A build in Australia

[jaffasoft]

Hi folks i am looking forward to doing a lot of reading and learning from forum members as i am entering into a time of building this pizza oven. I am about to go about a build of a dome shaped pizza oven if possible with the 500 bricks i have. I chipped all the old mortar off an old chimney using just a hammer, it took a long time but i got it done. The stack has been waiting two years till i've got around to starting this build. 

I have never layed bricks before and have limited tools, so i have a heap of questions but i might start with one about the foundations first. I can "backfill" the foundation with some old bricks before i pour the concrete as seen in the photo below of my project? The image before does not show any reinforcement wire because i haven't got to that yet also does it have to have plastic polly on the ground first or is there other ways. The ground is just dirt it goes to clay about 300 ml down. Please point out anything i could be doing wrong i am totally open to critic it and hopefully any replies will be low cost solutions as i just spent a lot building my unit and want to get this done with as low cost ways as possible. 






This thread could get long over time with the ongoing build so i will put an image of the area that i intend to transform. It will be a reasonably slow process as i get time. 




The bricks i hope to use for a design that can use full sized bricks and not have to do so much cutting etc? Links to any build for this would be great for research please?

[cobblerdave]

G'day
Well that's a nice piece of ground if ever there was one.
Your right about the water proofing it's better to have one high in the build as having one low especially as having a rubble filled stand. Better still cause it's cheap include 2.
300 bricks is great but 170 odd ( that's some in 1/2 s and some for the hearth in fulls) and that's a 32 in or 42 in oven.
As for the 1/2 bricks a simple $10!tool a brick bulster is all you need.
Regards dave

[cobblerdave]

Here is a pic of a brick bulster. Simply place your brick on the ground or a soft surface and place the brick bulster in position
give it a firm tap with a hammer. Two half bricks!
Regards dave

[jaffasoft]

Hi there in sunny Queensland!

OK, "i get it" about the brick bluster so have posted to the local Facebook BSS (Buy Swap Sell Group) to try find/beg or borrow one! I found some reinforcement wire this way and as a bonus some concreting poly was there. I've promised a home cooked wood fired pizza delivered when the ovens ready for cooking.

Bugger about the not being able to use the full bricks throughout the oven building, i was hoping a design was around for one but that probably also explains why i haven't been able to find one.

I got Rio and poly today from a left over concreting job, i will have to take all the broken bricks out now so to lay the poly in (my mistake number one! Will i leave the foundation broken bricks out completely and just fill the base with all fresh new concrete? What dept of concrete is recommended?

Thanks for the pointers and i am listening here for any insight and advise!

[jaffasoft]

This is an interesting design for mostly whole bricks??

[cobblerdave]

Gday
From not so sunny Queensland
www.fornobravo.com/forum
Is a link to the Forno bravo forum. They build a igloo shaped oven which is a wood fired oven. The plans are free to members and it's not just about a free set of plans it explains the ins and out of insulation and how these things work. My own oven is built to these plans. You'll find a lot of ovens on this forum are built from the same principles but with a few differences. Our U.S. friends can purchase firebrick cheaply and build a stand that is probably earthquake proff. This forum is more close to Aust in what you can find to build a good working oven.
The oven in the pic you posted is an arched tunnel oven. Of course they are a great oven a friend of mine has one and it cooks great. But be warned a lot of these designs that you'll find on the net are more suited for mass bread baking rather than what most of us need as a weekend oven.
Regards dave

[jaffasoft]

I like your little oven Cobblerdave looks cool.

[jaffasoft]

Found a pic, i think i will try building something similar to this!

[cobblerdave]

G'day
Yep that's a Pompeii style oven and I'd say built to a Forno bravo plan.
Like I said before the plans are free on the site or there's a few out there because there free just type in "Forno bravo plans pdf " into your search engine and your sure to find a set. There's a 101 pages and it's all there, I still have mine in hard copy and I still refer to it
Regards dave