Oven Build in Adelaide

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Sorry Gumfade, havent been able to load the PDF of instructions (5MB) as site doesnt allow file that big. Will find another way of getting to you.

Cheers
Craig

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Well the weather started to show signs of a potential sping last weekend. Cut a disk of mdf and positioned under the 9th course to hold bricks in place. Spent the afternoon cutting and numbering the bricks to fit so I might mortar next weekend. Boy is that fun

Is there an easy way of shaping each brick for these last few courses? Is it better to shape the brick evenly on both sides or only shape one edge of each brick to fit? Or does it not really matter so long as the bricks fit with minimal gaps for mortar?

It feels that the shape is becoming multifacetted with obtuse angles

I figure as these final upper courses generally out in visual range, making it look nice may not be the main point, compared to a good fit.

Any feedback welcome. Hopefully rain stays away this weekend, and this course can be completed and the disk cut down for the next course.

Cheers

Craig

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

First day of Spring and the sun shone. A veritable heat wave at Greenhill. 13C !! though it reached over 19C down the hill.

Have now completed the ninth row of the dome, and will recut the MDF disk to now fit number 10 course in the morning. Hopefully cutting to shape the bricks needed and getting them in place.

Tomorrow is another cracker forecast. So hopefully momentum increases again each weekend.

Happy Fathers Day to all for tomorrow. My special day will be with the family, but of course, the WFO will get some attention.

Cheers

Craig

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Well what a Fathers Day!! Not only did I get a bottle of Glenmorangie and VSOP Cognac, the day on the WFO was spectacular.

I re-cut the disk to fit for the tenth row and arranged the bricks for the best fit. Boy this 10th level started doing my head in - shaping each brick to fit, in the end I opted for 1/4 bricks to minimize wasteage.

I put a layer of brickies sand on the disk to support the bricks in the correct position, filling in the gaps with mortar. Managed to get this done before lunch.(Late lunch that is).
Good day so far, so thought I'd start on the 11th course, which all of a sudden came together with the pieces fitting together quickly. A bit more sand to hold into place and give the mortar a firm base to rest on, and before I knew it I had put mortar into place. I suddenly realised all that was left was the KEYSTONE
[]
WOW What an amazing feeling. The dome was now complete.

I've seen the light.

Sunday never felt so religious, WFO religion that is!!

Fathers Day 2012 will certainly be a well remembered day. Look out next weekend. The end is nigh......

Catch you all soon

Craig

[Bacterium]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Weather looking good for this weekend again...... and winds during the week to dry it out.

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Weather great today, not that flash yesterday, but managed to get the chimney/flue finished yesterday.

Was going to start the insulation layer today, but after measuring the finished dome, realised the fibretek blanket was not going to be enough to cover. Will have to get more this week. Decided this was not such a bad thing, with the sun shining for most of this week, I figured the extra warmth from the sun would assist the drying/curing of the oven. The bricks were 5.5 degrees C yesterday and had crept up to 9 degrees today after some rays.
Spent today looking at the set up of BBQ and Oven layout. Still a work in progress. Also set up formwork for pathway next to house, which will lead to lawn/entertaining area.



So in the end a reasonable successfull weekend. Forecast is for 21 degrees by next Sunday, so looking forward to getting the insulation done.

Cheers

Craig

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Gudday
Shame to waste such great wheather.... you know that oven will work... make pizza without insulation don't you. Why don't you start your curing fires now? you can have the oven cured before you insulate because your using "dry" insulation unlike Pealite/cement which comes with a mass of water to dry out. Just a thought....

Regards Dave
PS Really like your oven and your outdoor kitchen ...and the view!

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Thanks Dave,

Took your advice and spent the following week curing the oven. This culminated in getting the oven up to temp by the 23rd of September. Wow to see the dome inners change from sooty black to white was exiting.

I celebrated the next day, my 51st birthday, with the first pizza. I even experimented with a new dough mix using Karangi Dudes recipe with potato. Kept the first one simple with meat and baby mozzarella cheese on a home made tomato base from last years tomatoes.

Pizza ready to go in

And amazingly on the way out

Alas the excitement of the first pizza coming out of the oven meant we didn't get a photo of the finished pizza. It was eaten too quickly. Unbelievable, I didnt know pizza could taste that good.

We ended up with five pizzas for the night, a marinara pizza, and the most popular was a yiros lamb. This consisted of marinated lamb with feta cheese and olive oil, with a generous spread of rocket after cooking.

We ended up making a number of these. YUMMY

I have done two more firings since, and each time the pizzas are tasting better and better.

Now have all the insulation, so hopefully this weekend I can insulate and take a step closer to the finish.

Cheers

Craig

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Gudday
So no photo of the first pizza ?.....someone ate the evidence....recon that's happened to a few of us. Now I think obout it I'm sure I have a photo of the first cooking but not one of the finished product!
Regards Dave

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Well it has been a while since I did an update.

The oven progress came to a bit of a standstill after I got the first layer of insulating blanket on -50mm of Fibretek 650.
Had to get another roll as didn't quite have enough, so thought may as well try for 2 layers of insulating blanket, but alas was not meant to be.

CSR changed the manufacture of the blanket , changing the outer layer from a cloth like material to aluminium foil. Ended up being a pain to use, too rigid, too hard to shape, easily damaged. If it was on flat straight edges great, but not a pompei oven. So gave up as a bad idea and decided to progress to the perlite layer.



Then weather on weekends became unfriendly, along with all the pre xmas things.

So now have managed to do perlite/cement layer over blanket, ended up with over 3" of perlite covering most of the dome.



With 37degrees forcast on Thursday,this shoud help cure this layer. I will do a small fireup on the weekend when it is cooler to make sure the whole
dome is dry before rendering. Dome has been covered with a tarp to keep it dry, and oven has been fully cured, with 6 or so cookoffs.

Cheers

Craig

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Gudday Craig
Thanks for the update its great to see your pride in what you have built.
Yours would have to have the best view of any oven that I can remember...
Glad it was you building it though. I couldnt focus without thinking one wrong step at the back of that stand......

Well done
Regards dave

[BOOMERS WFO]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Well Team, after some time the oven is finally all finished. The second coat of render went on last weekend.

Pretty happy with the look.

Have now done the cabinets and benches, with just the doors to go and cutting the hole for a sink in the corner.
Layout seems to work well for ins and outs of pizzas.



Have made a door out of an old piece of Jarrah. Works well, just need to do a bit more shaping to create a better seal.



Have already had great success in multiple days cooking, pizza night and then roast the next day. The leg of lamb I did was the most moist and tender I've ever done. Even the vegies in their jackets were amazing. People could not believe that it was all cooked by the residual heat of the oven.

Thanks to all that assisted in this project, particularly my son Jarryd for his help-particularly when I was attempting to be a rock climber standing on the ledge at the back of the oven.
This part was the most difficult of the build, glad I've still got a reasonable sense of balance at 51, though the hamstrings and calf muscles were killing me at the end of the day.
I guess a sensible person probably should have put up scaffolding!!

Cheers

Craig

[cobblerdave]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Gudday Craig
Let me congratulate you on a job well done. You must be proud of your work! I do like the earthy tones it suits you bush background
Regards dave

[brickie in oz]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Nice build....

Your door will probably catch fire.....

[david s]

Re: Oven Build in Adelaide

Nice build....

Your door will probably catch fire.....

Italians traditionally use wooden doors. I've read they used to soak them in a bucket before placing. If you only use it for roasting and baking below about 250 C it should last ok, but don't leave it in place for hours trying to save oven heat or it will char.