Post by salilah on Sept 11, 2012 13:06:32 GMT
I'll add photos later when I have time to process them (and learn how to add them!)
My partner Chris and I went on a clay oven course at Wandlebury (great session, thanks Rupert!) and decided that this would be "a good thing to do" - we started about 3 weeks ago?
The first step was the base - four really solid posts concreted in, with very solid horizontal wood around the outside to give the structure. A wood base (18cm? or 15cm?) then sand then bricks... I'm still nervous that there is not enough of an insulation (air) gap underneath (2cm from the construction, plus a bit of digging)
The posts allowed for a roof - and after much debate and gently warmed discussion, we came up with a cantilevered model, which we tiled (dubiously) as we had some old tiles left over from the previous barn on site...
Sand form, then the first layer - we'd gone exploring down to a local stream for clay (none) but then found we had some clay left over from digging holes for some decking, so used that!
After leaving this for a day, we sawed off the entrance and left it again - for about a week. Large crack in the first layer (5mm wide) - so we decided to remove it and start again!
New start - bigger, as I was worried I wouldn't be able to get my bread loaves out of the old one! Now 60cm diameter, and 28cm high (but not very symmetrical - oh well).
Redid the first layer - seemed fine. Cut the entrance to 63% of height (not sure about this). Looked good!
We decided to build an arch entrance, so Chris built an amazing structure to give the form - it worked!
Second layer went on fine - we'd more or less run out of clay. We tried the suggestion from Rupert on the course to go up to the waste treatment site at Waterbeach and beg - well, no luck at all, nothing possible! On the way back, looked at the building site at Cambourne - and thought they wouldn't miss some lumps of very dry nasty brown stuff (!). This worked well, and we have now put the second layer on...
Slight challenge now, in that I can light a small fire in the entrance fine - but pushing it back means that it goes blue then goes out! Does this mean that the entrance is not high enough??? Any advice appreciated!!
S
My partner Chris and I went on a clay oven course at Wandlebury (great session, thanks Rupert!) and decided that this would be "a good thing to do" - we started about 3 weeks ago?
The first step was the base - four really solid posts concreted in, with very solid horizontal wood around the outside to give the structure. A wood base (18cm? or 15cm?) then sand then bricks... I'm still nervous that there is not enough of an insulation (air) gap underneath (2cm from the construction, plus a bit of digging)
The posts allowed for a roof - and after much debate and gently warmed discussion, we came up with a cantilevered model, which we tiled (dubiously) as we had some old tiles left over from the previous barn on site...
Sand form, then the first layer - we'd gone exploring down to a local stream for clay (none) but then found we had some clay left over from digging holes for some decking, so used that!
After leaving this for a day, we sawed off the entrance and left it again - for about a week. Large crack in the first layer (5mm wide) - so we decided to remove it and start again!
New start - bigger, as I was worried I wouldn't be able to get my bread loaves out of the old one! Now 60cm diameter, and 28cm high (but not very symmetrical - oh well).
Redid the first layer - seemed fine. Cut the entrance to 63% of height (not sure about this). Looked good!
We decided to build an arch entrance, so Chris built an amazing structure to give the form - it worked!
Second layer went on fine - we'd more or less run out of clay. We tried the suggestion from Rupert on the course to go up to the waste treatment site at Waterbeach and beg - well, no luck at all, nothing possible! On the way back, looked at the building site at Cambourne - and thought they wouldn't miss some lumps of very dry nasty brown stuff (!). This worked well, and we have now put the second layer on...
Slight challenge now, in that I can light a small fire in the entrance fine - but pushing it back means that it goes blue then goes out! Does this mean that the entrance is not high enough??? Any advice appreciated!!
S
