Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

[Breven]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

Now that I look at your pics, I see you have a very intersting design. I'm not really the right person to ask, I'm working on my first oven too. I'm in the curing process now, so I don;t even know how long it's going to take to heat up my oven. I built the Pompeii style oven and followed the examples. On my own, I would have no idea what to do.

You should probably follow the curing process steps though before you build a big fire in that thing.

[Ken524]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

adman2u:

I've looked at the pics and I'm a little puzzled. I don't have the big picture on the project yet. Can you post a couple of pictures of the whole project?

Does the chimney exit the very top of the oven dome or will it be catching the exhaust exiting the front door of the dome? Is the floor of the dome where you plan to bake pizza?

I'm concerned that the floor may not get hot enough for pizza due to all the thermal mass below it.

[adman2u]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

Breven
I have cooked in it already - my experience comes from building a big fireplace on my patio and a smoker (from mud & bricks - honest) I had researched for 2 years before building fireplace. Cracking and expansion is the biggest issue there. It is 3 years old and no cracks. Anyway I love to smoke stuff and a hurricane wiped out my smoker using my carport roof. I started thinking smoker then oven then tandori grill. This unit is super efficient in heat transfer so I'm burning stuff. The tandori part is fantastic. I can cook a whole chicken in 30 minutes to perfection. I smoked one thing and burned it in 2 hours. My old smoker took a bunch of wood and lost tons of heat. I need to learn. and I intend to build a "smoke house" for my top. Something good looking to set over flue. But the oven thing is all new. I have baked potatoes! Its too hot in FL to mess with it now. I am worried about your assesment of my wood usage. It has been my concern all along but I will tell you by closing the door and the chimney with fire bricks it really closes down the fire. I really hope your wrong about my floor. I see Ken H has said he thinks my floor it too thick? How crazy is that - we are all just having fun

[adman2u]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

Ken H
If you look at the pictures posted you can see my flue is a regular large chimney flue. The oven or firebox curves fast on the right side and not so much from the left facing the opening. I did this to give myself a place to radiate heat back down. The back also curves dramatically but front none. Keep in mind I am making this up as I go with little or no experience. BUT I'm a good researcher. Anyway I build a fire on the right under the curved part of the ceiling to load heat and walls then will shift it right under giant 13X 17 flue when cooking. This is a straight shot up from the firebox. The first flue is cut at 12 inches so it is 12 inches high. Then you see I cut in firebrick ledges on corners to hold my grill or firebricks. The flue I can block off to any size I want with firebricks. I hope this will act to reflect heat and reduce air. I added another 6 inches of flue above that. You can see the pictures I posted. So far I can only detect human error by the chef! I need a smaller fire for smoking. When it cools off I will try baking - bought yeast last week - Will post more pictures when the tile and stucco is dome. Remeber this unit is two sides or front and top!

[adman2u]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

Ken see my photo - trying to post first picture - You can see how firebox and flue go together adman2u - it also gives you and idea of how thick my concrete is going to be - the whole thing is sold - jeeze I might need two cords of wood to cook a doughnut!

[Ken524]

Re: Using Quikrete instead of Portland?

Sounds really interesting (and fun!). Keep the pics coming.