in the nominal in cost relative to the total project cost. So it is a budget issue. Nothing wrong with p or v crete, it just takes more to equate to high tech ceramic insulation.

Back to original question duty rating is typically the amount of alumina content, in your case 20.55, hence lower temperature rating and lower hardness but well within the requirements of a WFO.

[mski2]

I have the plans from a few years back, kicking myself in the butt for not buying a kit then.
I was just wondering because the plans firebrick primer says low duty was 30%, these are 20% .
Appreciate your help and thanks for your photo album, it explains a lot, that is fine craftsmanship.
Mark

[UtahBeehiver]

I really don't think low duty bricks will be an issue. As mentioned before you chose the best for the floor, the rest for the dome. Many builder have used low duty, in my case I used super duty plus 70% alumina and they are really hard to cut (but I got a deal on them) went through a dozen plus diamond blades where as builders with low duty bricks might only need one maybe two blades.

[JRPizza]

If you are going to make a tapered arch you might want to sort some bricks there the "thin" sides are parallel to each other as described in the thread below, especially if your saw requires you to make cuts from both sides of a brick to make the taper.

https://community.fornobravo.com/for...426#post418426