Oven Spit

[jislizard]

Re: Oven Spit

Thanks for redirecting me to this thread, very useful.

A few questions spring to mind, how heavy is the contraption? And where do you keep it when it is not in use?

I have very limited space and although I could keep it in the oven when not in use I would probably struggle to house it while I was baking pizza etc.

Also...

How useful is it to move the spit around inside the oven? After you gave me the idea (but before I read your thread) I was thinking of mounting a V shaped bracket to the wall at the back of the dome. This bracket would support one end of the spit. This would make it a relatively static spit

The other end was going to be supported by magic, I hadn't gotten around to thinking about that bit yet.

One option would be to have a the spit going through a door plug with the motor mounted on the door.

How important is it to keep the heat in when spit roasting and how important is it to be able to look in and see how it is doing (how wise is it to stare into that much heat in general). The door plug would serve to hold the motor, stabilise it and keep the heat in but getting the spit in and out and checking the progress of the cooking would be a bit trickier.

I would probably have the spit rotated by a cog rather than a belt which would do away with the need to have the two attached, this would make it easier to move the spit and take it in and out without having to move the motor as well, which can stay attached to the door plug.

Rather than have the spit needing to be poked though a hole in the door plug (which would cause trouble getting the food on and off or require that the whole door/motor/spit/food combination be moved as a whole) I could have a horizontal path cut through the side of the plug so the spit could be easily removed from the door.



I like to draw diagrams so that people who know about these things can tell me why it won't work. I understand that the motor and cog in this diagram will most likely just rotate the door plug but I couldn't draw a worm screw.

The handle would need to be quite long and poke out of the oven by a fair bit so you could hold it and move the door plug right out of the way, the door would probably need some grips either side. The handle would just be an insulated sheath that would rotate around the axis of the spit so you could grab it without friction burns and without the ordinary burns.

By having the F-on-its-back-and-mirrored-shape you could disengage the rotating motion and still have the spit supported in the oven.

There would be a fair amount of weight on the spit and there may need to be a way of reducing friction where it touches the door or wall. There would also be some fun in getting the loaded spit in and out without dragging the tip across the bottom of the oven as it will be heavy at one end.

However all-in-all I think it stands a good chance of working and it would mean that the only think I have to store would be the spit, and the door to the oven if I was making pizza.

Glad to hear any constructive criticism, I can get non-constructive criticism at home.

I know it is jumping ahead of myself as I have yet to buy the bricks but it would be easier to do this now than try a retro fit. Any hints or other advice would be great. E.g. would I have to have some extra support for the bracket at the back, would the weight damage the dome or would it be negligible. that sort of thing would be good to know before I start.

Cheers

Mark

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Spit

The main problem as I see it is actually holding the weight of the rod and chook, goat, pig etc while you engage all the workings on to the spit.

As they say on here, give it a go and report back.

[jislizard]

Re: Oven Spit

Good point, weight is definately going to be an issue, the bigger the dome, the longer the spit will need to be to reach the back. The longer the spit, the farther away from the handle the weight will be and thus make it harder to control, particularly when aiming for the very back.

The handle is going to need to be pretty long to poke out of the oven anyway, A little longer so that it can be held with both hands about 30cm apart may make it easier to control than just a single hand hold at the very end. Too long and it wil start to sag.

A bigger V on the back wall would make it easier to aim, less accuracy would be needed as the arms of the V would channel the spit to the bottom, the curved surface of the dome would also make it a bit harder.

I think it will be the door plug that is going to need the most 'finessing' to get it to work, it mght just be easier to have a stand at the front without the door, if heat retention is not much of an issue with the roasting then a door won't be necessary anyway.

I will have to have a think about that. Cheers

Mark

[stoveup]

Re: Oven Spit

This is a great thread. I do a lot of spit cooking on my grill and have wondered how I could use a WFO instead. This would provide an additional argument to convince my wife that a WFO is an absolute necessity!

The idea of a built-in support at the back of the dome is appealing, but it seems to me that navigating a fully loaded spit in and out of a hot oven is a good recipe for trouble. Especially on the way out, when the cooked food is also hot. I do like the idea of a fully self contained frame supporting the spit, food, drip pans and anything else that can slide in and out without trying to support the far end. It might need additional support in front of the oven - perhaps something like a roller stand (or two) as is used to support long work pieces coming off of a table saw, or even a crude narrow plywood table built to the height of the hearth. It looks like Brickie has a table for that purpose.

Brickie, I would really like to see some pictures of your frame and spit out of the oven that show more of the construction detail, especially the motor end. What a great idea!

[jislizard]

Re: Oven Spit

The self contained rack with the roasting tray underneath is definately the way I would go if I had a bit more space to store it when not in use.

I was thinking you could store it for most of the time inside the oven.

However there are several threads about dampness inside the oven and I would worry about the frame rusting inside the oven.

I may end up going that route anyway.

I don't have much space in front of the oven opening to support the frame as it comes out and goes into the oven, the roller is good in that it would mean I wouldn't need a permanent structure but it would mean I had to store the rollers when not in use, handy if you already have them though.

Is there any sign of damage to the floor of the oven after removing the the rack a few times?

I have a few ideas I might run by my brother-in-law who is a welder, the idea involves a drawer-slider that can move in and out of the oven opening and then, when fully out, can swing around away from the opening.

I am sure this will have more difficulties than the original idea but he seems to get a certain amount of entertainment from my designs and I like to keep him amused.

Fortunately I can have ago with one method and if it proves unworkable I can build the frame.

Cheers

Mark

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Spit

Brickie, I would really like to see some pictures of your frame and spit out of the oven that show more of the construction detail, especially the motor end. What a great idea!

Spit pics.
Wood Fired Pizza Oven : BrikiWiki the home of online brickwork.


.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Spit

Is there any sign of damage to the floor of the oven after removing the the rack a few times?

The RHS steel frame is smooth so there is no damage to the oven floor.

I must warn you that the rod with food on is extremely hot even with gloves on, I would hate to have to juggle the rod plus food on and off a holding devise at the back of the oven.

[stoveup]

Re: Oven Spit

Brickie - thanks for the terrific pics of the oven spit on your website!

I am envious of the access you have to a supplier of heavy duty spit parts. After looking at their website, I searched for something similar in the USA. So far, I have come up empty handed. It appears that everything available over here is made for residential gas grills - too short, probably too flimsy, and underpowered.

If anyone in the states knows of a source for heavy duty rotisserie parts, please post!

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Spit

I am envious of the access you have to a supplier of heavy duty spit parts.

Well thats different, its usually us Aussies that cant get the good gear..

You could always buy a step up transformer to run it off Epay.


.

[stoveup]

Re: Oven Spit

That may be an option. I hate to think what the freight charge will be to ship a solid stainless steel bar 5.5 feet by 1 inch diameter from upside-down to the far side of upside-up. But even with freight it would probably be cheaper than this. The spit and motor alone are more than USD 525!

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Spit

I bought the Stainless rod from a local supplier, I shaped the point with a grinder and drilled the hole.

[nissanneill]

Re: Oven Spit

stoveup

I hate to think what the freight charge will be to ship a solid stainless steel bar 5.5 feet by 1 inch diameter from upside-down to the far side of upside-up.

Why not contact your local marine store as a ski boat prop shaft is the same and freely available. I even have a spare one just laying around the garage somewhere.

Neill

[lwood]

Re: Oven Spit

Does it come with a coffee roasting attachment? I just wired two half round metal sieves together and could use that to rotate the basket. would make a great coffee roaster too.

I love the concept, but the weight and bulkiness are a major factor. I like the concept of having a detachable spit that you could pull out independent of all the other stuff. If you could, as suggested, have a good size V in the back of the oven and set the spit on that and another rest at the door opening. even just a modified door with a hole. The motor plugs into the handle of the spit with the same universal joint. You could maybe have a small dolly to hold the far end of the spit to facilitate dragging it out of the oven HOT for heavy items. A pan can always be slid underneath. That whole frame is going to be hot, I would prefer to handle just the spit rather than the whole frame. You definitely need two people for this operation.

Great idea, have been wondering how I can do a roisterer in the oven. Thanks for the share.

[nissanneill]

Re: Oven Spit

There is considerable information and detail for coffee roasting and baskets here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/25/r...html#post57197

I haven't personally done any but green beans are quite hard to get and a lot more expensive than freshly roasted beans from the multitude available here in Adelaide.

Neill

[lwood]

Re: Oven Spit

Thanks for the link Neill. Coffee grows on our property and am trying to exploit it. We got about 40 kilos this year of coffee cherries and now my wife wants me to roast them...