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Greetings to all from the Wisconsin countryside! Here is an overview of my recent oven building experience/experiment. I have had it on the brain for several years to build myself a backyard pizza oven. Hosting an "after-reception" party for out of town guests proved to be the final impetus to start construction. My company supplies equipment to power plants, from burners, pumps, valves to complete boilers, etc,. Based on this, I have long considered a cast refractory design for a pizza oven. Upon searching, I have come to find a well established experience here at FB which proved to be very helpful in by build. I have attached the stages of construction according to day by day / play by play. In summary, my oldest son and I did all of the work. I have never laid concrete block walls before, and am a poor at best carpenter. Here is our day by day:
Day 1 poured the concrete foundation
Day 2 laid up block walls on the foundation
Day 3 poured a 3" thick concrete "table top" over steel "pan decking" sourced for free from a union construction worker neighbor (no rebar, 100% perimeter support)
Day 4 poured 3" thick "poolcrete" version of vermiculite/portland (only thing I could find)
Day 5 laid out fire brick & cut to pattern (dome-on firebrick)
Day 6 constructed wooden forms and sand dome mold & poured cast refractory
Day 7 removed forms and sand mold - built small fire to drive off moisture
Day 8 fired to 1000 Deg F on floor (still some steam from dome) - cooked flatbread
Day 9 successfully prepared & cooked 25+ pizzas for 60 party guests!
***I titled this "7 days to pizza" when in fact it was 8 for me due to schedule conflicts in picking up my refractory & insulation materials. Day 5 and 6 could in fact be the same day, for example, making day 7 the drying day and test pizza day (we tested with flat bread).
I have one crack which has developed over my arch doorway, which I will repair with a special refractory repair compound. I had also used a 6x4 reducing fitting for the flue exit. I am getting some smoke out of my door (through normal temp range) so I apparently need to increase to a straight 6" flue all the way.
I purchased 19 55# bags of castable refractory and used 12 bags for my 2-1/2" nominal wall/dome oven. I have 13 bags left over in case I have any major failures in the coming weeks and decide to recast and cure at a more sane rate.
Day 1 poured the concrete foundation
Day 2 laid up block walls on the foundation
Day 3 poured a 3" thick concrete "table top" over steel "pan decking" sourced for free from a union construction worker neighbor (no rebar, 100% perimeter support)
Day 4 poured 3" thick "poolcrete" version of vermiculite/portland (only thing I could find)
Day 5 laid out fire brick & cut to pattern (dome-on firebrick)
Day 6 constructed wooden forms and sand dome mold & poured cast refractory
Day 7 removed forms and sand mold - built small fire to drive off moisture
Day 8 fired to 1000 Deg F on floor (still some steam from dome) - cooked flatbread
Day 9 successfully prepared & cooked 25+ pizzas for 60 party guests!
***I titled this "7 days to pizza" when in fact it was 8 for me due to schedule conflicts in picking up my refractory & insulation materials. Day 5 and 6 could in fact be the same day, for example, making day 7 the drying day and test pizza day (we tested with flat bread).
I have one crack which has developed over my arch doorway, which I will repair with a special refractory repair compound. I had also used a 6x4 reducing fitting for the flue exit. I am getting some smoke out of my door (through normal temp range) so I apparently need to increase to a straight 6" flue all the way.
I purchased 19 55# bags of castable refractory and used 12 bags for my 2-1/2" nominal wall/dome oven. I have 13 bags left over in case I have any major failures in the coming weeks and decide to recast and cure at a more sane rate.
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