Karangi Dudes Barrel Bread Oven

[Gulf]

Iti s all looking very fine there Sensei,

I do love the "rustic charm" of old brick.

[Karangi Dude]

Thanks Joe old buddy,

We will continue with the old look inside the building as well, Aussies have a liking for old timber and rusted corrugated iron etc. The town I live in Thoona is and old town with quite a few old buildings so it will suit the look even though our house is modern from the front when you enter the back area it will have that old rustic charm. I was given a potbelly stove that is in really good nick so that is going in as a feature.

I am waiting on my Son who is a builder to remove the existing structure and build the new one that will of course feature the front of the oven. I was going to build it myself but because of my illness my wife put an end to that saying you are not well enough to be putting up a roof (and that I am to old ha ha) so my Son will frame it up and put the roof on and then I will finish the outside then line the inside and deck it out, there is a bar, sink area, work benches etc. so there is a lot to do before I can start the classes

Cheers Doug

[Karangi Dude]

Finally laid the last brick, it took a long time to sort through the old bricks cleaning off the old mortar sometimes to find that the brick was not suitable, most of the bricks are pretty rough not real square or straight and vary in thickness and size, to find useable ones I went through about three times the quantity that I needed and I still needed to trim some of them without making them look to uniform.
After laying them I gave the bricks a clean up with a light grind and will now wait for the mortar to dry before giving them a light acid wash.

I put up a temporary wall frame as a guide then laid the bricks to suit, this is the only part of the oven that will be seen from inside the rest will be outside hence the curved steel top to keep out the weather.
I now need to insulate the flue area let it cure then render and waterproof paint it all including the steel work but not the galvanised stand.

[oasiscdm]

hi Doug

As usual immaculate work. Pam and I are staying at Milawa at the end October for a couple of days call it a brief honeymoon. believe that's not far from you.

[Karangi Dude]

It's been a while since I have added to this thread I was unwell for along period and could not do much.
We had a few fires in the oven and cooked some nice food before my Son (who is a builder) and his staff pulled down the old patio roof and walls then build the new roof and walls from my plans, they got the frame and roof up in 3 days a few weeks before Christmas
It was quite a while before I was well enough to start cladding the outside of the new building and finish the insulation and render on the flue gallery

[UtahBeehiver]

Doug,

Glad to see you back and as usual the oven looks great. Is this set up for teaching WFO cooking again?

[Karangi Dude]

Hi Russell,
Yes this new room is somewhere to do the classes but it will be mainly used for family and friends. We built it right off the living room and kitchen so it is now part of the house, it is a nice sunny room and we will build a new deck off the sliding door for some alfresco dining. We put a potbelly stove in for those really cold days (and for ascetics) there will be a split system air-con as well.
My son said you don't see many WFO's inside houses, he's right but it is a WFO that can be used all year round.
I can say already it's great everything is so close and handy, there will be some additional bench / cupboards and a sink installed as well as a bar at the other end of the room.
We removed the existing sliding door and relocated it to the new wall, I then finished the cladding put in the door jams and hung the new doors and windows, it took a good while as I was not able to do much with this condition that I have some days more than others my wife was great help.
We had the electrician come and rough in the power and light cables before the insulation went in, my Son then came and helped hang the plaster boards and a friend who is a plasterer came and set the joins etc.
The electrician then came back to connect up the power points and down lights etc. In the meantime I started the lining of the feature wall around the oven and got most of the painting done

[Gulf]

Doug,

That is a very nice setup. I can't say enough about any oven design that adds days of comfortable use for the oven. It looks like you have hit the 24/7/365 day per year mark .

[Karangi Dude]

Thanks Joe,

I like the idea of 24/7/365 we might need the air-con on in summer as it can get pretty hot here in this part of the world but we will still be able to do some roasts etc.
I will probably heat it up early morning and then put the fire out and do the cooking, it is surprising how very little heat comes out into the room when you are cooking with the door on, no where near as much as the electric oven in the kitchen.
The new room is quite large at 30 x 16 feet ,the bar will be built where the two chairs are in pic. 6
We still have a fair bit to do but the room and oven are quite usable as they are, we have had some of our family over a couple of times, this lockdown has of course slowed things down.

[Karangi Dude]

All fired up ready for some cooking.
The oven is almost cured it takes several months and a lot of fires to get an oven fully cured.
When the oven dries out completely it will get up to temperature quicker and hold heat longer and get better and better to cook in
The feature wall is finished, I just need to make a rack for all the tools, as of yet I haven't' made up my mind in what form that will take

[oasiscdm]

Hi Doug

As usual Doug amazing simply amazing. You are definitely the master oven builder, chef and engineer.

[Karangi Dude]

Hey Collin,

You are way to kind, I hope things are going well for you and your beautiful wife and that your new oven is coming along, we are doing ok up here in Thoona

Cheers Doug

[Karangi Dude]

New Blast Door works a treat also helps deflect radiant heat from my back while I am doing prep work
Made out of 2mm plate with timber handles, I removed about 30% of the total area, draws extremely well
I use the blast door to help get the oven up to temperature more quickly it probably cuts the time by 20 to 30%
After I have finished cooking I rake the coals to the middle of the oven and put the blast door back on to burn down the last bit of fuel before I put my insulated door on
The insulated door is made of aluminium plate with a core of 55mm ceramic fibre board

[MarkJerling]

Real nice doors!

[Karangi Dude]

Thanks Mark