40” Pompeii in Rhode Island

[NewEnglandNewb]

While I haven’t seen any builds that look like what I’m planning on this site, I can’t say the idea is original. I spent a bunch of time scouring the web looking at pictures of WFOs to see what I like. I do really like the look of an exposed dome, but I will stick with my original plan to build an enclosure. My goal is to make it look something like these two ovens while incorporating all of the great ideas from others on this site.

[NewEnglandNewb]

I pulled the forms off the hearth pour after 9 days. I drilled the weep holes through from the bottom and layout out the floor on the hearth. Next step is to add tile. I did pick up some bug screen to add on top of the tile so the P/V Crete doesn’t clog the channels for the water to drain through.

[UtahBeehiver]

A squirrel/beaver tail venting will be required to have the vent go out the center of the outer structure. Ovens that have a vent out the top of the dome do not perform well.

[NewEnglandNewb]

The plan is a squirrel tail. I still need to figure out exactly how I’m going to do that. I do want some insulation over the dome under the flue so it retains heat better. My current thought is to use some P/V Crete to level the path from the vent at the front of the oven to the top of the dome, then put a sheet of calcium silicate board down with a clay flue liner laid on top that. I’m definitely open to ideas on how to do that.

[NewEnglandNewb]

I was able to get the first layer of under floor insulation down last weekend. I had enough left over tile from previous projects laying around to use that rather than buying mosaic squares like I have seen used in many recent builds. I placed them glazed face down. Then I covered the tiles with screen to keep the P/V-crete out of the channels between the tiles. Then I knocked out a form that is 3” tall and filled it with P/V-crete. I used a ratio of 2 parts vermiculite, 3 parts perlite, and 1 part Portland cement.

I was traveling for work for the first half of this week so it sat for 4 days before I was able to see how it setup. It was really solid when I took a look today! Next step is putting down 2” of calcium silicate board and I can start playing with bricks.

[UtahBeehiver]

Looking good, nice work.

[Corsairmo]

Fwiw, earlier you asked about light duty bricks. I built my first oven out of light duty bricks because I couldn't source anything living out in the sticks like I did, and the wear factor around the landing and the arch where my door slid into place was extremely disappointing after all the hard work to build the oven. Dome construction with light duty bricks is fine, but as was said, using medium duty bricks for the wear areas is a very smart choice for the long run.

[NewEnglandNewb]

Corsairmo, I appreciate that feedback! I did find a place about 2 hours away that carries medium duty firebrick and Skamol brand calcium silicate board. I’m thinking I will just take a trip up there.

The place that carries medium duty firebrick that I tracked down carries Mt. Savage brand, they are 32.9% alumina. They are $3.55 a brick, so not a lot more than the $3 for the Whitacre Greer light duty ones that are 27% alumina that I can get locally. From the posts I have read on the forum Alsey brand medium duty are really good quality, the Whitacre Greer light duty ones are also good quality, but I have seen very little on Mt. Savage. Does anyone have any first hand experience with that brand bricks? Were there reasonably uniform/consistent in shape? Attached is the spec sheet the distributor I found sent me. I did reach out to Alsey, they don’t have any local distributors and it would be about $7 per brick to buy them straight from them and have them shipped to my house (shipping/pallet charge is more than the price of the brick).

[MikeD55]

The oven I’m building now (my second) is a combination of Alsey Jet DP (37.6%) and left over Mt Savage medium duty that a bought off a retired oven builder. I hate the mt savage. Despite the lower alumina they are a b****h to cut and I went through and extra blade because of them. $300! Give me the Alsey any day.

[NewEnglandNewb]

Thanks Mike, I appreciate that feedback. If they are that hard on blades I’m guessing they would also have good abrasion resistance, which would address Corsairmo’s feedback on using low duty bricks. Maybe a good compromise would be to use Mt. Savage bricks for the floor of the oven and the Whitacre Greer low duty for the dome?