New Arch & Door Ideas

[sarah h]

Here's an interesting idea for a permanent arch support and a horizontally-hinged door:

“The metal door frame, a 24-inch diameter tractor tire rim, was suspended with baler twine in a bed of cement in front of the bricks; we took care to plumb it. The recessed mid-section of the arched rim holds the heavy clay/sand/swale grass mixture securely. The two-inch thick planked "door" -- actually, it's a plug -- fits snugly into the inside lip of the rim to hold in the heat when baking. It is hinged for easy inspection and spraying. We prop it shut with a metal rod while baking.”

I couldn't figure out how to upload the accompanying diagram, so here's a link to the article. There are some other interesting bits about their construction too.

Log Cabin Chronicles Bread Oven Building Page

[Wiley]

Hi Sarah,
I'm using a split rim truck tire wheel for the entrance to my WFO. Split rims have the advantage of not having the reinforcing section in the center of the rim. This is the "hat section" by which the manufacturers get strength without using thicker steel. The split rim is essentially a cylinder with a flare at one end and a small grouve around the circumfrence at the other to hold the split rim. The steel is of necessity thicker in the split rim wheel. The WFO in the article uses that hat section to hold the door. Also in the photo that starts the article it appears the builder raised the rim higher than the maximum diameter of the rim resulting in the widest point not being at the bottom. Maybe its a trick of the camera angle but the height of the entrance sure looks like it is greater than 63% of what one would suspect the interior height of the dome. To me it looks like 3/4 the height of the exterior height of the dome. Interesting....I can't imagine it being too efficient in its consumption of wood.

In my particular aplication I've decided not to weld the rim to my steel dome but rather create a slip join where the steel dome (I'm building a steel domed WFO) meets the entrance. This should accommodate differential expansion between the dome and the entrance tunnel in hopes on minimizing stresses and cracking.
Wiley

[dmun]

Thanks for this link:

Log Cabin Chronicles Bread Oven Building Page

The wheel rim is a clever form for the oven opening. Much better than the angle iron for those who don't want to build a masonry arch.

Also, the oven building armature made of strips of flexible wood held up by the soldier course is very clever. You can get in the oven to fix joints, and you can burn out the form once the oven cures.

I'm not happy to see another "how to build an oven" link with the cooking floor sitting on tons of rock and sand. At least they call it a "heat sink". Isn't it just.

[sarah h]

Much better than the angle iron for those who don't want to build a masonry arch.

I agree - if only I had thought of this or read about it before I built mine ...

... the height of the entrance sure looks like it is greater than 63% of what one would suspect the interior height of the dome.

It does look too tall - don't think I'd do it quite that way. Still, it obviously worked for them, from both a building & baking perspective!

As for the wood strip frame and the 'heat sink', the people who built this are located in Quebec and seemingly modeled their build (including the clay walls) after the old traditional bread ovens of Quebec - not the most efficient by today's standards but suited the times when everything was done with what was at hand. There were hundreds, if not thousands of these all over the province at one time. I'm sure some still exist today and hope someday we'll hear on the forum from someone who has one of the old originals ...


Sarah