BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

[RTflorida]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Hey Bill,
I had never heard of cherry oak until you mentioned it. What I found on the internet is call cherry-bark oak (the bark resembles that of a cherry tree). It is a relative of the southern red oak. Also goes by the name "swamp oak" (which I have heard of) and is quite prevalent throughout the south. I have no idea of its burning qualities. From your description, it seems just like the hemlock I brought back from Georgia (and won't do again)....very sooty and stinky (the smell actually stays in my nose for days), lights and burns really well, but even though it is free, isn't worth bringing it home.
You can't go wrong with live oak, laural oak, and of course white and red oak.
Let me know what you think of the citrus...it burns extremely hot, but mine actually has a little unpleasant odor as well - but no smoke or soot. The best for getting the oven up to temp fast, then I throw on the oak or hickory.
Hickory - God's gift to fire and smoking, great stuff.
I'm currently looking into a connection for apple from GA, it is also great wood - light pleasant smell and burns pretty hot. Really good if you like a little smokey flavor but not as strong as hickory or mesquite. If I can get it free or at minimal cost, I will be there the next day. The orchards have plenty, some sell it at "market level pricing" and some give it away or just send it to the dump. A friend says he knows an orchard owner and will ask for me...I will keep you posted if the lead pans out.

RT

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Thanks RT,

The more I think about it the more I like the idea. By the way, thanks for the firewood guy tip. I bought a huge pile of wood from him and so far it's been very good. He said he remembers you ("the guy north of here with the pizza oven") but not sure if that was you. I used the round logs no larger than 4" and had a mix of oak, hickory, and citrus. One thing I noticed is that when I get a huge pile of glowing embers and throw another log into it some of them gave off a black sooty smoke that almost smelled plastic. Does this make sense to anyone? I spoke to a few tree/wood guys and they believe it's the cherry oak (never heard of one of those) and it burns good but smells like hell. I was surprised to see oak giving off black carbon string like soot in the flames but it was definitely oak... It reminded me of what fatwood does when you light it. None the less he gave me way more than I asked for and so far so good.

Regarding the fireworks, we have so many people around us that go all out with fireworks. It seems like every holiday we can sit outside and watch a display. You don't live in Fishhawk do you?

Thanks again RT, Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Heading out today with a chain saw, trailer, and taking advantage of a few downed oaks the city knocked over to widen the road near my house.

[RTflorida]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Bill, GO FOR IT!!! Tomorrow will be good practice for New Years.
We have a similar thing planned. I will take care of pizzas for whoever comes out, my neighbor is handling the beer, fireworks, and law enforcement (he as well as a new neighbor are FDAT officers - Florida Dpt of Alcohol & Tobacco).

RT

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Thanks Bonita,

Pizzas tomorrow!!!!!!!

I like the new years pizza party idea. I can see fireworks coming out of the chimney already!

Thanks again and Happy Holidays,

[bturton]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Congratulations. It looks great. Just in time for the holidays. I can totally sympathize with the masses not knowing that you can cook in it. I'm all about a new New Year's pizza tradition!

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Hi Christo,

The little man help up very well. After the dome was over 1000f for a few hours the niche temp was not even 95f. It only has one layer of the insulation behind it along with a little air space. Later, after at least 7 hours of constant fire it was just under 100f. I'm very happy with the insulation performance. The dome was white very quickly, it definitely improved each day.

Regarding the pizzas, both reasons apply. I didn't want to experiment with a crowd that big, not that they would give me a hard time but it was an annual Christmas party and making pizzas just didn't fit the schedule of events I had. Plus it gave me a reason to have another party! Not that I actually need a reason.

Thanks for your help during the build; pizzas start this weekend.

Take care,

[amber]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

And I hope you've refused to invite him back I'm a bit nervous because we're going to do the first pizzas when my brother comes back for Christmas on Tuesday and if we blacken one, he'll bust us about it, too. In all fairness, though, I'd probably do the same to him...

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

How did your little man in the niche hold up? no signs of melting?

I keep picturing a Grecco/Roman version of the witch melting in the Wizard of Oz..... (I'll get you Brutus and your little <whatever they had> too!)

Looks really great - Dome looks white, too - just no time for pizza or you did not want to experiement on your friends (first impressions being so important probably good to wait....) We had one pizza disaster during an early run and my buddy busted me forever about all that work for a blackend pizza.

Christo

[Bandrasco]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Ok everyone,

Thank you Forno Bravo, and thank you all for your help and ideas through out this build. There is no way on God's green earth I would have been able to do this without all of your help.

I had my annual Christmas party on Saturday and it was a huge success! And although we didn't cook pizzas most of the 25+ people for some reason decided to sit around the inferno that was blazin in awe.

It was a great moment for everyone to finally see what was keeping so busy for the last month or so. Only a few knew that you could actually cook in it; when the light bulb went off in their heads and said "hey, thats what's at the pizza places" I just smiled. Of course the next comment was "when are we all coming over for pizzas?".

This weekend we are going to attempt our first pizzas, bread, etc. With the amount of heat that these retain for so long you almost have to have a cook plan. Pizza first night, roast the next, bread the next day, and then maybe dehydrate some fruits and veggies the last.

I'll post a few pictures of the completed oven in the photo section. I still have to brick the exterior dome but the chimney/brick work is completed and my granite top should be ready this week.

Thank you all again,

[amber]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Frances, of course I will! I'm as proud of my mama as any Southern girl! Just because I don't want to 'finish' it doesn't mean it's not my oven! It just makes it a family project, which is even better. Actually, Dad and I were finishing up the dome over Thanksgiving and my brother was watching us work. He made sure he helped a little so that he can claim it as his, also.

[Frances]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Thank you amber. I just love how every oven turns out different and everyone adds their own area of expertise to the build.

That sounds like a good agreement you've got there. You'll still be posting the finished oven though, won't you?

[amber]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

I'm amazed by Frances' mosaic work! You make me look like a total pleeb Honestly though, my bargain with my mother is that I build it at her and Dad's house since I have a condo and I don't have to decorate it. An amicable solution all around. I'd do something totally symmetrical and pattern oriented and she'd be horrified. She has the same artistic sensiblities as you, Frances. I envy but I can't copy!

[Frances]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

Me too also, amazed.

You spend all this time on the forum, reading all the WFO geeks raving about their ovens... But then it actually works in your own back garden and its like WOW! How the heck did I manage that?

Well done Bill, your first white oven is something to be proud of!

[christo]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

I really love the flared opening on my oven as well.

I haven't used an oven with a straight opening, but it's nice to have a couple of angles of attack on a pizza or fire.

I'm still amazed mine is still standing - I remember how freaked out I go when I saw my cracks.... We did not talk about them much in those days... I thought I was the only one.

Becareful when you make cookies after pizza - even placed in the entryway I managed to burn my first batch!

Christo

[amber]

Re: BA's Dome! Let the games Begin!

I feel the same way. Every time I go by it, I stop and marvel that I didn't manage to somehow f it up. It's like my baby now.