Questions on dome size, indispensible tool etc

[stefan]

Hi all,
you may have seen the Pompeii build I've started here:
ukwoodfiredovenforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pompeiiovens&action=display&thread=1072

I'm almost finished with the base and I now need to decide on oven diameter etc. I have to do it this way round due to the size of the plot...

My base is 123cm x 123cm (about 48 inches squared, 4 and a half feet). Being German I work better in cm and mm

My questions: what inner diameter should I plan for given the size of the base? I'm going to use reclaimed half bricks for the dome and want to add a ceramic blanket and vermiculite for insulation.

Based on the diameter, what inner height should the dome be?

And lastly where can I find a guide to build the indispensible tool for my size oven?

Cheers

Stefan

[spinal]

Right - what size bricks are you using? Here's the formula you'll need:

Diameter+(2xbrick thickness of sailor corse)+(2xinsulation thickness (normally 25/50mm))+(2x vermicrete insulation thickness)+(2x any other insulation you may use)+(2x outer wall thickness) = 123cm

Fill in the blanks and you'll have your diameter I would suggest 50mm of blanket, and "some" vermicrete... That said, I haven't use any vermicrete and opted for loose vermiculite instead

M.

[stefan]

thanks spinal appreciated.

And can you advise on the dome height based on whatever internal diameter I come up with?

I'm also not sure where to find a guide to make the indispensable tool.

Cheers

Stefan

[spinal]

Dome height is entirely up to you - it really depends on your oven's use.

For pizzas, you'll want something lower that can reflect the heat onto the top of your pizzas to melt your toppings.

For bread, you'll want something higher, that will diffuse the heat more.

A 42" pizza oven is generally 10"-16"high -12 being considered very aggressive (difficult to build and pretty much only for pizza).

Bread ovens can be as high as you wish - you may want to stack bread on racks. For bread, the key point is not to make it too big - you'll want to have enough dough in there to create a humid atmosphere when cooking. A dry atmosphere will lead to pale crusts, while a nice humid one (from lots of dough in there) will lead to a golden crust. This is my issue with my oven - if I bake a whole batch, I'll have too much bread... if I bake what I can eat, its pale

The key thing is the door height with relation to the internal dome heigh. I can't remember the exact ratio, but I think it was 66% or something like that... it'll be on the fb guide...

M.

[stefan]

Thanks, that makes sense.

I think it's 63% door to dome.

Cheers

Stefan

[faz]

If you take a look at this post you'll see how I made my indispensable tool from some thin studding and a hinge. The top end was an L shaped piece of metal I had lying around in he shed. The only other advice you need is that if you use an L shaped holder on the end, then the studding must line up with the centre of the brick, otherwise you'll get steps between courses.

[stefan]

Hi faz, which post are you referring to?

[faz]

Ooops here it is - must have forgotten to paste the link in last time!

ukwoodfiredovenforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pompeiiovens&thread=291&page=4#3925