My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

[jrwalker]

I have had this old propane tank for a while now , with plans of making a cooktop/oven out of it.
I traded 4 quarts of honey for it , it is very heavy steel and was made in 1947.
Attached are some photos and a basic plan of how it will work (hopefully).
I have just made the first cutout and had a huge fire in it to burn out all the crud from years of propane , and burned the paint off the outside.
I hope the attachments work.
I am currently considering a few different ways of insulating the outside , once I have it up and running.
It is 31" in diameter , so the actual inside cooking surface will be about 18"x 31" which should be big enough for me since I will also have the outside stovetop/grill as well.
The fire can be kept going while cooking and it will have hooks and removable racks inside so that it can be used as a cooker/smoker as well.

[jrwalker]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

So , just wanted to update this post if anyone is interested.
I have the basic oven up and running and will do the finishing touches , cover with stone veneer and replace current chimney with a straight up vertical one in the spring , when I put new roofing on the patio.

For now , the oven is complete , 2 1/2" thick bricks were used for the cooking surface area , and act as a heat sink as well (so I omitted the sand layer) , the door is on , the steel cage is built around it and insulated with rock wool.

I added another air intake up front just under the stove top area , wood is fed in thru the removable stove burners.

It takes about 2 hours to get hot and holds that temp for about twelve hours , but I can keep a small fire going in the bottom while I am cooking if I choose.

I also installed a baffle plate at the rear to keep direct flames from burning the food , once it gets hot , it draws very well and doesn't smoke at all.

So far I have done two pizzas in the oven , it took about three minutes to cook , I have fried two steaks on the stove top and one pot of beef stew.

I will be baking bread today and probably another pizza tonight as well.

I am ordering a pyrometer guage and sending unit for a diesel truck , which reads temps as high as 2500 degrees , I will drill and install the sending unit in the front of the oven and attach the guage to the front of the steel cage to keep an eye on temperature at all times.

So far , it is working better than expected , I can cook three 14" pizzas in it at once , looking forward to baking bread in it today.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

I love it,it does what you want, with what you have.
Is it running of sticks or logs?

[jrwalker]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

Sticks , logs , wood scraps , it will burn pretty much anything I have on hand.

I live in a big fruit growing area and have access to lots of cherry wood when people are replacing orchard trees , i plan to get a few truckloads of cherry or apple wood this summer and that will be my wood of choice.

Right now i'm using mostly birch , I have an abundance of that here too.

[v12spirit]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

Good job. I like the whole idea especially using the pyrometer. Did you insulate under the oven? And does it brown the pizza evenly on top and bottom?

[jrwalker]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

Yes , the entire oven is insulated , except the front portion under the stove top where the firebox is , it throws just enough heat to keep your feet warm when sitting in front of it cooking in the winter.

Yes the pizzas brown very evenly , top and bottom.

[deejayoh]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

Very innovative. I think I would worry about burning my forearms off on the stove top reaching into the oven. Looks like a good idea to have it sitting low!

[jrwalker]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

Very innovative. I think I would worry about burning my forearms off on the stove top reaching into the oven. Looks like a good idea to have it sitting low!

It's no problem , the door hinges down and covers the stove top when you open the oven.

Here is a picture where the burners have been removed and it is being used as a grill , grilling some elk burgers my neighbor gave me.

I was originally going to raise it up higher , but after using it a few times , I decided I like it better down low where you can sit and cook on it.

I have a damper in the chimney , when the wood has burned down to red hot coals , i close it and it holds the heat in the oven , getting it up to temp way sooner , it seems to be very fuel efficient.

I cut some better firewood , some well seasoned Larch , the oven was well over 600 degrees in less than an hour (my current thermometer only goes to 600) , I did some more bread , a pot bread that usually takes about 45 minutes in my electric oven , took only 20 minutes in this one.

It was actually way too hot for bread , I had to leave the door open and constantly turn it , I will need to get my pyrometer set up soon.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

A very practical and efficient oven made with re-purposed stuff just excellent.
Is the front tube to feed more wood or just a air intake?

[jrwalker]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

It is a second air intake , the one down below just didn't seem to let enough air in.

I made meat pies in the oven yesterday , took 20 minutes , they take on a beautiful brown rustic look when done in a wood fired oven.

I just love this thing , I'm going to do some smoking in it this week , maybe a brisket.

I have another one of these tanks , my plan is to build another one with some improvements , and with an axle under it so it will be mobile , should be interesting.

[d.land]

Re: My plan for a steel oven and stove top.

I can?t wait to see it. Please keep us informed of you progress (with lots of pictures).

D.