Dino's 42" Pizza Oven Starts

[Dino_Pizza]

I took another Friday off and formed by oven base. I used 2x8's around the sides and being a novice, I used EVERYTHING I've ever seen on the Fornobravo forum to secure my forms: I screwed corners, I used angle brackets, I used braces from the surrounding ground and that clever trick of drilling holes in opposite sides of the forms with wire stretched between 2 bolts to hold them together during the pour. I wish I could remember who(s) did that because it is soo cool! The whole form came level easily with shims. that's Mike making sure it's level. You can see the bolts I used for the cable tension to hold the sides in.
-Dino

[Dino_Pizza]

I figured I needed .6 cu yards of cement to fill my 4" slab (70"x77" with a deeper trough around the perimeter for the bond beam. The weather was warm and the U-haul it place let me bring home 3/4 cu yds for $130 and I had lot's to spare (or frantically get rid of-depending on how you look it at it). We used plastic laundry soap contianairs, cut up for scooping an pouring cement and it was a breeze. Done in 2 hours. I finally figured out how to use the magnesium float! Wait until the concrete dries a bit (10-15mim) after screeding and it floats great! I've been misting the top all day since it so warm but can't wait to get the forms off. Since I spanned the side opening without a lentil, I'm going to wait a few days for the cement to cure to make sure there are no sags.
This is a real milestone in the oven process. Whew, I'm beat, sore and really excited about what's next.
-dino.

[Frances]

Another one that makes me wish I was still building... it sounds as if you're having great fun. Its looking really good! You'll certainly have a ball with the dome.

Say, is that an apricot tree beside your oven? Or mandarins? Something nice anyway.

[woodhead]

Dino,

Certainly enjoy watching your progress. I have been in Atlanta for 2 weeks and could not do any building and too busy to check the forno website. To me, the building of the stand was as much fun as the dome. Enjoy and savor every minute...it is total stress relief!!!

[Bandrasco]

Looks good Dino! Good to see you're off and running.

I really miss the build process. We are getting a ton of use out of our oven. Pizzas, turkey, and last night we had chicken cooked over the coals. Yummy! I'm so glad I flared the vent entry as much as I did because we use ours as a fireplace a lot and it provides a greater view.

Good luck!

[exceloven]

Dino,
Everything looks great! Now that its starting to stay light later everyday I'm sure you will make good progress. It seems that you are like I was finding using every spare (and some not spare) moment to work on your oven. Keep the pix coming.
Mark

[Dino_Pizza]

Yes I am enjoying the base build, Frances, Woodhead and Bill, but I'm kinda glad to be at work letting my muscles (and lack there off) rest. Yes, Posting pics and forum notes does help to enjoy the process.

Frances, that is a 60 year old Valencia orange tree right next to the oven. My house was built on an old orange groove and the builders kept a few on the property. The oranges are the most beautiful thing in our winter yard. There is an olive tree framing the other side of the oven. Now that I'm thru with concrete, I'll clean up a bit and take a picture from farther back, the oven will be in pretty spot in the yard even though it's along the perimeter wall. There is also a low, wide Apricot tree 20' in front of the oven. I'm hoping for a Mediterranean look on the finished oven to blend in. We'll see.

And Mark, I was just reading the sunset time in this mornings paper, happy we'll have 1 more minute of daylight than yesterday! 5 by this Friday! I'll be watching your vent and flu pipe progress because I've not yet decided on 8" duravent or clay pipe (which I think is harder to find in L.A.).

Thanks, Dino

[exceloven]

Dino
I don't know if you mentioned where you got your firebrick but you said they were 95 cents. That was I paid and they were the Muddux bricks who also has the clay flue. They could probably order the clay flue. I looed all over San Diego and Orange county and had to end up ordering them (a week and a half). The order time has allowed me to go back to the projects I stopped to start my oven. Hopefully I'll be back to it by the end of the week.

Mark

[Dino_Pizza]

You're right Mark, I should check out their flu pipe availability and not assume it's just a "cold weather area" kind of thing. I'll check out the Forum to see what others did. I think Mike (mfiore) got the rectangular pipe and cut it in half at an angle and re-joined it. I've got to research the pro's and cons of 8" duravent vs clay pipe.
Thanks, Dino

[Dino_Pizza]

I'm trying to determine how long and wide to make my oven landing/vent landing area. I was looking over Christo's thread and his looks 2 full bricks deep that get wider so it might be just short of 2 brick (18") long. Marks looks a good 1 1/2 bricks long.
Here is pic of my proposal drawn on my herringbone floor pattern. I made the oven opening 20" wide, and wider at the front entry at 24" and span a 16 3/8" length. I'd like a wide opening like Brandesco's to enjoy the fire and deeper flu-vent opening above than just a 1/2 brick deep to transition the smoke up reliably.
Any thoughts? Thanks, Dino
THIS DEPTH IS TOO DEEP. I AM CHANGING IT TO ABOUT 14" FROM DOOR TO FRONT OF ARCH. SEE ME LATER POST. I DON'T RECOMMEND DOING THIS. MY MOCK-UP MADE THIS TOO DEEP.