Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

[okn]

low dome [almost] square oven on wheels

Last Tuesday I took Tom's advice and added some extra mortar to the top. I covered it with one of those blue tarps for the next 3 days because the weather man predicted rain (he was right 1 out of three days). When I finally got back to work, the mortar showed a lot of cracks.

[okn]

low dome [almost] square oven on wheels

So I got back to work on Saturday, but as luck (and a one year old and a five year old) would have it, I didn't get much accomplished. I did get all the sides insulated and some of the reinforcing welded in.

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

On Sunday, I decided that the way I was going to mount the smoke stack and landing I wanted to brick in the front as bit. This is another would not do again thing, took me too long to cut those bricks and then they never stuck well. I only put them in there to keep the hot flue gases and possible fire from direct contact with the insulation.

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

After messing with the arch, I welded the frame on top and the rest of the reinforcements. It was then Miller time, and I cooked a couple of pizzas in my home oven, hopefully for the last time.

As the night fell, I started my first curing fire.

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Insulation test. I did a simple man on the street test. I took a piece of the insblock 19 and hit it with a torch for a few minutes. Got up around the 500 F range fairly quick. The other side, still about 70 F range. I LOVE IT!

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

On the third curing fire. I'm using a propane burner for this fire. Added about 5" of superwool insulation to the top.

[V-wiz]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

good stuff. Keep it up, id like to see the performance of the oven once its all done.

[WJW]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Wow...I like it. That looks like it is pretty darn secure boxed inside of that angle iron and top cladding. (Nowhere for anything to go. ) The insulation looks great. I think that sucker is going to really work well.

Bill

[SCChris]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Okn, I'm also intrigued. On a related note, I spoke with Keith Guisto, who distributes Central Milling products out of Petaluma, and he built and used a bread oven on a trailer in San Fran many years ago. I also Spoke with Matt Guisto, a cousin, who works at Guisto's Vita-Grain, they mill most everything at their location in San Francisco and are available through US Foods with a resale card. Nice people with solid professions backgrounds with flour and grains along with the other goodies in their lines. I hope to be able to buy through my sister-in-law.

I met these folks at the Natural Products Expo West, in Anaheim and went focused Both Guisto's and Central Milling and ran into Bob's, King Arthur and One Degree Organic Foods.


Chris

[tusr18a]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Another suggestion would be to consider using metal bands, like you see on heavy duty cardboard packaging to secure the oven to the stand. In order to avoid issues w/metal expansion, the bands would be placed on top of the ceramic fiber blanket that I assume you will use to insulate the barrel. I have a commercially built mobile oven that uses this method. I have hit some major bumps that I was sure would cause the dome to collapse. The dome remains standing. I am confident that the metal bands are part of the secret of the domes longevity and durability.

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Well I prayed to God and took the oven for a stroll today. Everything seems good, no further cracking. Tonight I brought her up to 400 F. My wife and I grabbed a glass of wine and enjoyed the fire. I am LOVING IT!

[voon]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

okn, your rolling stand design looks very stout. I like the way you built the upper supporting structure to contain the oven. I will likely take some cues from your build when I start mine.

Do you know what the total weight will be once your oven is complete?

If you don't mind me asking, what gauge steel are you using? Looks like 11 gauge (1/8th inch wall thickness).

[okn]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Just check the oven this morning she's at 280 F! When I put her to bed last night she was at 380 F; I did use a piece of insulation as a door. LOVING IT!

Voon - Legs are 3" square 1/8" thick, Large angle (used for hearth base and top frame) is 1 3/4 x 3/16" thick, The small angle (used for bottom support and will use in the part of the smoke stack) is 1" x 1/4" thick. The 4" flat is 3/16" thick and I used some 8" flat that is 1/8" thick. I'll plan to build the smoke stack out of the 8" x 1/8" flat. As far as weight goes, I'll have about 350-400 lbs. metal, approximately 95 firebricks at about 7 lbs. each. Insulation is probably another 75 lbs. Then I will frame it in with cement board and then tile on that. So just guessing, I think I will be in the 1300-1500 lbs range when it is all finished. The casters I used were very cheap, but rates at 1000 lbs. a piece. Hope that helps for your guesstimation.

[voon]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

okn, thank you for the frame specs and weight estimate. That helps a lot. I have a light weight 2 inch thick concrete patio in the back that I want to situate my rolling oven on. I'm not sure what my patio can handle in terms of weight, but I don't want to have a disaster.

[Gulf]

Re: Thin walled Barrel Vault on wheels

Voon,
A ridgid wheel (metal or hard plastic tread) will transfer a heck of a lot of weight to a very focused point. If you can place a pad (maybe an 8" X 8" X 1/4" steel) under each wheel, the weight will be transferred to a larger footprint. This will take some stress off of your thin concrete. If you plan on moving the oven, (as I assume you do since you are making it portable), you will need at least one runner for each wheel, which is made from the same thickness steel. Conscider the runner as a track. When moving, you will need to roll the oven from the pads to the track, to the pads etc. etc., keeping the full weight of the oven off of a focused point on your thin concrete patio.
It might work. But, a reinforced section of your patio, to your storage area would be better.

just sayin'