Greetings folks

[bombadilo]

hello folks,

having had a nose around the forum i see a few folks are based near me (newport south wales)

i've read loads online and i have just finished building the base for my cob pizza oven which will be situated close to my cyder shed

i'm after some re assurance to check i'm heading in the right direction.

the base in the photo is 5 foot by 4 foot - made from slabs on 18" blocks

i've sourced a 3 foot x 3 foot area of fire bricks from an old storage heater to use as my 'hearth'

two of these can be seen in the photo. i'm going to arrange them in a diamond shape.

i plan to build a domed cob oven with an internal diameter of about 2 foot and then 2 x 3" layers of cob, giving me an external diameter of 3 foot.

i've read the door needs to be 63% of oven height - is that working on the internal height ?

if so what should be the internal height of my oven if its internal base is 24" diameter ? (i plan to use sand as my former/mould)

how much clay will this take assuming it is going to be mixed 3:1 with sand ?

i am looking for a local source of clay - could anyone point me in the right direction ?

apart from building a structure over the cob oven is there a way of protecting the cob from the elements ? (lime plaster maybe ?)

any advice appreciated.

cheers

phill

[cobblerdave]

G'day
Oven entrance height should turn out to be 15 in if the internal hieght of the dome is 24 in. Saying that an inch either way is not going to cause any problems.
Lime mortar is the perfect external skin to the clay oven as it breaths along with the clay shell and insulation.
It's not wheather proof along with the rest of the oven and an external cover is a must.
Welcome and post heaps of pics
Regards dave