oven opening: arch vs straight sides? Newbie Forum Discuss oven opening: arch vs straight sides? in the Good Background Information forums; After a couple of years of dreaming and procrastinating, I've finally started my oven project. I have the floor and ...

[carloswlkr]

After a couple of years of dreaming and procrastinating, I've finally started my oven project. I have the floor and first two chains of bricks laid, and am using tapered bricks for the dome.

I have a couple of questions about the oven opening design. My brick supplier has tapered bricks of different sizes, and helped me piece together an arch for my the opening. My oven is 44" internal diameter, and will have a 20" wide opening, with a height in the middle of 12" (using specs I've seen on the forum and in the FB PDF). Most of the pictures I've seen of other people's ovens show straight sides for the opening with a gradual arch on the top. But with my tapered bricks, I'll get a pretty even arch starting from the 2nd row of bricks. My question is does anyone see a problem with a full arch for the opening? I don't think I'll have any problem getting a peel and pizzas in and out, given the 20 inches that go from floor height to about 5 inches up, and I imagine I can get a turkey in through the center at 12". But should I go for a more traditional opening design? Any reason why most have straight sides for the first 5 or 6 bricks?

Thanks! I'll post pictures soon.

[Johnny the oven man]

You can still have a straight side using the taper bricks, stack them "taper to the left" then "taper to the right" this will form a vertical side.

[carloswlkr]

Thanks. I'm not so worried about how to make a verical side... i've got plenty of rectangular fire bricks on hand (will also be making a bbq pit when i'm finished with the oven). the question was more whether there was any functional reason why most people use vertical sides rather than a half circle for the opening.

I've gone ahead and started to mortar the arch. I think it'll be OK. Thanks again!

[Les]

Originally Posted by carloswlkr

why most people use vertical sides rather than a half circle for the opening.

Carlos,
That's a great question. In my opinion, you have more room for your tools. You are going for a 44 inch oven, I think you will appreciate all the left to right movement you can get.

Also, to go on record. I am jealous as hell - you are in Costa Rica, and I am not.

Les...

[carloswlkr]

yeah, it's a tough life, but hey, someone's got to live here, right? ;-) and we're in the middle of summer here! got to take advantage of the few months of low rain to get the oven finished.

[Les]

Originally Posted by carloswlkr

middle of summer here

Never thought of that, you being on the equator (pretty much). It does make sense though. Every place gets a change - the butterfly sneezes thing...

Question... Why San Jose and not the Coast (either side).

Still very jealous....

Les...

[carloswlkr]

i'd love to live on the coast, but my job / office is here in the city. not a bad place, though.

[Archena]

Disclaimer: If I knew what I was doing I'd already have an oven...



I suspect the reason is the height/length ratio. To gain length (also called width - confusing in 3d) in a true arch you have to increase the height of the door opening which will eventually cost you in heat retention. The efficient ratio is probably fairly small. With vertical sides the length (width) is obtained without increasing the height of the door opening.

[glennb]

I prefer the look of the arch bricks all the way round, which is how i've done mine.

It should also be stronger than the straight sided ones, but this isn't an issue for the oven entry, as it's braced against the dome anyway. Where people have gone with straight sides on the outer arch, they have had to sometimes add extra bracing (flying butress!) to make it stronger.

[Tim F]

I made a full arch but basically just sat it on a couple of extra bricks to get the height i wanted! Seems to work pretty well.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/21/t...html#post45635 (Tims oven - early days!)