Acoma 42" Tuscan

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Ken, funny about bread ovens and N.M. My mother-in-law laughed when I mentioned the thermocouples, and about people not wanting to build their ovens during winter. She said the for hundreds of years their ancestors got it done...so do it! I said o.k. I will still be using the thermocouples for piece of mind. Call it overkill.
I just finished the pouring of my hearth, and will remove the framing tomorrow..Call me Mr. Winter because I will be working slow and steady throughout. I want Spring Pizza!

[Ken524]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,

I just got back from our Thanksgiving travels. Your work looks great! You are going to have a dynamite backyard (love the deck).

I know I'm a bit late in response; I'm also a member of the "no thermal-couple" crowd. I also plan on baking bread (and whatever else I can dream of). I'm going to use FB's infrared thermometer for pizza and a regular old oven thermometer from a kitchen store for the low temp dishes like bread.

You mentioned that you needed the thermo-couples for baking bread? The folks in NM have been cooking bread in Horno's for centuries without thermocouples, right?

The pic below is a Horno at Bandelier National Monument, NM. Seeing these great ovens is one of the reasons we are building the Pompeii.

[dusty]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Acoma,
Would love to show you my progress when you come to town. And as I said, my house is quite near the brick yard so it won't be out of your way at all. You're stand looks great! Seems you will be ready for bricks real soon.

dusty

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, it took me long enough (patience) to start adding pictures to my thread. Here is the latest. Tomorrow will have final pre-pour photo, then a post pour photo.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Dave, 10-20 degrees at night, low forty's for the day. My wife actually gave me the green light to pour the slab tomorrow morning.

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

As I get more accomplished I realize how HUGE this oven is going to be. Lots of entertaining family and friends.

Oh.. it will be big!

Great job so far Acoma!

Can't wait to see your hearth and a little brick laying.

How's the weather holding out?
I've been cooking in the rain with an umbrella all night.

Fun though!

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I finished preparing the Hearth for pour. I also purchased copper tubing for the hearth area where I will require two locations for floor brick heat saturation readings. I will go with 5 locations, 2-floor, 2-wall, 1-cieling. I have also decided that my digial reader will be located on the right wall. Unfortunately my wife has my digital camera so I cannot take a photo until tomorrow. Pour will happen Monday! After numerous checks and balances, I am perfectly level all around. For this fime of year here, this is AWESOME. As I get more accomplished I realize how HUGE this oven is going to be. Lots of entertaining family and friends. I would like to plan a party for the regional Oven Builders next summer to celebrate the friendships and hard work that we have gone through over time. That will be planned later.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Well, finally a couple updated photos for the Gallery and on my Picasa. More to come as I progress.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Acoma,

Because I'm usually baking multiple batches of bread and timing their prep according to the hearth temp they bake best at, I consult the numbers pretty frequently. I find that bagels, for instance, bake best at just below 500 F, so I take them out of the fridge and begin the boiling when the hearth is just above that figure. As well, for teaching purposes, I find it's much more convenient to have the panel in the front while explaining firing and heat saturation. For my operation, cladding and slab temps are vital in my firing times, so, again, having the panel placed where it is makes things easier.

Then again, my operation is commercial and to some degree pedagogical, so my requirements are quite specific.

In winter, I clear the snow from the oven portico, but I wouldn't want to get into clearing the side of the oven as well so I could walk around to look at the panel.

Jim

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Jim, I had looked at yours, but my question to you is when you are baking, how frequently do you have to look at the digital readout? Is it every minute, 10 minutes, etc? Reason for asking is that if it has to be super frequent, I can see the need for it being in the front, similar to being on top of the 2 minute pizza. If not, I can see it being on the side for occasional temp checks. Make sense?
This morning I finished the outside framing of the hearth. I still need to put ply on the underside of the frontal area (platform) for the crescent shape, similar to Ken's (and Ken, I am not stilling that idea). I will likely finish the hearth framework, rebarb, etc. Saturday. I may not pour though until next Friday or the weekend when I can get an extra hand with accurate level pour and smooth finish of the hearth. It will also give me the extra time for varification of the thermocouples.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Acoma,

So far as the placement of the readout panel is concerned, you might want to consider an approach similar to mine. Like you, I wasn't wild about the idea of digital numbers staring me and mine in the face while using the WFO, so I built a box and a small panelled door to hide it. Have a look at the attached, early, pic that was taken before much more cosmetic work was done.

Jim

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Thank you for your responses. I value each and every one. The reason that I want to use the thermocouples is that my wife's side of the family is Acoma (native american from N.M.), and they love to bake breads and Tamales
I agree with not needing them for anything else. I am going to have two 3/8" copper tubing up through the slab at approx. points within floor areas where they will go into the floor bricks. I plan to then route the two copper tubes to the left side where the digital box will be placed. I do not wish to have the digital box in frontal viewing area, especially when I will put so much work into quality craftmanship and wish to have it appreciated by others. I believe 5 will be plenty.
As of today, I have finished framing the inside of the hearth area, with tomorrow (early) being the outside hearth area framed. This will happen while I smoke one turkey (brining now with Sarah's recipe). My wife will not let me touch the other turkey (even though I am excellant with foods. We bought 8 extra turkeys for later festivities (we have extra freezer's).
I will post the new photos by this weekend. I owe TimAz photos of my Pizza Area and outdoor kitchen design, so he will se those on the Picasa as well. Sorry Tim for taking so long.

[biondoli]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,
I think that your plan to put more thermocouples in you oven is not worth it looking at extra work and benefit you'll get. I have decided to go with laser and overall I do not like to make holes in the dome.
Once you get used to your oven you will know by looking into it when is the right time to bake bread rather cookies, baking in an oven is an art and after a while you will be a master! Ciao Carlo

[Les]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

Robert,

I never seen the benefit of thermal couples. I am just going to buy a laser thermometer. Granted, it would be cool to see all the temps, all the time, but what does it serve. Just shoot the beam at the floor, if it's too cold, add wood. Our ancestors didn't have any of this and we did pretty well.

Les...

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma 42" Tuscan

I will admit my disappointment that nobody has offered any information to assist on this Thermocouple step. I will take steps to do it right though. I have started to build the support for the hearth slab.

I would be glad to help, but I couldn't find much info on thermocouples either.
But I think if you do more research than me on the web, you might be able to make heads or tales of it.

I was on the cheap, and I didn't figure I could afford the extra expense.
Sorry I can't help here, but your start looks really good!

Keep at it, and keep posting! So far so good!