Pizza Oven....YEAH BABY! (Part 2) - Page 2

Guamaque · 12-13-2012, 12:34 AM

Very Nice, I have a similar build but it is an over under cement pit. One thing, I learned from experience, is that your oven looks greatly insulated underneath, ( I like those bottles ! ) but as you know everything that counts is up above. I had to keep adding tricks to get enough insulation above the pit. My last trick which I really like, was to add the perlite, thermorock to the mortar on the dome. They sell it at home depot a large bag very cheap. It really helps insulate, its like mini volcanic light rocks. You mix it with the mortar / clay and it really insulates. I read about it here somewhere and if you can still add it I recommend it. It can be on the outer or middle layer, doesn't matter.

caliking · 12-13-2012, 01:01 AM

cool beans man! Looks great.

How high is your entry/arch going to be, compared to the top of the dome? From what I read a while ago, the top of the arch should be 67% of the height of the dome for the best air/heat flow in the oven.

Great build thread. I wish I had some of your skills (which explains why my WFO is not mortared!)

tom72 · 12-13-2012, 01:25 AM

@Guamaque - Thanks! That's actually what I have surrounding the bottles in the insulation layer. It's a mix of perlite with clay slip. Initially I was using sawdust with clay slip, but I found the perlite/clay mixture MUCH easier to work with. After the dome dries out and I cure it, I'm planning on going over the clay dome with the perlite/clay mixture out to the edges of the bricks. That should give me 4-5 inches of insulation around the outside of the dome...hopefully that'll be enough. I'd like to use this for baking/roasting too.

@caliking - The entry/arch is 10.5 inches tall, and the top of the inside of the dome is right at 16 inches. I've read everywhere from 63% - 67% entry to dome height, so I'm roughly 65%...hopefully that will work. If need be, I can close it off by building up clay inside the edges of the entry. Hopefully I don't need to open it up more!

Guamaque · 12-13-2012, 05:14 AM

I have 12 inches of mortar / clay / perlite on the top. And I'm cooking at 275' max. It gets warm , but is good enough. For a pizza oven, you need more for sure.

Bob in St. Louis · 12-13-2012, 08:38 AM

That's cool. I really want to do that.

tom72 · 12-14-2012, 11:25 AM

This is just the completion of the clay dome (finally!)

If nothing else, at least I get to take a break for a while, which my back will greatly appreciate. Now all there is to do is wait...wait for it to dry, empty the sand, and fire it a little at a time to cure it. Then insulation and finishing plaster. Hopefully I'll have good news and more photos in a couple of weeks. Thanks for looking!

63brew · 12-14-2012, 01:11 PM

man i love it. been thinking about doing this too. i'm still a non searchable noob. I need to dig up some info. anyways it looks great, i can't wait to see some pics of pizza firing in there.

caliking · 12-14-2012, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom72

@Guamaque - Thanks! That's actually what I have surrounding the bottles in the insulation layer. It's a mix of perlite with clay slip. Initially I was using sawdust with clay slip, but I found the perlite/clay mixture MUCH easier to work with. After the dome dries out and I cure it, I'm planning on going over the clay dome with the perlite/clay mixture out to the edges of the bricks. That should give me 4-5 inches of insulation around the outside of the dome...hopefully that'll be enough. I'd like to use this for baking/roasting too.

@caliking - The entry/arch is 10.5 inches tall, and the top of the inside of the dome is right at 16 inches. I've read everywhere from 63% - 67% entry to dome height, so I'm roughly 65%...hopefully that will work. If need be, I can close it off by building up clay inside the edges of the entry. Hopefully I don't need to open it up more!

still lookin' good!

I think you should be okay. With my leaky non-mortared build, I can hit 900°+ with a few pieces of split wood. You may already know this from your research, but I think the clay needs to dry out slowly, so may need to be covered with wet burlap or newspaper as it dries, or even hosed down intermittently. I may not be 100% right, so you may want to check. would hate for you to find cracks as it dries.

Carbon · 12-14-2012, 05:12 PM

Nice build! Looks to be efficient with the ideal entry/dome ceiling ratio.

I did the same thing on my build, used an angle iron instead of an arch for the entry.

12-13-2012, 12:34 AM	#16
Guamaque On the road to being a farker Join Date: 03-25-11 Location: Nimitz Hill Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Very Nice, I have a similar build but it is an over under cement pit. One thing, I learned from experience, is that your oven looks greatly insulated underneath, ( I like those bottles ! ) but as you know everything that counts is up above. I had to keep adding tricks to get enough insulation above the pit. My last trick which I really like, was to add the perlite, thermorock to the mortar on the dome. They sell it at home depot a large bag very cheap. It really helps insulate, its like mini volcanic light rocks. You mix it with the mortar / clay and it really insulates. I read about it here somewhere and if you can still add it I recommend it. It can be on the outer or middle layer, doesn't matter. __________________ " Don't ask me who I am " CENTRIXS

12-13-2012, 01:01 AM	#17
caliking is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-13-10 Location: Houston, TX Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	cool beans man! Looks great. How high is your entry/arch going to be, compared to the top of the dome? From what I read a while ago, the top of the arch should be 67% of the height of the dome for the best air/heat flow in the oven. Great build thread. I wish I had some of your skills (which explains why my WFO is not mortared!) __________________ EZ wood handled 3 wheeler \| OTS \| OTS mod to OTG \| Ladybug SS Performer \| UglyDrumTandoor \| UDS v1 \| midi UDS with red nipples \| SJG smoker mod \| Simpsons SJS \| Simpsons OTG \| WGA charcoal \| SJP \| Stacked brick WFO \| Lodge Logic Sportsman's Grill cast iron hibachi/sigri \| LBGE

12-13-2012, 01:25 AM	#18
tom72 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 05-14-12 Location: Phoenix, AZ Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	@Guamaque - Thanks! That's actually what I have surrounding the bottles in the insulation layer. It's a mix of perlite with clay slip. Initially I was using sawdust with clay slip, but I found the perlite/clay mixture MUCH easier to work with. After the dome dries out and I cure it, I'm planning on going over the clay dome with the perlite/clay mixture out to the edges of the bricks. That should give me 4-5 inches of insulation around the outside of the dome...hopefully that'll be enough. I'd like to use this for baking/roasting too. @caliking - The entry/arch is 10.5 inches tall, and the top of the inside of the dome is right at 16 inches. I've read everywhere from 63% - 67% entry to dome height, so I'm roughly 65%...hopefully that will work. If need be, I can close it off by building up clay inside the edges of the entry. Hopefully I don't need to open it up more! __________________ Weber OTG 22.5 Kettle / Char-Griller Outlaw / Backwoods Party Always remember that you are unique and special, just like everybody else.

12-13-2012, 05:14 AM	#19
Guamaque On the road to being a farker Join Date: 03-25-11 Location: Nimitz Hill Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I have 12 inches of mortar / clay / perlite on the top. And I'm cooking at 275' max. It gets warm , but is good enough. For a pizza oven, you need more for sure. __________________ " Don't ask me who I am " CENTRIXS

12-13-2012, 08:38 AM	#20
Bob in St. Louis is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 07-31-12 Location: St. Louis Missouri Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	That's cool. I really want to do that. __________________ -Bob- Meat eater. Woodworker. PS3 Gamer. Home Theater Guy. Beer Drinker. WSM 22.5 and random cooking stuff used to help form my shapely manly figure.

12-14-2012, 11:25 AM	#21
tom72 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 05-14-12 Location: Phoenix, AZ Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	This is just the completion of the clay dome (finally!) If nothing else, at least I get to take a break for a while, which my back will greatly appreciate. Now all there is to do is wait...wait for it to dry, empty the sand, and fire it a little at a time to cure it. Then insulation and finishing plaster. Hopefully I'll have good news and more photos in a couple of weeks. Thanks for looking! __________________ Weber OTG 22.5 Kettle / Char-Griller Outlaw / Backwoods Party Always remember that you are unique and special, just like everybody else.

12-14-2012, 01:11 PM	#22
63brew Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match. Join Date: 12-12-12 Location: long beach, ca Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	man i love it. been thinking about doing this too. i'm still a non searchable noob. I need to dig up some info. anyways it looks great, i can't wait to see some pics of pizza firing in there.

12-14-2012, 05:12 PM	#24
Carbon is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-24-08 Location: Los Angeles Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Nice build! Looks to be efficient with the ideal entry/dome ceiling ratio. I did the same thing on my build, used an angle iron instead of an arch for the entry. __________________ ....UDS....Mini-WSM....Midi-WSM....Mod-ECB....22.5-OTG....34"wood fired pizza oven.... Last edited by Carbon; 12-14-2012 at 05:32 PM..