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I'm currently in the early stages of planning an Alan Scott style oven primarily for baking bread. Since this forum is so active and the principles of the two designs are similar I've been doing a lot of research here in addition to the Bread Builders book, The Fresh Loaf forum, and Scotts plans.
In comparing the two styles the biggest difference other than shape that I see is the construction of the hearth slab. Scott has you suspending the cast concrete in between the the block foundation with the rebar overtop an insulating layer of perlite concrete. The he has the firebrick oven floor going directly on top of the concrete with only a thin layer of fireclay and sand to level them out.
The FB plans for the hearth run counter to that on nearly every point with a concrete slab poured directly onto the block foundation, and then an insulation layer placed over that, followed by the bricks.
The purported benefits of the floating concrete slab in Scotts plans are the ability to move the oven should that ever be required, and to allow the slab to move slightly as the temperature changes. The plans also talk about the mass of concrete storing additional heat ideally allowing for more loads of bread to be loaded before the oven cools down too much.
I'm wondering if anyone knows or could make an educated guess as to what accounts for the differences in the plans? why the FB plans don't account for a shifting hearth slab? why they switch the layers of concrete and insulating material?
I appreciate any answers or additional thoughts
In comparing the two styles the biggest difference other than shape that I see is the construction of the hearth slab. Scott has you suspending the cast concrete in between the the block foundation with the rebar overtop an insulating layer of perlite concrete. The he has the firebrick oven floor going directly on top of the concrete with only a thin layer of fireclay and sand to level them out.
The FB plans for the hearth run counter to that on nearly every point with a concrete slab poured directly onto the block foundation, and then an insulation layer placed over that, followed by the bricks.
The purported benefits of the floating concrete slab in Scotts plans are the ability to move the oven should that ever be required, and to allow the slab to move slightly as the temperature changes. The plans also talk about the mass of concrete storing additional heat ideally allowing for more loads of bread to be loaded before the oven cools down too much.
I'm wondering if anyone knows or could make an educated guess as to what accounts for the differences in the plans? why the FB plans don't account for a shifting hearth slab? why they switch the layers of concrete and insulating material?
I appreciate any answers or additional thoughts