"De La Capra" oven build

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

So one thing I wanted to build, since FB will not sell one to you, was an insulated door. I bought 1/8" sheet metal from a local supplier, and with some leftover insulation, and a good friend who has about every tool in his shop, came up with this. Has 2" of insulation and we welded a stainless steel nut on the outside to secure the thermometer.

It is not done, still needs the wooden handles, final grinding to fit and paint, but I noticed that the oven is now about 50 degrees hotter in the morning after making pizza.

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but it was around 30 degrees that day and we worked outside. This was taken in his back room before welding. I will try to post a more finished picture soon.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

...again just starting the journey?.

I plan on sourcing the materials locally so can I not just get the chimney I want??

If you build from scratch, yes. If you buy one of their ovens, no. I wanted to swap the double wall with single wall and pay the difference when I purchased the Casa 2G90, but for some reason, FB would not allow that.

[scratchedup]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

...again just starting the journey?.

I plan on sourcing the materials locally so can I not just get the chimney I want??

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Just joined here. I'm looking seriously at one of these. + I'm old and am a home chef.....BGE.

Since you have blazed the trail what are pros/cons of double vs single wall chimney?

Having the opportunity to examine both in person, I would say the biggest advantage is the insulation. Even with the oven fired at 900 degrees, the exterior of the double wall chimney never rises above 85 degrees. The fit and finish is excellent, and I enjoy the piece of mind from the spark guard. It went together surprisingly easy, just twist and click.

The single wall chimney that comes standard is nowhere near the same quality. Feels flimsy and cheap.

The only con to the double wall would be the $$. Depending on what length pipe you need, it runs around $110 for a 2' and $160 or so for a 3' piece, plus the top and anchor plate.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Still on a learning curve, but I was told by one of my neighbors this is the best pizza they've ever tasted.

[scratchedup]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Just joined here. I'm looking seriously at one of these. + I'm old and am a home chef.....BGE.

Since you have blazed the trail what are pros/cons of double vs single wall chimney?

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Still taking a break from working on the WFO this week. Here are a few pics of bread we made for Thanksgiving, and the smoked turkey I did on the Kamado Joe.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Here are some pictures of the Kamado Joe side table we are building. Lucky to have a stone center nearby with very talented people! The circular cut looks amazing. If I had to do it again, I would have done it out of 1 slab. It was a PITA to get both pieces to match up and have a slight incline so as to drain water when it rains.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

NCS,
A very beautiful build! I was just wondering if there is an air space or insulation layer between the fire brick in your fireplace and the block lining?

I have 3-4" of insulation and the rest is filled with vermiculite. So, no air space between the oven and cinder block, but there is plenty of insulation!

Wound up with a lot of left over vermiculite, and I decided to just fill the cavity. I go the idea from another build on a different forum.

Sunday I had the oven door out (building an insulated door....pictures and details to come), was in the 30's all day and the temp went from 550 around 10am to 200 by 6pm.

[Gulf]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

NCS,
A very beautiful build! I was just wondering if there is an air space or insulation layer between the fire brick in your fireplace and the block lining?

[Greenman]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Looks very good. You must be pleased with the result and even if it takes time it will be there for a very long time. Congratulations.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Few more pictures of the stone veneer going up. Did I mention it is taking a really long time?

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Next up -
Concrete roof, fireplace brickwork, stucco for Kamado Table area and firewood area, and we finally started the stone veneer.

Stone veneering is taking a lot longer than anticipated, but I wanted really tight joints, and the end result will be worth it.

We also fired up our first 2 loaves of bread. Delicious!

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Had some vermiculite left over, so I went ahead and filled up the oven enclosure with it.

Also started the curing process. I was lucky in that I had off that Thursday and Friday, so was really able to get 12-14 hours of curing over the 4 day period.

[ncsmoker]

Re: "De La Capra" oven build

Next step up - getting the oven installed. Hardest part here was actually getting the floor tiles level and straight. One thing I wished the instructions had included was to go ahead and once the oven was in, put some sand or flour around the inside of the oven to lock the tiles in place. Because there was a 1/2-3/4" gap between the tiles and the oven, the 2 small back pieces shifted backwards and left a gap between the tiles. Big PITA at this point to fix.

I realized that because the chimney sat so forward I would have to build an arch so I had something to butt the cinder block up to in the front of the oven. Overall, came out pretty nice and I actually hated to cover it, but it didn't go with the stone veneer we picked out.

I had some extra insulation, and as we were going to enclose the oven anyway, I put about 4"+ on the top and sides.

As you can see, it was a tight fit! The original plan was to enclose the oven over the base, but we had to leave the right side open to the fireplace and enclose the front and back of that space in order to fit everything in there.