Build started in Mountain Top NSW

[Gretsch]

Holy crap JR, thats a seriously thick door you got there, I bet it insulates well (?)

I went for SS for its low thermal conductivity. It was an expensive exercise and I hope it was worth the $s but Is it that much more efficient than steel is the question, and will 2 layers of blanket be enough, time will tell.

It weighed in much lighter than the wooden one so I could get away with one handed operation which I figured was important. I had angled tabs welded to the inside side panel to take nutserts so I could screw it off and get inside for whatever reason. I stuck nomex around the back edge of the panel, the way the handle is positioned I can get some tension against the arch for a good tight seal.

A door is an easy thing to replace anytime. Maybe I’ll make a steel one just for the exercise and do a comparison. That’s a job for when I get bored. May never happen. Right now it’s covered with a tarp, has been raining again, there’s been a couple of cyclones up north that’s probably driving the rain down here, I’ve got a full house of split timber and can’t wait for the sun to come out so I can get cooking again !

While on the subject of timber, I found cutting it up into smaller or thinner pieces gets a really good flame up and is easier to manage. The idea came from the pizza shop down here in Nimbin, Armonica pizza. He’s an Italian (of course) and I have to say he turns out some seriously good cuisine! He would be equal to any restaurant I’d been to. How lucky are we

[david s]

Whilst stainless is substantially less thermally conductive than mild steel, it is still around 10 times more conductive than dense brick. In addition it warps badly when subjected to heat which may create sealing problems against the rebate in your oven mouth. Making the stainless thicker in an effort to reduce warping only increases the heat sink effect of the metal. Hopefully you’ve struck a happy medium. I’d be interested in your appraisal after a years use. Good luck.

[Gretsch]

My main concern was it’s expansion rate cause I didn’t want it to jam or worse, apply pressure on my arch, was told it doesn’t expand too much and allowing a couple of mm gap would be enough. I’ve probably got 5mm of movement in any direction.

I applied the Nomex to the back face of the front panel so it would push against the outside face of the arch, should provide the best seal (as far as I can tell).

Front panel is 1.6mm and the rest is 1.2mm. Will just have to see what happens I guess

Hey David s, you must be copping some serious rain up there.

[JRPizza]

Holy crap JR, thats a seriously thick door you got there, I bet it insulates well (?)

I read a bunch of threads and 4" was about the thickest I saw anybody make, and I figured that would put the inside of the door close to the interior surface of the dome. I also didn't want to wish I had made it thicker after I was done
It insulates pretty well but I need to install the nomex gasket I bought last year and possibly make a wooden face to cut down on the radiated heat. When I got my steel sheet I had to buy it in two by four foot sections, so I have plenty to make a new door if/when this one burns through.
+1 on using smaller pieces of wood. DavidS always says don't use pieces thicker than your wrist, so I have been splitting mine much finer than I was when I first started.

[Gretsch]

JR, When I was living and working in Darwin NT our favourite pizza shop located in Fannie Bay had a pizza called a

JR Pizza

.
Yep, I even made a note of the ingredients so I could reproduce it.
Tomato base (w/ parsley, oregano), Cheese (Mozzarella, Pecorino, Tasty) Ham, Spring Onion, Bacon, Anchovies, Olives, Pepperoni.

[david s]

My main concern was it’s expansion rate cause I didn’t want it to jam or worse, apply pressure on my arch, was told it doesn’t expand too much and allowing a couple of mm gap would be enough. I’ve probably got 5mm of movement in any direction.

I applied the Nomex to the back face of the front panel so it would push against the outside face of the arch, should provide the best seal (as far as I can tell).

Front panel is 1.6mm and the rest is 1.2mm. Will just have to see what happens I guess

Hey David s, you must be copping some serious rain up there.

Hardly a drop. I catered for a pizza party today in a local park and was worried about rain, but only a few drops. Cairns, about 400 km to the north of us has had tons though.

[JRPizza]

That sounds like a mighty fine pie.