Steel Dome Oven

[egalecki]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

No kidding. It's amazing. I just don't have the patience to get it that nice!

[Frances]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Its looking really good!

I'm jusr glad I didn't see this before I did mine... your birdcage is so nice, its nearly a pity to cover it up with stucco.

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Update for those who might be following:
Backfilled with vermiculite today. I used approximately 5 cu ft of vermiculite. If all goes well I will create the hardware cloth lid for the top of the dome tomorrow and start stuccoing :-)
Here's the photos:
Wiley

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Update;
I worked under our carport during the past few days of rainy weather. Yesterday, during a break in the rain, my wife and I placed the almost complete birdcage back on the WFO. There is still some shaping of some of the hardware cloth near the front where it meets the granite countertop, but other than that I am fairly pleased and so glued it down and covered it up against last evenings rain...yet again :-(

The photos show the 1/2 inch hardware cloth which covers the rebar armiture also if you look closely you can see the window screening I wired to the inside of the armiture. This will serve two purposes: First it will contain the loose vermiculite which I will pour in via the still open top. This will be the last of the insulating material over the dome proper. Second it will support the inside of the first layer of stucco... basically give something to push against (once it is backfilled with the vermiculite). All in theory as usual.

Also in the front view you can see the stainless collar which is separate from the chimney and attached to the birdcage. The stucco will meet this and inside there is about a 3/4 inch gap all around between it and the chimney. All expansion should be confined to the dome and none transmitted to the shell. Again that's the idea, only time will tell if it works.

Wiley

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Thank You, Wayne for the kind words. There are a few things I would do different but on the whole I am quite pleased with how my WFO has turned out so far.

I have the birdcage off the oven and am welding on some more support to change a bit the appearance of the entrance...give it the appearance of more thickness. Our weather is changing for a period of rain so I have moved the operation under cover of a car port. I should be tying chicken wire on tomorrow.

Garden Bay...is that the same Garden Bay that is part of Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast? My wife and I stopped there for a very pleasant couple of days going to and coming from Desolation Sound on our boat a few years back. Very beautiful location and looks like a great place to live!

bests,
Wiley

[waynebergman]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Wow Wiley I am impressed. I like your style. You must be proud of the concept and the way it has all come together. Its looks just awesome ...wayne

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Ovenrookie, Interesting site! Believe it or not I was originally considering building my steel dome as a "plug" (they're calling it a "former") and casting a dome over it. In the end I desided that I only needed one WFO and that if I was interested in starting a business then that would/might be a way to go.

However, I need to start a new business like I need another hole in my head. I'm happily retired (this Halloween makes ten years!) and find I do not have the time to do all the other things I want to do.

Wiley

[ovenrookie]

Re: Steel Dome Oven Update

Hi

You should check out the web link below, these guys make their clays ovens using a a mould that looks just like your pictures. Might find it useful? Good luck!!

Wood burning Pizza ovens ,Bushman Burners, African Pot House, Garden Patio Heaters & Chimeneas from Dingley Dell enterprises - How to make a Wood Burning Pizza oven

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Cristo, Not as much progress as I would have liked. Our weather has been unusally wet for this time of year.

Since I last posted to this thread, I have created and attached the rebar armiture for holding the chicken wire around the entrance and if weather permits this weekend I will attach the stainless collar for the chimney. What I'm doing is making a separate shell unattached to the dome itself. Since there is considerable movement in expansion and contraction and I figure if the oven moves in its own space there is less likelyhood of cracking the outer dome. I will be attaching several layers of 1 " chicken wire over the whole of the dome, much like a ferrocement boat is constructed. Inside surface will be a layer of metal screen door screening. This screen will contain loose filled vermiculite between the outer layers of the dome insulation and the shell. Because there won't be someone to trowel against (as there is in ferro cement boat construction) the screen will hopefully serve that purpose. We shall see.

At present I have the outer shell constructed so that I fit such detail pieces as the collar, tack weld them in place remove the birdcage and weld the piece. Then set the birdcage back over the dome for final check that all is well. If so then I will remove the birdcage and set it up on saw horses so that I have access to both the inside and outside. I'll then attach the chicken wire and then sew on the screen. Then replace the birdcage of the dome and fix in place with large stainless steel staples to the vermicrete layer and stucco. A couple of days work and I should be applying the first layers of stucco. That's of course, if I can get the weather to cooperate.

I have a small group of friends coming over for pizza tomorrow but I'll be free to work on the oven on the weekend itself. The weatherman says the weekend will be fine with rain again the beginning of next week. The results (pizza mainly)so far have been quite acceptable and well received :-)
Wiley

[christo]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Hey Wiley!

What kind of progress have you made in the last 10 days?

Christo

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

jengineer, I do not know why the newer plates tend to chip easier. It is my understanding that the glass used in the new model "Pyrex" is toughened sodium glass as opposed to the borosilicate glass used previously. The relative ease of chipping could be due to the different characteristics of the two glasses. Toughness is of course, different than hardness. Hardness is resistance to being scratched. Toughness is resistance to being broken. Perhaps the chipping is more akin to scratching than to breaking.
Wiley

[jengineer]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

thanks for the history leson on Pyrex - is this switch why the plates seem to chip easier?

[Frances]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Cool, I went through the same thought process and ended up doing something pretty similar, loose vermiculite and a second dome over the top... the difference being that my birdcage never looked anywhere near that nice.

Let me guess... you've got some experience working with metal, right?

Btw, I love the way your oven reflects on the polished landing. Only just noticed that, very cool!

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

Just an update for those curious or following this thread.

Two days ago I put the Kaowool insulation on the dome. There are photos on a reply I made to another thread on insulation. On that posting Les said that 3 " of kaowool is sufficient insulation and that one need not add more vermicrete insulation but that one could proceed to the final finish. But how? Seems that most who are doing a dome are applying a layer of vermicrete or perlcrete and then a layer of wire and directly applying stucco to that surface. That gives something to push against. Pushing wet stucco against the delicate and friable kaowool insulation seemed like a bad idea as this insulation performs better if it is not compressed.

Also my insulation is dry and I do not wish to go thru another drying cycle if I can help it. So what to do.. after a bit of head scratching I decided to build a separate free standing armiture to stucco upon. And to fill the space between that structure and the kaowool with loose dry vermiculite. Here's photos of what I built today. I call it my birdcage.The kaowool is covered with an old sheet to protect it from being abraded by a tarp to protect from the weather. The sheet will be removed in final assembly.

I'll tie window screen to the back surface of the birdcage to contain the vermiculite and to tie chicken wire to the front and stucco to that. The armiture will be glued to the base with construction adhesive.

Wiley

Note: there will be an additional section added to the front of this armiture that will support a stainless sleave so that the chimney can be serviced as needed and to allow expansion and such for the dome.

[Wiley]

Re: Steel Dome Oven

After what seems like a very long time waiting for my schedule and good weather to coincide, I have managed to spend some more time on my WFO.

Latest is the first permutation of a door for baking bread. This door is not for when the oven has temperatures in excess of the flash point of wood, but simply to seal the oven off when baking bread. The window is a "Fire King" pie plate. It is the smallest pie plate of borosilicate glass I could find (8").

Anyone wishing to use a Pyrex pie plate in their oven as a window should be aware that "Pyrex" make since 1998 is not made of borosilicate glass. "Fire King" is borosilicate glass and IMHO more suitable for this application that merely toughened glass which is what modern "Pyrex" is. I found this plate at our local Goodwill store for $1.49 and from a bit of searching it dates from 1942-1945

We'll see how long before this door burns up, or the glass fails.

Wiley