Oven Door Material

[PerryPizza]

I have a piece of thick cast iron I could use for my oven door, but it'll act as a radiator and will get very hot - someone has told me the baker's ovens have thick wooden doors which I could easily make, I'm not looking for anything super efficient or technical, does anyone have any experience/ suggestions?

[dmun]

Re: Oven Door Material

Wood makes a fine oven door, but you have to be careful not to put it in place before your oven cools to 500f (260c) or you'll char the inner surface. That's why many builders use a metal inner surface, and a layer of insulation, on the inside of any wood door.

Cast iron is heavy: remember you have to lug this thing in and out of the entry, and store it when not in use.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

hi perry,
I used a 2 x 12 seamed in the middle, Went to lowe's and got 2 sheets of lt. gauge steel about 12$ each i think, I wrapped the outside of the door in aluminum L channel.. and 2 brass pull handles I screwed into the wood, It's not the prettiest but works fine,
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: Oven Door Material

Actually, that looks like a great door. I would imagine that the wood makes a great insulator for the handles.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

yes,,, the lt. gauge metal is enough to keep the wood from burning and you dont feel any heat in the handles at all...

Thanks
Mark

[testadom]

Re: Oven Door Material

I was told that you can use a simple wooden door, but that it should be soaked in water for a while before using it. How long to soak it I don't know, but it seems to make sense.
it should be easy to build and not too expensive. A little experimentation and a door or two should be enough to figure it out.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

My uncle in Italy has a wooden door in his, This is especially usefull for baking as soaking the door not only keeps it from burning, but helps keep steam going in the oven when your baking bread....

[DimTex]

Re: Oven Door Material

I have some leftover FB insualtion and I was thinking of making a sandwich with metal on the oven side a batt of the 1" insulation and then some leftover plywood as the outside face. Anyone see anything wrong with the concept?

[Les]

Re: Oven Door Material

I have some leftover FB insualtion and I was thinking of making a sandwich with metal on the oven side a batt of the 1" insulation and then some leftover plywood as the outside face. Anyone see anything wrong with the concept?

No problem as long as you keep the insulation contained. You don't want the dust/fibers anywhere near your food.

Les...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

the plywood might not last as long with the outside moisture being as its laminated,, Thats why I used the 2 x 12

[DimTex]

Re: Oven Door Material

Les, Thanks

[PerryPizza]

Re: Oven Door Material

Well, I found a lovely old oak floorboard and made a wooden door in the time honored fashion of nailing 2 layers of tongue & groove at 90 degrees to each other (except I used modern screws instead of iron nails) - It's about 2" thick and seems to retain heat very effectively even though there is no insulating sandwich. I'm not sure if I'll add a handle at a later date, we'll see how it goes...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

Hey Perry,,

Love the way the door looks with your oven,, very nice.... Maybe just a bent piece of wrought Iron for a handle,, Do you plan on soaking it before you use it ?

Mark

[PerryPizza]

Re: Oven Door Material

Thanks Mark,

I have a pile of old iron farming tools I'll rummage through to see if anything is suitable, I'm sure something will grab my attention.

I read earlier in the post about soaking the door - you learn something new every day! - It is bone dry and rock solid right now, I think it will absorb moisture over the coming months but I might soak it a bit to start it off. I don't know if constantly soaking/ drying timber is a good idea though. I left enough room around the inner arch for expansion due to moisture so hopefully that won't be a problem...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Oven Door Material

Your welcome perry,

soaking the door not only keeps it from burning but produces steam which "I understand" is very good for baking bread....

Mark