My Cast Refractory Oven Build

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

Harbor Freight just put its laser thermometer on sale for $26.99, more than half off. Probably not a great thermometer, but it's tough to beat that price. You need the coupon in the current ad.

dang...our sales paper has it for $59!!!
they have the same one online for $39.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

i subscribe to HF on three diff email adresses... they give me diff coupons on each email,, i pick the best an go there.....

Mark

[shuboyje]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

Print out the page from their website and take it with you. They will price match. Add a 20% of coupon to that and you are good to go. If you do our research you can get some decent products from harbor freight and this seems to be one of them. The important chips and electronic components in it are all german, and so far I am very pleased with mine.

dang...our sales paper has it for $59!!!
they have the same one online for $39.

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

I would recommend against having a 4 1/2" thick cooking floor. That is too thick for pizza baking. The Modena commercial ovens from FB have a 2 3/4" floor -- and there are even commercial pizza ovens with 2" cooking floors. My experience is that you will never really fully heat the entire 4 1/2" mass, which means that heat will always be wicking away from the cooking floor where you need it.

It isn't just heat up time. You can get the inner face of a thick cooking floor up to 750F fast enough, but after 1-2 pizzas the temperature of the floor drops (like a brick, ha ha) really fast, and it's impossible to keep baking pizzas. The heat you have in the floor has moved to the outer reach of the thermal mass, and you find yourself with a 500F floor that can't bake pizza.

Really! I've been there.

James

Ditto, approx 40-50mm of floor allows a good amount of fairly quick recuperation time. Any thicker = slower heat up.

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

Ditto, approx 40-50mm of floor allows a good amount of fairly quick recuperation time. Any thicker = slower heat up.

lets see mm to inches conversion.... 50mm=1.9685inches round up to 2"
hhmm...my bricks measure to 2 3/8"=2.375in which is about = 60mm

am I close?

[james]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

You are looking good!

Here's my perfect world scenario:

1.5 - 2"/40-50mm for the home
2.375"/60mm for catering
2.75"/70mm for a restaurant

:-)
James

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

and so it begins...
92lbs of portland cement, 4cuft of perlite....
the rain finally let up again so it is time to get back to work.

[Mitchamus]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

You are looking good!

Here's my perfect world scenario:

1.5 - 2"/40-50mm for the home
2.375"/60mm for catering
2.75"/70mm for a restaurant

:-)
James

Hmmm so my logic was good... I was just out on the thickness!

thanks James!

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

ok, another 2" of perlcrete above the first 2" layer of perlcrete. and NOW i can install my bricks! well, after a couple of days.

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

By the way, it took exactly one 92lb bag of portland cement and 4cuft of perlite to make a 4'X4'X2" slab...in case any one needs to know.

[mr g]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

We've finally fired the first oven at pizza temps. Works bloody well and cooks pizzas in under 2 mins.

We have cast them all but we still have nine to put together and fire.

Cheers
Mr G

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

very cool guys

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

We've finally fired the first oven at pizza temps. Works bloody well and cooks pizzas in under 2 mins.

We have cast them all but we still have nine to put together and fire.

Cheers
Mr G

What kind of insulation do you have under your floor and on your dome?

[mr g]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

Hi Joey, we've used 3" of vermiculite/cement underneath and on top we have two layers of ceramic blanket and 2" of vermiculite/cement. In top it gets only luke warm to the touch but quite hot underneath. The next ovens will have 2" of Cal-Sil board and 2" of vermiculite/cement underneath.

[JoeyVelderrain]

Re: My Cast Refractory Oven Build

Hi Joey, we've used 3" of vermiculite/cement underneath and on top we have two layers of ceramic blanket and 2" of vermiculite/cement. In top it gets only luke warm to the touch but quite hot underneath. The next ovens will have 2" of Cal-Sil board and 2" of vermiculite/cement underneath.

I was thinking of going with 2" of perlcrete on the dome and then another 2" of stucco and just skipping the blankets, has anyone gone this route?