Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey Angel..is it a dome or tunnel type? Also are you using kiln bricks or house bricks?

Dome and Housebricks. I just wrote out a really long reply and lost it

In short I was saying I am going to build my oven when the other half is away. He is an ex brickie, and I'll get nothing but grief when he see's my yet to be developed laying technique. I'll have it rendered before he see's any questionable joinery!

In explanation of the housebricks, I have about 1700 red solids that I need to get rid of, so a brick oven is a way of using some up. The author of that book says housebricks are adequate as the oven will not reach temperatures high enough to effect the bricks. Everything else I have read definately states fire bricks, but the author of this book seems to know his stuff, so I will trust him.

What temp will effect housebricks?

You will need fire bricks for the hearth.

I have built a dome oven using kiln bricks cut in half...it works really well but because of the thickness of the walls it takes a lot of firing to get hot ( and stay hot) about 3 hours of fire. If you have your heart set on a dome then go for it they look great...however they are tricky to build and if you want to minimise the size of the mortar gaps between bricks, there is a lot a lot of compound cutting to do...

I agree that kiln bricks are a good idea for the hearth..and it is very important that you insulate the hearth from any concrete base it may sit on.

If I was to build again I would build a tunnel type...I have cooked in both and found no real difference when cooking pizzas..however the tunnel types are a lot easier to build and lots less cutting of bricks...

Just my opinion

Hello, wow pyro monkey that looks awsome!!! I have an outdoor kitchen but only a small portable benchtop oven outside. so whens your next pizza night?

Pyro Money, you built that? You are brilliant, I am so impressed. Mine will be very 'rustic', not like your'se at all! I will use your picture for inspiration as I'm building.
I have a pile of half and one third bricks and other odd shaped and angled bricks, so hopefully I will find much of what fill I need. Not much cutting at all according to the book though. He also recommends loosely packed bricks on their side to form the interior base, so they may be easily exchanged periodically, every 12 months or so if I recall correctly. I really need to get that book back. Once I read it again I may find everything I thought I understood and have quoted is incorrect!

Did anybody see Italian food safari last night now that's an oven 90 loaves of bread plus roast tomatoes capsicum etc

No money in fireworks...just a hobby lol:thumbright:

yeah I read heaps about wood ovens before building this one...I was a bit worried that with the massive heat change that there would be a fair bit of expansion and movement of the bricks..so all of mine are tapered to make each one key with the next so there was no chance of a brick in the dome working itself loose. My floor is tightly packed but has a loose expansion gap around the edges if that make sense...I found that you need the floor quite tight and smooth otherwise it is catches when you slide the paddle in...I cook straight on the floor not in pizza trays.

There is a diy wood oven place in freo that is worth a look for stealing ideas..they have a mortarless design that is quite simple..

what sort of smithing do you do? My neighbour in the country is an old blacksmith..I loved watching him work as a kid..he works a lot with damask steel making edge weapons and stuff

I'm with you on that one!

nice 12 incher Dicko

Most of my smithy work is just playing in the shed! I have only been going a few years, and until recently worked away, so was lucky to get into my shed once a month! Hope to get more time this year. The work I would like to do is decorative, chanderliers and ornamental stuff, free form sculpture. The only paid stuff I have done is a few tools, so I want to change that.
Damaskas is fairly specialised, your neighbour must be good! I am hoping to get to a damaskas workshop next year, there are a few places over east that do them.

yeah he has been at it for about 60 years or so... he makes his damask steel out of cart rims and leaf springs...fascinating stuff...
Interesting thing his right arm is quite a bit longer than his left from all the hammering..