Well i quess im building an oven!

[dmun]

Most insulators, particularly the blanket, can be compressed enough so that you don't have to worry about the expansion of the firebrick dome.

What's the foil for? I'm confused about the whole foil thing. I would think it's just going to make your wet perlcrete, (which is a treat to work with in the first place), just slide down and peel off your dome as you try to mound it up around the dome.

[gjbingham]

You get logged off while you're typing probably. Click on the "remember me?" box where you log in. You won't get logged off.

BTW, welcome! Look forward to seeing some pics of your build.

[Xabia Jim]

FF, so you're 2 hours west...must be getting up in elevation. How far from Sundree? I worked west of there at 6800 feet drilling a deep hole for sour gas!

So you guys don't see compressing the blanket as an issue? (I have not handled the stuff...is it pretty stiff?

X

[DrakeRemoray]

Hi Lance,

Welcome aboard!

Why are you planning a barrel oven? Why not a Pompeii?

Are you planning to make a high mass oven? They take longer to heat up but make loads and loads of bread.

If you are going to cook more than bake, you will want to consider the lower mass Pompeii oven. It is much more practical for home use. Mine is still 350F 12-18 hours after removing the fire...so still a lot of mass. Sometimes the biggest problem I have is a too-hot oven. I have waited several hours for mine to cool to a proper bread baking temp (I would call mine a medium mass Pompeii, I have about 1" of additional mass on top of the fire bricks).

Do download the Pompeii plans and let us know your thoughts!

Drake

[CanuckJim]

XJ,

I've layered a refractory insulator over as much as three inches of blanket, and compression is not a factor. Vermic/cement or Matrilite 18 simply are not heavy enough when wet to do it, and they're quite light when dry.

Jim

[FIREANDFLAMES]

Originally Posted by DrakeRemoray

Hi Lance,

Welcome aboard!

Why are you planning a barrel oven? Why not a Pompeii?

Are you planning to make a high mass oven? They take longer to heat up but make loads and loads of bread.

If you are going to cook more than bake, you will want to consider the lower mass Pompeii oven. It is much more practical for home use. Mine is still 350F 12-18 hours after removing the fire...so still a lot of mass. Sometimes the biggest problem I have is a too-hot oven. I have waited several hours for mine to cool to a proper bread baking temp (I would call mine a medium mass Pompeii, I have about 1" of additional mass on top of the fire bricks).

Do download the Pompeii plans and let us know your thoughts!

Drake

Thanks for all the responces everyone, i did download the Pompeii plans as a guide and helper when i get stuck on something, but the barrel design looks so much easier to construct. That is the main reason for choosing the barrel.

[FIREANDFLAMES]

Originally Posted by Dutchoven

Fireandflames
Have you downloaded the FB Pompeii oven plans? If not do so, it is a great resource and really will spell out how best to tackle this project...find it at the FB store...download is free or you can be a good guy and pay a little bit to help support a great charitable cause!...either way we will certainly continue to help!
Best
Dutch

Thanks for the support! I will take pics of the location today!

[dmun]

the barrel design looks so much easier to construct

It isn't, really, the original half-brick design is easy, as well as being strong, and light, and quick and economical to construct.

James, the founder of FB, worked to develop a practical round oven design after building two barrel vault ovens, and being dis-satisfied with them.

One of the reasons for all that concrete around the barrel vault oven is that the stresses that the arched roof puts on the vertical side walls. All that mass has to be heated up every time you fire the oven. This isn't a problem if you bake multiple batches of bread every day. You never loose the heat from the previous day, and you don't need the blistering heat that pizza likes. Mostly the folks who are pleased with the barrel vault design are serious bakers.

It's also hard to sweep the ash out of the corners.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/w...s-round-2.html (Why Italian Wood-Fired Ovens are Round)

[RCLake]

Originally Posted by FIREANDFLAMES

Thanks for all the responces everyone, i did download the Pompeii plans as a guide and helper when i get stuck on something, but the barrel design looks so much easier to construct. That is the main reason for choosing the barrel.

I would decide on what type of oven you build by how you are going to use it, not how hard it is to build. Building has been a fun part, now I need to learn the cooking part. If you have access to lots of wood the higher thermal mass in a barrel oven isn't an issue.

[FIREANDFLAMES]

I understand what your saying, mabye i will take a second look at the round oven idea... i guess i would say the majority of what i will be cooking is pizza and other baked dishes with a light sprinkling of breads. I guess i can count on the cool people here to help with the construction, and i really like the idea of a lighter oven! Also my brick count will be smaller...hmmm