Adobe oven plans

[brokencookie]

I ran across an nice article in Sunset Magazine that shows a fast easy adobe oven and how to build it for those that are interested.

Project: Sunset's classic adobe oven - Sunset.com

Have fun

[Archena]

Re: Adobe oven plans

Thanks, BC! Another one for my collection!

Grit did one last year w/o the cement. Honestly, I've never seen anyone incorporate cement in cob or adobe. I have read one builder who says don't use cement as the outer finish (it is permeable and water gets between it and the oven - or in his case, house!) but nothing about incorporating it into the mixture. Hmmm...

Anyway, here's Grit's version: Backyard Bread Oven

And another: Backyard Earthen Oven | DigginFood

None of the above seem to be genuine cob and they definitely aren't adobe. It probably doesn't matter but both adobe and cob incorporate straw in the mixture. Adobe is dried prior to construction; cob is not.

Here's the classic book on earthen ovens: Amazon.com: Build Your Own Earth Oven, 3rd Edition: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect Loaves (9780967984674): Kiko Denzer, Hannah Field: Books

[shuboyje]

Re: Adobe oven plans

I read up on adobe a bit researching what type of oven I was going to build, and found that a small percentage of portland cement is one method of making stabilized adobe.

from Welcome To Home Energy Magazine Online

Semistabilized Adobe

Semistabilized adobe brick was developed in New Mexico. Previously, throughout the Southwest, sap from agave or prickly pear, straw, and manure were among the additives used to stabilize adobe. Today, stabilized adobe is made of plain earth mixed with a stabilizer that classifies the brick as water resistant.

Liquid asphalt emulsion stabilizer, 3%-5 % by weight, is the most popular additive because it is easy and inexpensive to use (it is a byproduct of the road building industry). Portland cement, 5%-10% by weight, is also an excellent additive, one that can be added to the dry earth and mixed in the same way as concrete. The Portland cement augments the structural integrity of the brick, so that the finished product is less crumbly than traditional adobe.

Fully Stabilized Adobe

Fully stabilized adobe contains enough asphalt emulsion or Portland cement to limit the brick's seven-day water absorption to less than 4% of its dry weight. This amounts to about twice as much stabilizer as is used in semistabilized adobe--6 to 12% by weight of the dry mixture. Because they are so well protected, these bricks will last longer under exposure to the elements (although they should also be sealed).

In 1994, 79% of the adobe bricks manufactured in New Mexico were semistabilized; 21% were the traditional untreated adobes. Fully stabilized bricks accounted for roughly 1% of the state's adobe production and were available only on special order. Fully stabilized adobe is more expensive than the other types and looks much more like concrete than like adobe

[Archena]

Re: Adobe oven plans

Ok, cool. Thanks!

[pacoast]

Re: Adobe oven plans

The adobe ovens are great to get your feet wet or to construct a temporary oven. I was just a kid when Sunset Magazine originally published that article. I suppose they've probably reprinted it any number of times since then.

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[desertfireman]

Re: Adobe oven plans

I wanted to post on this thread to show that the adobe can be more than temporary and how even the Forno Bravo plans can be adapted for use with adobe. Since we live in the Arizona desert, cooking inside in the summer gets to be too hot. So I designed an outdoor kitchen for our house. My kids and I have been slowly building it out of adobe. I posted a blog at My Earth Kitchen Project that discusses and shows our progress. I hope this blog helps other people get interested in this very sustainable green building. I also can't say enough about how well our oven cooks and how well the food tastes! I read the Sunset plans but, I used more information from the Forno Bravo plans. I hope this helps.

[Ken524]

Re: Adobe oven plans

Awesome. Really, really cool project. I love how your whole family seems to be involved.