Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

[heliman]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

...Thanks for the comments Rossco, Rod and Tom and Mike, just glad to offer a food success story.

Keep the good news stories coming Dino ... what's next on the menu at your place??

/Rossco

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Hi Rossco,
I've got all kinds of fun things planned. I'm turning 50 next month - (very conflicted as you can see) So we're having a big B-day bash and I want to use the wfo and have all my favorite foods no matter how much work it is for me. I've already purchased dozens of duck legs for confit. I've never made it before and I MIGHT make them in the wfo since it will hold a 200 deg temp for 8-10 hours easily. Either way, I'll use the oven as my main re-warming oven for slow roasted pork, the duck confit, lamb lasagna (I always roll my own pasta tissue paper thin) and maybe just use wfo for oil-herbed "pizza-flat-bread" earlier on.

This party will now put me in panic mode to at least pour my concrete counter and outer arch facade bricks so everyone can see some progress from last year. I don't have the luxury of using excuses like "there's 3' of snow on my oven so I can't finish" ( just kidding) Cheers, Dino

[trockyh]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino,
Good news! My fifties have been better than my forties ever were and they weren't bad.
I'm 58 now and loving life.
But that attitude might change in a couple years.
Sounds like you'll have a great BD party.

Tom
P.S. Just mortared the first brick of my 9th ring. Waiting for it to set up so I can move on.

[heliman]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Sounds like a big birthday bash coming up!!! I had my 50th last September (it's not so bad actually) and decided for once I was going to be "off duty" on the night so I could enjoy myself. I still wanted to give guests pizza as it is still a good catering option so I hired a pizza chef. It only costed me $120 and he brought his tools and the dough and I supplied the toppings. I had a bag piper show up for a little bit of "light music" and that was it - pretty low key and I ushered in my 50th year without having to do a lot of work!!

BTW - have you still got my address to send the air ticket and party invitation??

Rossco

[modified9v]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Congrats on 50... just did that one myself last month. Lamb lasagna? Sounds tastey. Our family has always done cheese only. One of these days we'll have to break the mold (don't tell grandma) and try to change things up a bit... always been cheese pizza, cheese lasagna, cheese this and cheese that... but never add cheese to seafood. Rules, rules... I won't tell if you don't.

Glad to see you enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Mike

[DaveW]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Hey Dino,

Congrats on your upcoming b-day. I'll be watching for photos on the concrete counters as I plan on doing the same in a few months. Will you use a dedicated countertop mix or a homebrew of sorts?

Dave

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Hi Dave,
I'm going to Lows today to order 4 bags of Quikrete Countertop Mix. It's a special order thing. It has the fibers, plasticizers and high strength cement already together. Depending on rain this week, I'll see if I can get the frame up. The simplicity of it has me sold.

Mike, I know what you mean. I have to be careful what I make for the older family folks too. I love their traditions and have learned a lot, but sometimes I have to break out without offending them Oh, and congrats back.

Thanks all, Dino

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

I finally made the forms around my ovens counter for the concrete counter pour, probably tomorrow. It's not a big shelf, about 6.5' by 10.5" by 4.5" high. My calcs say it's 3.3 bags of 80lb quikrete counter mix.

It's not a very deep counter. My lower base sticks out 8" (or my oven, upper half of the structure sits back 8"). I add a 2.5" form so the whole counter will be 10.5" which will be fine since I have a deep oven landing already. It's 4.5" high so I put rebar in it. I put silicone caulking in the edges to make them smooth. I've never done a countertop before so I'm hoping this is the way it's done .
It's been months since I've done anything major on my wfo so wish me luck!

[eprante]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino,
I am watching intently to see how this comes out. I am thinking of doing concrete counter tops for the prep area on both sides of my oven, but alas I have minimal concrete experience( of course the same can be said for everything I have done to this point, but counter tops don't get covered up).
Good luck
Eric

[egalecki]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

As long as you have supports under both ends (I used brick lintel on the stand and poured concrete legs on the other) you can make a form for the counter on the ground, let it dry and then lift it into place. I made my countertop about 2 inches thick- it did take a couple of boys to lift it, but it was easier for me to form up on the ground. Took a lot less concrete, too. This spring I'm finally going to get the tile on the countertop!

[trockyh]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Dino, you don't need luck. You have become quite the craftsman in building your wfo. I'm anxious to see the finished counter. We plan to do just about the same with ours.
Are you putting color in the mix or will you stain it?

Tom

[mfiore]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Forms look good, Dino. Good luck with the pour!

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Thanks Mike and Eric. I wish I would have "played" a bit with my hearth slab to gain some "finer" concrete experience but, I would have forgotten it by now anyway.

Tom: I'm going with the natural gray the countertop mix comes in. It also comes in "white" which tells me that is for adding color. I'm hoping it's a pleasing gray (not mortician gray) and if not, then I'll stain it. We may stain it in the end to pick up some color in the facia or the keystone.

Elizabeth: I didn't know you poured your shelf away from you oven then placed it. I may be doing that too with the eventual side-table I build.

Had to come to work this morning due to others illness. I still think I can get home at noon and do this before the next rains tomorrow night. Cheers, Dino

[mfiore]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

For whatever it's worth, I also poured my counter away from the oven, then placed it. I was really not confident in how it would turn out, and didn't want to do anything that was not reversible.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

Mike, Your counter is beautiful. It's one of the nicest I've seen. Can't wait to see it again in action when your snow melts .

BTW: I dreamed last night that Forno Bravo started charging and billing your credit card for using emoticons in your posts as a way to make money. I dreamed I had just made a bunch of posts and used (over used) emoticons all over the place and felt it was unfair I hadn't received notice from FB for the charge. It was one of those oddley "real" kinda dreams. I think I drank a bit too much last night to sooth my anxiety over the countertop pour. Either way, I'll be avoiding emoticons for while!

My concrete counter pour went well...I think. It was a bunch of ups and downs but mostly ups I think. I'll post pics tonight but I took the front form off and I have some small holes and voids to fill (parge) but I'm conflicted on sanding the counter. I've started another thread on my questions regarding parging and sanding here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f28/concrete-counter-sanding-parging-10789.html#post80013

thanks, Dino