oven opening size

[jayhawk2]

Is there a formula for determining the size of the oven opening in relation to the volume of the oven? What happens if the opening is not large enough?

[Neil2]

Re: oven opening size

The height of the opening should be exactly 63% of the inside dome height.

Too high and the hot gasses escape before giving up their heat = much more wood to get the oven hot. Too low and you will not get complete combustion = sooty smokey oven that may never get to high enough temperatures. The 63% ratio is very important.

The width, on the other hand, is not critical , nor is the total area. The width may be determined by the build details but usually is in the range of 14 to 18 inches (or more). This is a practical width for working the oven and placing the food.