What fire wood should I not use?

[rberg02]

Thanks. I kind of suspected that to be the case. I have heard that the bark on birch can also soot up chimneys. The Mugnaini ovens are also about 2" thick.

A little off-topic here and perhaps I should post this in another forum, but I'll give it a shot here first. I'm curious about the thermal efficiency of the floor in my Mugnaini oven. First a six-inch reinforced slab is poured. Over that goes six inches of dry sand topped with kraft paper and a final 3-inch slab on which the floor of the oven is set The dome is covered with a thermal blanket followed by a six-inch layer of insulating cement and topped with vermiculite (gable enclosure). How efficient is this setup and how does this compare with other ovens? Thanks.
Ron

[dmun]

Sand is a traditional insulator, but not a very efficient one. That said, it's better than nothing. Vermiculite/perlite concrete is much better, and the various engineered insulation boards are better still. I wonder why they would call for so much insulation on top, and so little underneath?

[CanuckJim]

Dmun has nailed it, as usual. From an efficiency standpoint, I'd have to say that the thicknesses and properties are almost backward. Cement slabs, even with so much sand, will wick heat from the floor, no matter what. It's recent common practice to use high heat ceramic insulation board under the oven floor to stop any heat sink developing in the slab.

Far as firewood goes, I built a AS oven, and I will burn just about anything to get the fire going, then switch to hardwoods like maple and oak. I have burned birch, but the bark is quite oily, so I tend to shy away from it when possible. Popular is fine. The one wood I will not burn is red pine because of the oily smoke and the lousy smell it produces.


Jim

[Mojoe]

This time of the year I'm burning anything dry... just wish the wife would quite asking me why the kitchen table is missing a leg.

[jwnorris]

Originally Posted by CanuckJim

<snip> Far as firewood goes, I built a AS oven, and I will burn just about anything to get the fire going, then switch to hardwoods like maple and oak. I have burned birch, but the bark is quite oily, so I tend to shy away from it when possible. Popular is fine. The one wood I will not burn is red pine because of the oily smoke and the lousy smell it produces.
Jim

We also need to remember the difference between a WFO and an AS bread oven. With the AS style the key is loading the mass with heat and then stabilizing the temperature.

With a WFO, we still cook with a live fire [at least some of the time] and the wood chosen has a greater effect on the final outcome of the food being cooked.

J W

[edschmidt]

If WFO stands for Wood Fired Oven both domes and AS ovens are WFO's and when cooking pizzas, and high temp. flat breads they are fired the same. Many domes have as much or more mass as AS ovens and will cook without fire as long or longer. In the real world the only difference I see is in the rediculous time required to bring the AS ovens to temp. My theory is that this is caused by

#1 The fire having a direct route up the vertical walls to the top of the oven and straight out the chimney

#2 The fact that this heat (being radient) is directional, therefore a parabala or dome has all area radiating to the center. The AS design has about 50% of the mass radiating heat at the other side and above the food.

I think I got off topic, Sorry.

[jwnorris]

Originally Posted by edschmidt

If WFO stands for Wood Fired Oven both domes and AS ovens are WFO's <snip>

I should have said DOME instead of WFO. I guess the point that I was trying to make is that most barrel shaped ovens seem to have more mass that most domes and therefore take more time to saturate with heat.

J W