starting my clay oven.....................or maybe not. Newbie Forum Discuss starting my clay oven.....................or maybe not. in the Good Background Information forums; Hello everyone. I had been planning to build a lo-tech clay oven, but after studying this forim, I am coming ...

[Mickey-t]

Hello everyone.

I had been planning to build a lo-tech clay oven, but after studying this forim, I am coming around to the idea of a more permanent brick oven.

The thing that set the ball rolling for me was a TV programme that showed the construction of this oven, and I thought "I can do that"

Here's the link: au.video.yahoo.com/watch/2972929/8334268

I'd be very interested to hear if anybody else has built this type of oven, and whether they were happy with the outcome. I am a little worried, as the base is constucted with clay pavers rather than fire bricks. I have held a blowtorch to a clay paver for a good 20 minutes, and there was no sign of stress, or any "spitting".

I am almost at the end of constructing my base, so any feedback would be most welcome.

Thanks

Mike

[dmun]

Ovens have been built successfully with plain clay bricks, the harder the better. Don't neglect to insulate: Once the floor's down, that's hard to retrofit.

[Ken524]

That guy was showing some sort of insulating material in the first 2 stands he displayed.

On the concrete block stand he used crushed granite and sand under his floor . That doesn't sound like much of an insulator. Put some FB board or Vermic/cement under that and I think it would be really slick!

[Johnny the oven man]

OK, that oven build was on Better Homes and Gardens in OZ. For all the build info, it was by Alan Watt. Check him out on Wood Fired Oven Workshops very knowledgable gent, buys most refractories off me. Yes should be insulated under base, but he uses the base as a heat bank.

[Mickey-t]

Thanks for the replies folks.

So, Ken, you reckon granite/sand is no good under the hearth?

BTW, what is FB board? Pardon my ignorance, but I'm very new to this.

[dmun]

BTW, what is FB board? Pardon my ignorance, but I'm very new to this.

Forno Bravo sells a two inch thick calcium silicate board, which is an industrial refractory insulator. If it's impractical to get it from Forno Bravo, then a local refractory dealer should have something comparable.

Any plan to use a "heat bank" under the oven floor is doomed to failure, unless you have unlimited time and wood.

Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!

[Mickey-t]

Originally Posted by dmun

Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!

Thanks for the advice mate.

Would a mixture of perlite/vermiculite, with sand and cement be any better than the crushed granite?

[Frances]

Yes it would, much better - only leave out the sand.

[Mickey-t]

I would still need a 20mm layer of sand above the perlite/cement mixture though as a bed for the clay pavers/bricks. Would this still be OK?

Also, how thick should the perlite/cement layer be? I'd be guessing at about 75mm. Sound OK?

BTW, thanks for your help everyone. I am hopefully going to install the base over the weekend.

Mike

[dmun]

Also, how thick should the perlite/cement layer be? I'd be guessing at about 75mm. Sound OK?

The recommendation for vermiculite concrete under the floor is 4 inches or 102 mm.