Oval Brick dome?

[RBrinser]

Has anyone built an oval brick dome?
Because of my layout I can only get a 30" id diameter
Pompaii igloo oven. I feel I can stretch to grow the dome laterally
into an oval dome shape. The difficulty goes way up bricks wize-
I was going to sand cast it?
it would measure 30" x 40" id-
I was afraid that it might have a big internal temp range?
any benefits to that?
(gotta start it asap)

[brickie in oz]

It shouldnt be any more difficult to build with brick than a normal Pompeii oven, it will just have a couple of straight wall to connect the two ends.

There shouldnt be and cold spots as the fire is at the back and the flue at the font so all the heat should be even.

[GianniFocaccia]

Al's right-constructing a brick oval is only slightly more involved than a hemispherical Pompeii dome. I think it would be a lot of fun, actually. Your main concern will be oven draw in the event your oven width exceeds your oven depth. Note that there are no ovens with this configuration because they don't draw well. If your oven depth exceeds it's width you're good to go.
John

[Lburou]

RB

You may be interested in a shape like Sablesprings made for his oven, Here.

What do you think?

[david s]

If you build a sand castle to the required internal form, you can simply lean the bricks against it to make the dome.

[RBrinser]

do you think it will be much harder to custom cut all of the bricks?
Ive got a harbor freight brick saw- so cutting is ok but all different sizes?
other threads discussed temp differential not a huge factor in an oval--
??

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by RBrinser

do you think it will be much harder to custom cut all of the bricks?
Ive got a harbor freight brick saw- so cutting is ok but all different sizes?
other threads discussed temp differential not a huge factor in an oval--
??

Your saw is up to the challenge of any design you choose RB.

BTW, a significant number of members here who have small ovens and absolutely love them, remarking that they use theirs more often and can handle a large group too. A 30 inch oven won't use as much fuel and will heat faster than a larger oven. Take a look at my Poll Thread. (Poll: How big is your Wood Fired Oven?)

SableSprings has good performance from his oven. You could e-mail him and ask if he has noted any temperature differentials that make a difference....Make a 30' pompeii oven or a 30 X 40" oven, either way, you'll do fine.

[SableSprings]

The slight oval/teardrop shape of my oven has caused no usage problems nor have I noticed inconsistent heating or issues with temp differentials (actually, I think the oven's firing/heat signature pattern works particularly well). I fire the oven now using a slight modification to the "fire move" pattern suggested by Andrea Mugnaini in her book "The Art of Wood Fired Cooking". Be aware that I use my oven primarily to bake bread--not pizza.

I don't think my oven's shape uses any more wood than a true Pompeii to fully heat load. And as Lee noted above I get good, consistent heating and oven performance. The fact that I can bake from 25-30 loaves in an afternoon from a single firing tells me that this oven's shape & design works.

Lee's right that any oven is better that no oven (IMO). A 30" classic Pompeii or a 30"x40" Quebec style oven gives you a terrific advantage towards producing some quality eats. That said, if you really plan on using this oven--don't short yourself on oven floor space. I would opt for a bit bigger oven than you think you "could just get by with". I originally planned on a 30" Pompeii oven but my wife said if we're going to do this to entertain, then we'd better have an oven big enough to do the job. I'm REALLY glad I up-sized it to 39" and modified the design to have a deeper than wide profile...amazing how often even now I wish it was just a little bigger!

[ichsan]

My oven has 32-36 oval floor. The temp, wood firing and the pizza everything just fine. Here is some photo of my oven, the last photo is the top of dome.