New user.... Lost.....

[Houghton19]

Hey guys and hello from the uk.

1st of all i have never made anything in my life, i hepled build a wall once.....

I have always wanted to make myself a bbq pit and also always wanted to own one of these ovens........ got me thinking, could i manage to build both ????

I do have a few problems tho, as i have never built anything im a complete novice, also a massive factor is my funds, i need to make these as cheap as possible.

I think i have found a few soures where i can get my hands on alot of old rubble and build these as stone wall rather than brick (cheaper and i feel has more character)

what are the simplest and cheapest ways of making one of these out of stone ????

will nornal stones be ok ?

I am also living in rented housing so i thought instead of building it on there foundations i would buy a base and build up from there.

My oven doesnt need to big, but big enough to cook in obviously.

Any help on how and where to start would be great.

Thanks in advance

Tim.

[countryboy]

Welcome!!

You CAN do it, but you need to ask lots of questions and think your way through the whole build and each step to insure you get the product you want.

A couple recommendations: Building it to move is a pretty tall order. These are VERY hard to move and are asking for trouble (Cracking, etc...) IF I were going that route I'll have some one weld up a steel base I could then build the oven on to make it forkliftable. Bottom line, moving is not adviseable. Better to build a very inexpensive oven that you plan to leave and use it as your 'learner' then build a nice one when you plan roots. JMHO.

Rubble? For the base and house, or for the dome?? Need firebrick for the dome as rubble or any non firebrick type material will break down when subjected to the heating/cooling cycle.

If you are building a more permanent base, the first build you may want to go with cement block to reduce complexity since so much weight will be sitting on it. JMO.

Hope that helps..

You can do this, just take your time.

[Neil2]

I agree with countryboy.

Moving masonry structures like this is not easy and fraught with hazard. Best bet is to either make some kind of deal to sell it to the homeowner or to break it down to salvage the expensive elements such as the fire bricks, insulation blanket and enclosure.

[Houghton19]

Cheers guys. So forgetting the portable side of it and since its a test development, would it be possible to forget the base and have it on ground level ? If so what is recomended for the dome floor ?

Thanks.

[Neil2]

"would it be possible to forget the base and have it on ground level "

How short are you !?.

[roobqn]

Have you considered a cob oven? Perhaps that would be a better choice for you now until you get your own place. My understanding is that they are easy to make (don't get me wrong, still do your homework) and failry inexpensive. Do a search for Kiko Denzer.

[Houghton19]

I'm not very tall but I also have knees and can bend and lean ! I am just thinking that would need more practice than the base. Thanks guys