oven floor location

[ksangiovese]

I am wondering if I should take the time to cut bricks to put the oven floor inside the dome, or just start the dome on top of the floor.

[Mingy]

The recommendation is to cut them to fit inside the dome so they can be replaced, if necessary. Basically, lay them out, draw an appropriate sized circle, and cut them with a brick saw. It goes a lot faster than you'd think.

[mrchipster]

Originally Posted by ksangiovese

I am wondering if I should take the time to cut bricks to put the oven floor inside the dome, or just start the dome on top of the floor.

Make sure you use a spacer between the floor and the oven walls, I used two layers of corrugated cardboard box material and taped from the outside of the cardboard to the top my floor protector to prevent anything from dropping into the openings of the cardboard. I used Duct tape, and it and the cardboard will burn out after the first few firings and fill with ash. It was easy to cut the duct tape away from the floor protector at the end of brick work.

Chip

[Mingy]

Chip

Good point!

I forgot about the space - I used a layer of corrugated cardboard from my insulation box, but I held it in place with the 'outside' bricks.

[brickie in oz]

You will never have to replace floor bricks in a domestic oven, and even if you did have to it wouldnt be the outer ones but the middle ones so I dont get the point of cutting them?

Just lay the oven on top of them.

[GianniFocaccia]

I am wondering if I should take the time to cut bricks

Isn't building an oven all about cutting bricks? Sure, you could buy a pre-cast oven and dispense with anything labor-related, but this is your oven, and the more time you put into it the better it will end up and something you can be proud of. Please don't be in a hurry. Too many builders wish they had taken more time/care in their very personal project.

John

[Pompeii Nate]

I had the same question a while back and after some research on here it appears that the truth is that it really is your choice. A lot of people did it one way and many others did it the other way. So it really is what ever you want to do. But of those who placed the dome on the floor many still ended up cutting the floor to match the dome exactly and this still required what I think is the same amount of cutting if not more (I believe GianniFocaccia did it this way but maybe I am remembering wrong). So do whatever you feel works for you and follow John's advice above. He is a man who speaks from experience. I, on the other hand, am not since I am still just planning and dreaming. Good luck either way!

Nate

[Mike D]

-Most commercial ovens have the floor inside the dome, as in not on top. I put mine on the inside but many others did not. James does say something about this in the plans but everyone says different things. I don't think it is about replacing bricks, I think it makes a nice heat separation from floor to dome. It's like a hot floating island inside the dome. If the floor is not hot you are not going to make good pizza.
-But in the end do it the way you want. That's what makes this site great.

Mike

[GianniFocaccia]

It's like a hot floating island inside the dome

And Bob's your uncle.

[brickie in oz]

It sounds less thermally efficient to me that way, how does the floor and roof exchange heat?