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OVEN RECONSTRUCTION

Here are a few pictures of my oven in various stages of reconstruction, I decided to make the oven a little larger, from 42" to 48" The extra few inches seems to make a big difference, I also improved on the chimney design a little, I think between the larger diameter and better chimney the oven seems to fire a lot better.

The old oven was torn down and all debris removed.

The outside walls where kept in tact as the oven dome was being built, the task of building the dome wasn't to difficult with the walls still in place.

The first two rows of fire brick go on dry, no mortar.

Commencing with the third row the fire brick is set on an angle using mortar.

Most of the dome was built without a form, a 48" diameter arch cut from plywood was used as a guide to lay the dome bricks, the door to the oven was arched using a form made from 2 pieces of plywood with 2x4's nailed between them. The form was supported by 2 scrap pieces of plywood.

A form for the dome was made by placing wet sand on a wooden board supported by plastic buckets. The sand was shaped into a dome and the bricks were put in place. The dome was then clad in mortar. Inside view of dome.

Outside walls are rebuilt beginning with an arched front, right, looking down on arch where it connects with the front of the oven forming the chimney.

The oven is almost finished, the cavity between the dome and outside walls is filled with sand and a roof will be built at a later date. At first I placed a high wattage light inside the oven to warm it, then a gas burner was used. A small fire was lit in the oven at first, gradually increasing in size with each firing.

When I posted these pictures the oven was about 90% complete. I still need to build a roof and re-stucco the front which will probably be done in the spring, pictures will be posted when its 100% complete.