Arched Dome Design Specs

[tdibratt]

How are folks creating the design for the arched dome. I am considering a 30 inch diameter oven to keep it on the smaller side. If I go with the High Vault of 19 inches, it looks like I need to keep my first row of bricks standinf on end and then I need to place another flat on top to get me to 11.5 inches before I start the dome part curing inwards.

What I dad on CAD was draw a line 15 inches wide (Line A). Place a line 4.5 inches on the left side of Line A called Line B. Place another line on right side of Line A 19 inches high called Line C. If I now draw a circle at the intersection of Line A and C with a radius of 19 inches. The circle never meets Line B. I need to extend Line B to 11.5 inches.

Hope this makes sense. I read somewhere in this forum a reference to DMUN and his approach but could not find it.

Thanks for any help.

[FIREANDFLAMES]

I think this is what your talking about.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/3...ayout-171.html (36 inch pompeii cad layout)

[dmun]

The high dome is semi-circular in section. A 30 dome is 15 inches high. Is there really no room for a bigger dome? Every inch counts here, and 30 is near the too-small-to-cook-pizza size.

I'd be happy to answer any questions about my oven building approach, but you have to be a little more specific.

[asudavew]

Just draw a line on cardboard that is 30 inches wide.
Then draw a line (90 degree) from the center that is 19 inches tall.

Then lay your bricks out to form an arch on the cardboard.
Draw a new line outlining the inside of the layout.
Then cut out your pattern.
I would then retrace it to something more substantial then cardboard.

Dave

[Ken524]

Originally Posted by asudavew

Just draw a line on cardboard that is 30 inches wide.
Then draw a line (90 degree) from the center that is 19 inches tall.

Then lay your bricks out to form an arch on the cardboard.
Draw a new line outlining the inside of the layout.
Then cut out your pattern.
I would then retrace it to something more substantial then cardboard.

Dave,

No CAD software? No spreadsheets? No calculator? No complex calculations on scratch paper?? Your method can't possibly work!

Of course, it's brilliant.

[tdibratt]

Originally Posted by dmun

The high dome is semi-circular in section. A 30 dome is 15 inches high. Is there really no room for a bigger dome? Every inch counts here, and 30 is near the too-small-to-cook-pizza size.

I'd be happy to answer any questions about my oven building approach, but you have to be a little more specific.

The base is 30" since I want to make it small. Many on this forum state that they have ovens even small than 30". But I was thinking of still going with the 19" high vault.

[dvonk]

Originally Posted by tdibratt

Many on this forum state that they have ovens even small than 30".

Well... I used small Weber BBQ, 14.5 inch Smokey Joe for a long time (pretty long - for about 11 or 12 years), and I was almost happy with it, despite the small size I was able to cook the whole duckling or a lot of kebabs and blah-blah-blah. Size was restrictive in many cases, but I was tricky enough to manage how to overcome that.
This spring I've bought (by haphazard, just because it has a tall legs to cook in a comfort) 19" Swedish Dancook grill and I've found that those extra 5" gave me so much possibilities in a small details, that I really was not able to imagine (I've used a lot of times the big BBQs but not so smart engineered - and it were disappointing) - it's another level of cooking comfort and technical capabilities. I can cook not one chicken but two small at a time, I can smoke 1.2 kg whole fish with real indirect heat, I can roast pretty thick piece of roastbeef with a lead totally closed, and so on.

I guess that many of the 30-" oven owners would like to change they ovens for 43" if they have a chance to compare it in a practice. The only reason to make it small is a form factor - if you totally have no place for bigger one.

[70chevelle]

Originally Posted by tdibratt

How are folks creating the design for the arched dome. I am considering a 30 inch diameter oven to keep it on the smaller side. If I go with the High Vault of 19 inches, it looks like I need to keep my first row of bricks standinf on end and then I need to place another flat on top to get me to 11.5 inches before I start the dome part curing inwards.

What I dad on CAD was draw a line 15 inches wide (Line A). Place a line 4.5 inches on the left side of Line A called Line B. Place another line on right side of Line A 19 inches high called Line C. If I now draw a circle at the intersection of Line A and C with a radius of 19 inches. The circle never meets Line B. I need to extend Line B to 11.5 inches.

Hope this makes sense. I read somewhere in this forum a reference to DMUN and his approach but could not find it.

Thanks for any help.

tdibratt - I'm about to start the same journey. I have my hearth complete and am expecting my FB board and blanket insulation tomorrow. My oven is going to be 30" also. I've been told, repetitively, it's too small, but there's no turning back now. I'm hoping to have mine done within the next 2 weeks, and giving feedback that it's the perfect size, for me! We'll see. My situation and space limited the size of my base.

I currently cook my outdoor pizza's (one at a time) on an Big Green Egg (ceramic cooker) over lump charcoal. They are fantastic. I don't see myself firing up the oven every week, but for get togethers with friends & family. I do like the idea of baking breads & roasting meats overnite with the residual heat. It's going to be a fun journey, enjoy it.

[dmun]

But I was thinking of still going with the 19" high vault.

There are arguments for a tall skinny oven. One is that it is closer to the structurally ideal catenary arch. The problems are two: one is that heat for cooking radiates down from the dome, and such a high dome may be too tall for pizza to cook on top, or to keep your fire recharging the heat on your floor. The second problem is that for your door to be the recommended two thirds the height of the dome, it will be so large that a lot of heat will leak out of your oven, and keeping that small an oven hot is a challenge under the best of conditions.

I have a semi-circular dome, and I often have to "sky" pizzas to get top browning. It is the ideal shape for retained heat baking, but pizza fanatics try for a lower dome in the Naples fashion to get the ideal balance of top and bottom browning.