Apologies in advance, i still have some details and photos to add to this instructable... will fix up soon,
Until then, enjoy : )
Here are some basic instructions for installing my DIY pizza oven kit.
I have designed this kit so that it is easy to customise, all the hard design and time consuming work has been done for you and you get to do all the fun stuff.
Try to be original with your finished design, you dont want it to look the same as your mates one do you?
You can do anything to finish your oven, adobe, bricks, tiles, natural stone, colored render... just keep in mind weather the finished material will be waterproof, will you need to design a small roof into your structure? or build one over the oven? or will you coat render or bricks in a waterproofing clear resin?
Unlike other kits out there in the market, this kit uses all top quality materials, dont fall for kits using cheap knock off fire bricks... they will not hold the heat for long and you will be disappointed when you pull uncooked loaves of bread out of them.
Once you have finished your oven installation please e-mail me some pictures to add to this for inspiration for others : )
Please read my write up on the last step "Thermal properties of common masonry materials" for good information about thermal properties of materials you may be using to finish your oven.
This also includes why i dont recommend people to build "earth ovens" and why i recommend that you should use more modern materials for construction of a WFO.
A bit about these kits:
Base: 1200mmx1200mm x200mm weight around150kg excluding fire bricks.
Base is constructed from vermiculite concrete with reinforcing steel, fire bricks are recessed into the base and seated on a bed of sand.
Vermiculite concrete has high insulation values along with being light weight, this will keep your fire bricks nice and hot for many hours after the fire has gone out and also be a lot easier to move into place.
When you receive your base just lift out all the fire bricks (apart from the front 5) move it into place and re-seat all the bricks into place using a trowel to make a nice flat surface with the sand... if your not happy with the flatness of the surface pull them up and do it again... you will not get another chance once the dome is on top.
If there are small lips etc do not worry too much, with use of the oven they will flatten out over time from ware from sliding the peel in and out of the oven.
Reinforcing bars protrude out of the sides of the base to use for handles to lift it, 2 strong people can move it but best to use 4 people to minimise any chance of damage to yourself or the base.
These bars can either be cut off with with a angle grinder or hacksaw or just left in place if building a larger structure.
Vermiculite concrete is quite a fragile material so be careful with it.
Although it is fragile it has high compression strength, a few tons sitting on top of the edges will not be a problem as long as it is supported from underneath.
If the base is twisted and cracked or chipped it heals easily with mortar.
For a simple structure for the vermiculite base to sit on i suggest using cinder blocks, they are cheap easy and fast to install... i recommend making a minimum 70-100mm concrete slab for the base to sit on if using this method, the vermiculite base is not designed to be structural.
Picture attached of an example of what you may choose.
Dome:
Internal cooking surface 800mm, internal dome height 400mm, door opening 480mm W x 280mm H,
Dome is precast in 4 pieces, this allows for easy installation as one person can lift a section without to much trouble.
It is constructed from refractory cement, basically giant cast fire bricks.
The sections are just lent in place allowing for a dry joint, this allows for expansion points when the dome is heating and cooling, the exterior of the joins are mortared up with refractory mortar to lock the pieces in place making it so they cannot slip out of place during heating and cooling.
The dome sits back far enough for you to construct a front arch on the oven from either bricks or stone... its up to your preference of how you want the oven to look.
Remember to make the arch slightly larger than the oven entrance so there is a recess for the door you make to rest against.
Please view the firing step, it is extremely important not to heat the oven up too fast the first time, the dome pieces may crack and /or spit out chunks.
Insulation:
A Crematic blanket (3.5mtr x mtr) is provided with the kit, this is more than enough for a good layer, please view the installation step but feel free to do it differently if you feel the need, more can be provided on request if another layer is required.
Just keep in mind to try to overlap any cuts you make.
Render:
Cover with chicken wire, i prefer to use the stuff with larger holes as it is much easier to work with, i can swap to smaller hole stuff if requested.
Chicken wire is put on in a similar method to the crematic blanket (veiw step)
Enough render is provided for a 4-1 mix, 4x sand 1x cement, this will give you a nice strong render (stucco) for a first layer...this first layer will be your (scratch coat) i suggest scratching it or doing it roughly so the following layer can lock into it.
Now you will be ready to customise your oven, have a play on google images and have a look at other design finishes...
Coming soon:
Building a door for your oven. (Done, please view my other instructables)
Natural stone WFO/smoker/BBQ project. (natural stone is slow to build with... could be some time)
Until then, enjoy : )
Here are some basic instructions for installing my DIY pizza oven kit.
I have designed this kit so that it is easy to customise, all the hard design and time consuming work has been done for you and you get to do all the fun stuff.
Try to be original with your finished design, you dont want it to look the same as your mates one do you?
You can do anything to finish your oven, adobe, bricks, tiles, natural stone, colored render... just keep in mind weather the finished material will be waterproof, will you need to design a small roof into your structure? or build one over the oven? or will you coat render or bricks in a waterproofing clear resin?
Unlike other kits out there in the market, this kit uses all top quality materials, dont fall for kits using cheap knock off fire bricks... they will not hold the heat for long and you will be disappointed when you pull uncooked loaves of bread out of them.
Once you have finished your oven installation please e-mail me some pictures to add to this for inspiration for others : )
Please read my write up on the last step "Thermal properties of common masonry materials" for good information about thermal properties of materials you may be using to finish your oven.
This also includes why i dont recommend people to build "earth ovens" and why i recommend that you should use more modern materials for construction of a WFO.
A bit about these kits:
Base: 1200mmx1200mm x200mm weight around150kg excluding fire bricks.
Base is constructed from vermiculite concrete with reinforcing steel, fire bricks are recessed into the base and seated on a bed of sand.
Vermiculite concrete has high insulation values along with being light weight, this will keep your fire bricks nice and hot for many hours after the fire has gone out and also be a lot easier to move into place.
When you receive your base just lift out all the fire bricks (apart from the front 5) move it into place and re-seat all the bricks into place using a trowel to make a nice flat surface with the sand... if your not happy with the flatness of the surface pull them up and do it again... you will not get another chance once the dome is on top.
If there are small lips etc do not worry too much, with use of the oven they will flatten out over time from ware from sliding the peel in and out of the oven.
Reinforcing bars protrude out of the sides of the base to use for handles to lift it, 2 strong people can move it but best to use 4 people to minimise any chance of damage to yourself or the base.
These bars can either be cut off with with a angle grinder or hacksaw or just left in place if building a larger structure.
Vermiculite concrete is quite a fragile material so be careful with it.
Although it is fragile it has high compression strength, a few tons sitting on top of the edges will not be a problem as long as it is supported from underneath.
If the base is twisted and cracked or chipped it heals easily with mortar.
For a simple structure for the vermiculite base to sit on i suggest using cinder blocks, they are cheap easy and fast to install... i recommend making a minimum 70-100mm concrete slab for the base to sit on if using this method, the vermiculite base is not designed to be structural.
Picture attached of an example of what you may choose.
Dome:
Internal cooking surface 800mm, internal dome height 400mm, door opening 480mm W x 280mm H,
Dome is precast in 4 pieces, this allows for easy installation as one person can lift a section without to much trouble.
It is constructed from refractory cement, basically giant cast fire bricks.
The sections are just lent in place allowing for a dry joint, this allows for expansion points when the dome is heating and cooling, the exterior of the joins are mortared up with refractory mortar to lock the pieces in place making it so they cannot slip out of place during heating and cooling.
The dome sits back far enough for you to construct a front arch on the oven from either bricks or stone... its up to your preference of how you want the oven to look.
Remember to make the arch slightly larger than the oven entrance so there is a recess for the door you make to rest against.
Please view the firing step, it is extremely important not to heat the oven up too fast the first time, the dome pieces may crack and /or spit out chunks.
Insulation:
A Crematic blanket (3.5mtr x mtr) is provided with the kit, this is more than enough for a good layer, please view the installation step but feel free to do it differently if you feel the need, more can be provided on request if another layer is required.
Just keep in mind to try to overlap any cuts you make.
Render:
Cover with chicken wire, i prefer to use the stuff with larger holes as it is much easier to work with, i can swap to smaller hole stuff if requested.
Chicken wire is put on in a similar method to the crematic blanket (veiw step)
Enough render is provided for a 4-1 mix, 4x sand 1x cement, this will give you a nice strong render (stucco) for a first layer...this first layer will be your (scratch coat) i suggest scratching it or doing it roughly so the following layer can lock into it.
Now you will be ready to customise your oven, have a play on google images and have a look at other design finishes...
Coming soon:
Building a door for your oven. (Done, please view my other instructables)
Natural stone WFO/smoker/BBQ project. (natural stone is slow to build with... could be some time)
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Signing UpStep 1: Base installation
When you get your kit, after removing all the sand/cement and dome pieces you will be left with the base.
First remove all the fire bricks from it and much of the sand they were sitting on, this will make it a lot lighter to carry and put in place.
Be careful with the fire bricks, they are fragile and chip easily.
The front bricks are permanently in place, do not try to remove these.
Once you have your base seated in its new home fill the sand up to the bottom level of the front bricks, make the layer even the whole way around, you can use a tape measure to get the correct height at the far end.
Using a flat trowel i have found to be the best tool for this job, take your time and use an even pressure over the surface.
Next start placing all the bricks in, this takes me 2 or 3 try's to get it good... if its not quite right pull them up and start again.
Once they are in there is no going back, its important to get them as good as you can.
Try to resist the urge to bang them down in place, you want them to all be placed consistently.
Any slight edges are not a worry, your pizza peel will ware them off in time.
Gaps between the fire bricks will also be filled with ash from your fire, the surface will be pretty mint after a few party's.
Once they are all in nice and even, sprinkle more sand around the gaps on the edges, this will lock them all in.
Now you are ready to start putting up the dome.
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This finished oven will be as high as the building behind it, there will be a roof built onto it... a second chamber is going above the main oven for smoking and slow roasting.
As the shape of a dome is extremely strong along with a thick render coat on top of the dome it should be able to support tons of material on top...
If you were to stack boulders over the oven i would suggest some sort of waterproof layer, you could use heavy duty aluminum foil for this.
Basically you just need to focus on keeping the water out.
All of your ideas are great, i think the sphinx stands out the most... i would love to build one out of : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oamaru_stone
It is real easy stone to carve with a chisel... here is a pillar i made with this stone.
You could put the oven entrance below the head : )
Myself and an engineer designed them and i manufacture them, they can be purchased here:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1770491
Unfortunately for New Zealand customers only.