Oven on wheels

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

Thanks Dave,
The pizza was crisp underneath, chewy in the middle. Different to the pizza I make on the stone, but enjoyable. I thought I needed a little more heat, but as you can see in the previous photos, the oven is still giving of water, so I figure it'll get hotter and crisp things up a little better as it dries out.

The oven dome really only cleared down the middle. I'm assuming that ovens built to the classic pompeii style, round with a 63 percent high opening, and fully cured, will clear the whole dome if you try hard enough?

Pizza made as per the wife's instruction. Didn't want to make a batch of sauce for one pizza, so a brush of garlic infused olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt, slices of tomato, sprinkle of herbs.

Just made a batch of dough and, more importantly, a turning peel.
Scrap of stainless sheet, plus a bit of steel tube from an old Hills Hoist that a tree in my back yard demolished when it blew over in a storm. Knocked off work too late for the hardware shop, couldn't find any nice timber for a handle in my "it'll come in handy one day" pile, so steel handle it got.
Its amazing how many tools you need. I confess to having not considered this until now.

I'm improvising at present. I have the big aluminium peel I found on special at Harbourtown, an old garden hoe for fire management, the wooden handle isn't fairing well, a bent piece of flat iron for raking out the ash, homemade turning peel, haven't done a longer handled wooden peel for putting the pizzas in yet, need a steel bucket for the ash, I don't have any sort of heat proof brush, so I'm blowing the ash off the floor with a piece of curtain rod, I've got one of the wife's old tee shirts wrapped around a piece of tree branch for mopping the floor, and no door yet.
Tomorrow night is wednesday night, which is pizza night at my house, so if it isn't too cold and windy, they'll be cooked in the oven.

[Bacterium]

Re: Oven on wheels

Onya Mick, enjoying the fruits of it all.

For cleaning the floor for pizza..... I picked up a new mop head(old school type) from paramount browns pretty cheap, it goes in a bucket of water on the floor and I just wring it out by hand when ready to use.

Invariably some visitor will ask during the night if its my general house mop at which point you tell em Ahhhh the pizza oven is hot enough to kill all those bugs

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven on wheels

Gudday
Goodonya Damon.....I use a a large eyelete in a hardwood pole with strips of old cloth I replace when grubby....just so it doesn't look like the kitchen mope!

Mick the main problem with rough tools is the damn things if they work well you never get around to remaking better looking models! and sometimes it just aint worth it
My favourite ( and roughest looking) is a metal curtain rod with a metal tent peg jammed in the end. You can push logs and fire and such around the oven then use the hook to get out dishes. Cause the handle hollow it never gets hot either. I made Mk 11 but it was to heavy and the handle got hot so I went back to the first.

Regards Dave

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

Well, first pizza night with the wood oven was "OK" to me, rest of family delighted.
My issue - I'd like the floor to be hotter!
The dome cleared in 50 mins from when I lit the newspaper under the kindling.
By this time I was measuring 315 C on the floor bricks.
I think though, its only surface temperature.
When I pushed the fire to the back the floor cooled pretty quickly. I kept a flame going over the dome, but after two pizzas, I raked the fire back over the cooking area while I prepared the next one.
I reckon I still haven't got all the water out of the floor. Last firing was still making visible condensation on the interior of the enclosure, so I suppose its probably not fully dried yet. DavidS did warn me that the water in the vermiculite layer takes a lot of shifting if you don't let it dry out before you lay the floor bricks.
The pizzas were crisp on the bottom, but I'd like them to be browner.

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

The last pizza of the night was a disaster. I've got a long way to go with oven management - I have no work bench out by the oven yet, so I was making the pizzas on the kitchen table, then running out to cook them.
The last pizza was one of my favourites.
Smoked oysters, anchovies, cheese, tomato, topped with an egg.
The egg was my undoing. On the trip out the door I managed to run the egg over the side and that was all she wrote. Could not get the pizza off the peel!
Ended up leaving it on the peel and waiting for the crust to cook a bit then scraping the pizza off. The peel ended up as firewood. The pizza survived, but only just. Anyway I threw it in the fridge at the end of the night, thinking I'd probably throw it to the chooks this morning.
Instead, it looked surprisingly good this morning so I broke the habit of a life time, and had leftover pizza for breakfast.
Turned out it was like most food I have ever smoked in my life, the full smoke flavour isn't apparent straight away, but develops well if left over night in the fridge.
It was really tasty. Talk about moreish. I'm now wishing I'd eaten the lot. Lunch is not too far away I guess.
I reckon this is gunna be good, once I get a few thing sorted.
I need to get a workbench, I need to make a rack or hanging rail or something so the tools fall easily to hand, and I'm hoping the oven will improve as I cook it drier.

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

Well people,
The oven is near enough to finished. I've stacked up some bricks to exclude those pesky evening winds we get for 7 months a year. When I get time I'll mortar them in permanently. I'm thinking that once I have done that, I'll hinge a stainless outer door off the vent so I can close things off.
Today I made a long handled peel for loading the pizzas in (I already have a nice aluminium one for getting the cooked pizzas out), a stainless steel door, and a hooked scraper for clearing out ash and manoeuvreing pies. Aagh....I've turned into an American - I just called a pizza a PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used a mirror and a torch to survey the inside of the dome, and I cannot see any problems at all. My dear wife is so confident she has invited her best friend for dinner next pizza night.
What a journey! Funny thing is, I think I've only just begun. It's one thing building it, then you have to learn to drive it!
Many thanks for all the advice and encouragement along the way.
Regards,
Mick

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven on wheels

What was the point of putting it on wheels and then putting a shed around it?

[david s]

Re: Oven on wheels

Mick,
It looks like you could do with a decktite to seal the flue on the roof. You can get them from Bunnings, but you'll need the red one which will handle the temp.
Hope your guests won't confuse your oven with an outdoor dunny.
Cheers,
Dave

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

What was the point of putting it on wheels and then putting a shed around it?

If you recall, I long ago decided to forgo the wheels and park it up permanently. Actually, apart from the wheels, it's exactly what I intended to do, I just can't wheel it away. A pity in some ways. For instance, I'd be able to move it around to get away from the flaming wind.

One thing about the shed - I've had no dramas at all with water getting in during the rains we've had lately.

Even so, it's still not fully dry - I put my old fashion hygrometer in there today and it's still more humid inside than out.

Dave, I didn't know you could get a high temp decktite - I've currently just run a bead of silicon, which seems to be standing up admirably, but next time I'm at Bunnings (nearest one about 200km away) I'll have a look. BTW, its meant to look like a dunny.

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

Pizza night last night.
Eight pizzas as fast as I could build them. No bench out side yet to build them on, so I was running back and forth to the kitchen. Which is OK because everyone else retreated out of the weather anyway.
No pics, they got eaten as quick as I could build 'em, too.
Raining when I lit the fire. The "shed" works out really well - this is definitely an all-weather proposition.
I have a covered walkway from the house, so cooking pizza in the rain was no problem.
After a couple of pizza nights, I reckon I know what I want to do with the entrance now with regard to wind exclusion, etc.
Nearly burned the first pizza, no more than 2 minutes, which actually exceeded my expectations.
Seems to be getting hotter, quicker. Wood consumption remarkably low.
Less than an hour to a clear dome, cleaned the cooking floor which measured hotter than the first time - must be drying out, then let a couple of logs keep everything hot while I made the sauce, sliced ingredients, and built the first pizza.
Slid it into the oven about 1.5 hours after striking the match.
I think, apart from abandoning the idea of wheeling it away when I wasn't using it, the oven has fulfilled the design criteria - quick heatup, ideal for pizza nights during the week, total cost a touch over 400 bucks.
I was inspired by the smaller FB ovens like the Primavera 70, and later by the excellent Andiamo 70 - how brilliant is that baby. Unfortunately I was a long way through the process when that beauty came along.
I'm very glad Cobbler Dave and DavidS convinced me to add extra insulation between my floor bricks and my scoriacrete slab. It's not that I think the floor wouldn't have worked without it, but the extra insurance is very comforting.
Pictures soon.
Regards,
Mick

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

I'm going to have to look through the forum for ideas on lighting. The flickering light from the fire is very romantic and all, and its enough to see to manipulate the pizza, but cooking at night I struggle to see whether the crust is cooked, etc.

[Gulf]

Re: Oven on wheels

I'm going to have to look through the forum for ideas on lighting. The flickering light from the fire is very romantic and all, and its enough to see to manipulate the pizza, but cooking at night I struggle to see whether the crust is cooked, etc.

I'm thinking about a cap light. They are handy as heck, even during the daytime, for old eyes . Might even try to mount one to the peel. They may even fit a bush hat .

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

I've got a similar item! A headband rather than clip on a cap. Might have to give that a try.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven on wheels

Gudday Mick
I'm in the process of building an oven for a mate. It has be be as inexpensive as possible so we have started with an old garden bed which we are preparing to lay a slab on



Plan is for a 25 in oven and paver construction ....so I thought of you and your oven. Plan is to cut the brick in 1/2 so 3in thick dome. I undecided about the hearth as yet. A few option

Paver single layer thats 2 in
Pavers double layer thats 4in
I have 17 odd firebrick buy say 20 more and give it a 3 in hearth

Hows your oven going now have the pavers proved to be durable? Of course I read you post on using the sandstone pizza stone in your oven so of course its raised questions in my mind.
The pavers I have got so far have a flat base and a top surface which has rounded edges which I would probably lay base up to gain a flatter hearth.
Any thoughts or insites would be great

Regards Dave

[wotavidone]

Re: Oven on wheels

Dave,
Apologies for the long reply, but I might as well tell you everything I've learned.
First off, I have used my oven once per week without fail since "I finished" it.
(I keep meaning to mortar in the bricks I am using as a windbreak, but never quite get around to it.)
That's from about the beginning of August. So, over a dozen serious pizza nights. There seem to be no problems with longevity. No spalling, no cracked bricks, etc, that I can see. Any cracks in the homebrew mortar can truly be defined as hairline. Its gotten very quick to heat, no problems getting it fully white in an hour. Pictures attached I took this afternoon when I saw your post.
As you know, I cut the pavers in trapezoids and laid them on the edge, resulting in a 2 inch dome. I became a little worried about this being stable, and put a layer of lime mortar and chicken wire over the top, resulting in an approximately 3 inch dome. This is all backed up with vermicrete between the dome and the outer walls of the enclosure, so its essentially a block of rigid concrete foam with a semi-hemispherical cavity tiled with pavers, and its not going anywhere in a hurry.
If I get home from work by 5:30 and stuff in some wood and light the fire, I'm cooking pizzas before 7pm and cleaned up and watching TV by 8pm. But, I haven't attempted to cook a loaf of bread in it yet. The best temperature I've seen next day is about 110 degrees C at 7am. The door is only a piece of 1.6 mm stainless steel sheet, I suppose an insulated door would improve that somewhat.
Should just about get a full floor for a 25inch oven out of 17 nine inch by four and a half inch fire bricks, especially if you lay the floor inside the walls.
Then make the dome 3 to 4 inches thick with pavers.
Gut feel says to make the dome a little thicker than the floor. I can't explain why, but it feels right.
The sandstone pizza stone went in because early in the piece (second pizza night) I was dissatisfied with how brown the bases of my pizzas were getting. Using the stone fixed it, and left me wondering whether the pavers were no good for heat transfer.
Now, the pizzas are getting nearly burned on the bottom before the top is cooked and I'm going to try it without the stone shortly, as I think the oven has improved, so has my management of it.
I think what happened was what the other David warned me about. If you don't let your vermiculite layer dry out before you lay the floor, it takes a dozen fires to dry the floor out when you start using it.
The pavers on the dome are Littlehampton wire cut pavers, which don't have bevelled edges. The ones on the floor are pressed pavers which do have the rounded edges.
My pavers were 9x4.5x2 inch. If I'd cut them in half and laid them on the flat it would be a 4.5 inch thick dome. Not sure how you get a three inch dome by cutting pavers in half, unless your pavers are a different size to begin with?
If I was to do it over again, I would wobble up to the Littlehampton brick company, and buy their "odds and sods" end of run wire cuts for the dome. they make a 70mm paver and I would use those, just to add a little extra stability and mass, but still cut trapezoids and lay them on edge, and back it with a reinforced mortar layer.
I would use pressed pavers for the floor again, with the rounded edges up, it makes it far less likely that you will catch the edge of the peel on the joins.
Hope some of this helps.
Really, if you go for pavers and home brew mortar, your biggest expense should be the insulation.
I really don't see anything at all wrong with using pavers. Solid bricks are no longer easy to find, clay pavers are common and are really only a high fired skinny brick anyway.
I'll let you know how I go after tomorrow night, I'm planning to take the stone out and see how I go.