matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 3, 2014 21:00:12 GMT
Poland is a great place to live in some ways and not so good in others. I can afford to do things here that I would not be able to do in the UK, but work would be hard to find here. fortunately I work in the Netherlands and go into the office a few days each month. We have a little land, enough for pigs and some sheep, although we don't have any at the moment, they are in our freezer. The weather here has been amazing for the last couple of weeks. Boxing day I was working outside in a t-shirt. I am hoping the weather holds out so I can get much more oven done. This time last year it was -20 C for 4 weeks. I have no idea how long the brick dome will take, but I expect it will be a few days work, maybe have to put a proper roof on the bakery and get the wood burner stove going in there. I think I have about 30 cubic meters of wood ready to bake bread with, off-cuts from building the house.
Matthew
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
|
Post by matthewcove on Jan 4, 2014 19:32:47 GMT
Steel oven strapping now completed. Had a lovely day welding. I have put full story with lots of picture on my blog. Matthew
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
|
Post by matthewcove on Jan 5, 2014 20:24:25 GMT
Today I have laid the soldier bricks. Going to leave them for a week while I go the the Netherlands for work. Matthew
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Post by cannyfradock on Jan 6, 2014 18:37:36 GMT
Mathew
Still following your build.....still learning....truly impressed.
Didn't realise that you are building such a monster of an oven. It's starting to resemble an Alan Scott oven. When Vault ovens get this big the builder tends to go for extra layer of refractory concrete over the vaulted bricks before laying an insulation layer. I've seen a few differing methods of keeping as much massed heat as possible in these ovens.....especially when they're used for multiple large batches of bread.
I've mentioned that I have never built a Vault oven but although I have no experience....I have a little knowledge on Vault ovens so if you want advice .....I'll try my best to get an answer for you. I also know 2 people who use 7' x 5' Allan Scott ovens on a commercial basis so I can always pick their brains on any awkward questions. We also have many members who have built Vault ovens so the longer your thread continues, the more interest it will get.
Great thread.......#thanksforsharing
Terry
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 6, 2014 19:20:16 GMT
Hi Terry, The oven is not as big as it looks like in the last few pics as they were taken with a wide angle lens. Oven thickness is something I have thought about a lot and I have not really written anything about my design choices. This is maybe the mk10 oven first 9 on paper, the design evolved as I found out issues and design flaws as well as learning more about what I wanted to use the oven for. I guess I should explain that my motivation is to start a bakery, so initially I designed and was going to build a real monster that could produce a few hundred loves a day, but there were issues with this idea. Firstly, I had not yet built or proven that there is a market for my bread around here near Krakow, although I am quite confident there is. The cost of a 1.5m x 2.0 oven would have been maybe 3-4000 euros and more importantly, hundreds of hours work. Secondly, after having read many articles from people who have cooked on these large ovens with very large thermal mass, maybe 200mm thick, is that if you want to bake 8 batches a day every day they are great, but if you want to fire then to cook bread, then cook cakes and pastries a couple of hours later, you cant because they are still too hot 12 hours later. We realize that what we needed was a smaller oven with relatively thin walls (112mm wall and 160mm hearth). With this we plan to bake, initially once per week, fire on a Friday night and back on a Sat morning, open house every Sat for people to come over, have a coffee and pastry and take their bread home after seeing it come out the oven. So the oven is hopefully the right thermal mass to bake 3-4 loads of bread and still cool down quick enough to bake pastries the same day. Oh, and Friday night is going to be Pizza night. I'd like to write a blog post about the design process in more detail but it is going to take some time. In short this is practice, gain a bit of knowledge and skill, hopefully before tackling a much bigger oven. I have attached my sketchup model for anyone interested. small cast mouth.skp (202.66 KB) Matthew
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
|
Post by matthewcove on Jan 18, 2014 20:51:25 GMT
Its been a long time coming, but I finally made some progress today. I have been getting ready to set the dome bricks, but first I had to make a parabolic shaped form-work. I have recorded how I have done with a number of pictures in my blog post hereI enjoyed today. Its not often that I get to play with my big boys toys! Matthew
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Post by cannyfradock on Jan 19, 2014 11:13:34 GMT
Mathew Nice work on your arch former. Your well written blog makes good reading also. You're probably many steps ahead of yourself in planning but (hope you don't mind) I'll mention a few points. It's a good idea to clean off any "snots" from your supporting walls and do any pointing of voids that need filling before you start the vault.....it's a bugger to do after. Also.....most people when building a vault use an arch former the width of just one brick. This enables the oven builder to clean the underside of the first arch, once the former is dropped before putting in place for the next row of bricks,so..... try to keep the underside as clean as poss when laying the bricks. Most of us who have shared their build on the forum post a picture of a pair of legs dangling out of the oven door. img846.imageshack.us/img846/9536/soven6019.jpg Terry
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 19, 2014 13:20:09 GMT
Hi Terry, Just had a little go at cleaning off inside before starting setting the bricks. I dont really fancy doing any pointing after the dome is made, its a very low, 400 mm in the middle, that will be very claustrophobic. Having nightmares about it, I keep recalling how in ancient Rome the used to make the architect stand under his own creation as the dome form-work was taken down, sort of natural selection process for engineers. I decided to do the full length form-=work so that I could offset each row of bricks, although a lot more work and lot less convenient, I think the gains are worth it. The reducer arch is on 64% of the main dome, I'm not sure I can even squeeze under 270 mm. Have to find a small child I will try to get that the feet shot if I can! Matthew
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 21, 2014 10:59:02 GMT
A little more progress. Racing against the weather turning cold now. Need to get the dome finished and rapped up before very cold temperatures forecast in a couple of days. As usual I have some discussion about progress and lots more pics on my blog hereThanks Matthew
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Post by cannyfradock on Jan 21, 2014 11:48:18 GMT
Mathew
Great progress.Looking shweeeeet!!
Terry
n.b....Many of my twitter followers are taking an avid interest in your build. I passed on your blog link also...hope that's OK.
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 21, 2014 12:04:29 GMT
Thanks, Terry. good to hear that you think its is looking ok. it will be great to get some readers of my blog, I have a few friend read it, but they are mostly giving me moral support rather than being interested in wood fired ovens themselves.
I may mabe got ahead of myself, but I have announced that I will be cooking pizzas in the oven for my daughter's first birthday party which is on the 2nd of Feb. How soon after setting the dome bricks do you thin i can start curing using small fires?
Matthew
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Post by cannyfradock on Jan 21, 2014 12:33:04 GMT
Mathew
I'd wait a few days after completion of vault and inner arch is complete then start very slowly with a heat lamp or even tea lights for a few days to slightly warm the bricks. Then you can start small kindling fires. If you have the time try to do 2 or 3 kindling fires each day. Over the next days gradually build up your kindling fires to small wood fires. I wouldn't try putting any decent heat into the oven until at least a week of smaller curing fires.....even then slowly introduce/increase the heat.
I recommend 3 weeks of curing fires before you put the full gothem city.."hotter than the devil's own festering arsehole" of a fire in there. (most people try to do this curing process in a few days.....that's when cracking appears).
There is no need to wait until any insulation layers are over the vault before starting the curing process.
Terry
n.b....Have you a tracker or "analytics" button on your blog?.....it would be interesting to know if you had any more visits to your site this morning via some twitter traffic.
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Post by bookemdanno on Jan 21, 2014 13:39:55 GMT
So long as you have more bricks in the arch than that which can span horizontally across the gap, then it all should be fine. Mortar as you go, back fill the large perps. Looking great, and i like the bonded brickwork of the arch. Many don't do that. You could try standing on top of the arch after a week or so?
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matthewcove
WFO Team Player
More details about the oven project and maybe side projects on my blog: http://fireandfocaccia.blog
Posts: 100
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Post by matthewcove on Jan 21, 2014 20:24:48 GMT
Working flat out now. Just about go to the point where I can heat the dome with an electric heater from inside to keep away the frost. Looks like we will have -5 or lower for a month or so now Full story on my blog as usual Thanks Matthew
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kipper
WFO Team Player
Posts: 125
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Post by kipper on Jan 22, 2014 10:44:51 GMT
great looking oven. one question, sorry if I've missed it in your thread or blog but I'm just wandering if that frame will act as an heat exchange?I've no great experience so just curious. fascinating build though.
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