Welcome to Alternative Oven

[james]

Welcome to our newest FB Forum category. You can use this space to talk about other types of wood-fired ovens, including clay, adobe and cobb ovens, along with steel dome ovens and other more experimental ovens, including the beer keg oven.

I will look through the FB Forum and move a number of relevant threads to this category.

Enjoy!

James

[Wiley]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Good idea James!
As my thread evolved I more than once thought that "Introductions" was a strange category to be in.
Wiley

[nordik]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

cheers james!

[Les]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Nordik,

I had my doubts - you nailed it! I'm thinking I just might drink a keg of beer to have a portable oven. Great job.

Les...

[nordik]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Thanks Les,

you had your doubts... you and I both!
i always thought it'd end up a wood fired patio heater instead.

to be able to drink the keg and make a oven out of it... win win situation!

thanks again.

[Archena]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

I'm a bit late to the party (haven't been online at home in ages) but thanks! Love the new forum!



If I ever get my desktop fixed I probably have every old earthen oven thread bookmarked...

[doughforthesoul]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Welcome to our newest FB Forum category. You can use this space to talk about other types of wood-fired ovens, including clay, adobe and cobb ovens, along with steel dome ovens and other more experimental ovens, including the beer keg oven.

I will look through the FB Forum and move a number of relevant threads to this category.

Enjoy!

James

Good Morning,
I'm not sure if this is how or where I should be asking this question but here it goes. I want to build a low dome oven 42" circle with a dome height of 16" and the arch opening of 10" high and 16" wide. These are interior measurements. Any advice? Would I still be able to bake and cook other food besides pizza without burning due to the low dome? Thanks Carol

[doughforthesoul]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Well as they say (LOOK DOWN) okay I figured out how to post (I THINK)

[Wiley]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Carol,
I would consider going with a wider opening, 16 inches is on the small size especially at the end of any significant entry tunnel (for want of a better word, I'm using tunnel. I mean the transition area beneath the chimney from outside to actual inside the WFO) Being able to work and access the entire hearth area thru such a narrow opening will be more difficult if the tunnel is of any significant length.

Also depending upon what material you are building your WFO out of you may at some point need to make repairs to the interior of the dome. Unless you are a very petite person unaffected by claustophobia just getting inside would be difficult.

And 10 inches will be quite limiting in the height of a roaster that you will be able to easily place inside. I have a S.S. one that works well in my WFO. It easily fits a 14 pound turkey or a pork shoulder. I recently acquired a roaster that should easy accommodate a 20+ pound bird, however, I will have to remove and make a new handle for the top/lid as it is, it is too tall to fit inside my WFO. It might be worth while to measure the pots and roasters you are planning on using inside your WFO to see that they will easily fit.

Just some thoughts, hope they help,
Wiley

[doughforthesoul]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Thanks Willey,
What would you suggest for height and width of opening?
Also any thoughts on 16" dome being to high to fire quick and retain heat? This is all still a big learning curve for me but I'm getting there! By the way I will be using refractory cast, 2" thick. Is that thick enough plus 2, 1" layers of insulating blanket,
then 2-3" of perlite concrete.
Carol

[Wiley]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Hi Carol,
If I recall you were looking to build a WFO on either a trailer or on a truck. If that is still the plan (ie transportable WFO) then you are looking at a set of different compromises. All life is a series of compromises isn't it? To me some desirable characteristics of a transportable WFO would include: sturdy and able to take the abuse of transport on a highway; quick to fire so that you can start producing pizzas soon after arriving once you get to where you are going to sell; fairly quick to cool down... no need to be transporting a very hot WFO down the highway...safety here. Also it should be as light as possible and still do the job so you do not need a F350 or similar to haul it.

So your low dome WFO would seem to have alot of those characteristics. Cast refractory, so no bricks to work loose during transport (especially with a low dome design). The low dome would heat up quicker and the thinner refractory heat sink would not only heat up quicker than a thick one but would be lighter in weight and cool down sooner at the end of the day. No need for alot of expensive insulation or a high tech door. You probably will have to be sure all coals etc were out of the WFO before transport just for safety anyway.

The trade off are the compromises: one would think that cooking with reserve heat would be less possible. Less chance of successful second day baking because the refractory mass to hold the heat isn't there.

What it apears you are creating is a WFO that is a bit more specialized than most. Not that that is bad or wrong just what else you can bake in it will be more limited. So my thoughts on whether a roaster might have problems fitting thru such a low entrance are really less of a problem, although I still think one would want a wider entrance. The WFO you are describing is designed to produce pizzas (and a few other treats like calzone etc). It is not a slow cook pulled pork sort of WFO nor one that will bake bread although you still might be able to do so in a more limited fashion.

All our WFOs are a bit of an experiment some more than others. IMHO What you describe would work for the purpose you have indicated. Other than the wider door I have no other suggestions at this time.

Hope this helps,
Wiley

[doughforthesoul]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Thanks Wiley for all your help. This oven will be used just for the pizza business. I am going with a oven 48" wide by 16" high with a 16" opening. I am pretty excited to get started finally. Look forward to reading future post as they are always full of interesting information.
Take Care,
Carol

[Archena]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

How deep is it going to be? You're doing a barrel, right? I don't think a dome would support itself with that shallow an arc.

[doughforthesoul]

Re: Welcome to Alternative Oven

Hi Archena,
My plan is to build a dome. From what I have been reading including Kiko Denzer's book, "Build your own earth oven" it should be fine. I am using refractory cast not brick. The more I read the more I think I might change the shape to more of a oval than round. And they say WOMEN CAN'T MAKE UP THERE MINDS!
Carol

[fornax hominus]

door opening

When I finished the inside of my 32'' I knew I had to get inside to chip off mortar and fill gaps etc. ... but I am a lifelong claustraphobe!!.. My door is 12''h x 16''wide.. I really didn't want to go in but my friendJ John said he had done it with his oven ,so .. I built a platform level with the floor and slid in on my back , one arm over my head ... yikes!!! [I also took the phone in ..just in case] I am not a big guy, but I found it very tight , hard even to chip away with one hand, well wih a lot of cursing I got the work done , inched my way out and went for a stiff drink . I called John , who blythfully informed me that he had ''chikened out''' and had not got more than his head in his oven .... sigh!