Hello from Western Washington

[Wiley]

Originally Posted by gjbingham

Will do Wiley.

Post pics of your build. We love to watch!

OK, should I post pictures to this thread or start a new thread? This isn't going to happen over night as I (like most of us) have lots of demands on my time. Presently I'm finishing the sheetrocking of my wife's new sewing room (that was a "exchange" for the time I spent building the home theatre), costructing the new greenhouse (I have the slab poured), building the new planting bed along same so corn can go in this spring (just had 12 yards of "topsoil" delivered last week for this bed); and yesterday had a pallet of cinder block for the WFO along with two pallets of stackable "cottage stone" to build a retaining wall (for the planting bed).

But it's going to happen this summer, (I picked up two bags of Fondu and two 4 cu ft bags of vermiculite last week in Seattle) it just isn't going to be non-stop everyday working on just this project.

I think I'm going to go with the steel shell overlayed with refractory concrete, a layer of Frax then vemiculite concrete. I'm not sure whether I'll go with a firebrick hearth or try a basalt Fondu concrete hearth. That will be over vermiculite concrete. So there will some modifications as I go along but I think I have the hard basic decisions covered. Here's a couple of photos of what I have come up with regarding the entrance "tunnel". Actually sort of looks like a dome WFO if you let your imagination run a bit. Still have to figure out the chinmey.
Bests,
Wiley

[Xabia Jim]

I think the steel dome is quite unique so maybe start a new thread to document the new building and cooking.

I actually thought the double dome idea with vermiculite/perlite layer was interesting too!

are there any steel domes we know of now? I wonder how they are....keep the brick floor for cooking though!

Jim

[gjbingham]

Interesting! Why the layer of Frax? What properties are you looking for from that? I'm not totally familiar with refractory concrete, but it seems that you could go straight to insulation on top of that.

[Wiley]

Xabia Jim:
I sure plan on keeping the masonary hearth, Alan Scott mentions a oven that has steel oven walls and roof with a masonary hearth. It's one of two ovens used by the Acme Baking Company. He mentions it on page 91 of the paper back edition of "The Bread Builders". So the idea is different and perhaps a bit unusual but by no means unique. I'm more at home working metal than bricks :-)

I'll start a thread over on one of the other sections. There is another forum member who was considering using a steel liner, (perhaps a member with a user name: "Mine", it's hard to check when one is writing a post :-) I don't want to intrude on his thread but perhaps it'll fit to start something in that same section.

gjbingham:
I was following a thread elsewhere on this forum where there was a discussion of whether to put the kaowool or Frax next to the brickwork and cover that with the vermiculite insulation or to put the vermiculite first and then the Frax. The majority opinion was to put the Frax first followed by the vermicuite as it gave a denser surface upon which to apply the weather resistant layer (stucco). Sort of made sense as well, to have the best insulation closest to the heat one is trying to contain.

Life is an experiment! (at least mine is). I've got to run, today is the day we check in on my aged Mom. I won't be back 'til late tonight.

Bests,
Wiley

[gjbingham]

Ahh, you mean insulation blanket, insulfrax? There's a few types used. I misunderstood. Good call. That sounds right -blanket then vermicrete. I've no idea how the oven will actually perform, but it should work, it seems to me. I love experimentation! If for some reason, you're not happy with the performance, it is important to tell it to the crowd here. Our cumulative knowledge grows from experimentation such as yours.

(yes, I was a whimp. I followed the directions. Born to live with mediocrity. Sad, sad!)

Happy building, or welding!

[berryst]

Hello from western Washington....kingston just down the road...have you started ....are you going to try to build
Berryst.

[Wiley]

Yes Berry I have started.. if you want pictures go to my thread "Steel Dome Oven". I just finished the insulation layer of the hearth. I am hoping to get to nearby Sequim to Blake Sand and Gravel and pick up my firebricks for the hearth tomorrow. If all goes well I should have the dome in place on the oven by weekend and be making pizzas by the following weekend:-)

Wiley