Outdoor clay pizza oven: the build begins!

I can't claim credit apart from the design and measurements etc. My other half worked with a builder friend to do the fab job here. I'd still be here sawing all the sleepers with my grandad's old saw!
My bit's next so wait for the c*ck up.

 

Comes with living up north, the chances of 3 days without rain is slim, better chance darn sarf I guess!

 

Are the sleepers formwork to be removed at a later date

 

@Kkkaty can I ask why the fire bricks are beneath the sand and the common house bricks are where the hear will be?

 

I also thought this odd ...but what do I know

 

Got the plans upside down.

 

Good question.
Mainly looks. The firebricks look like ugly grey breeze blocks and parts of the nice red bricks will be visible round the edge of the dome. Partly for heat retention, pizzas etc apparently cook from the bottom up, using the heat held in the bricks rather than the ambient heat of the wood on fire, though yes fire bricks do that too.
And partly tradition! Most clay/Adobe ovens won't use any fire bricks at all and just rest house bricks on sand and rubble. They're clay after all. I only used fire bricks as insulation to keep the heat (400 degrees ish) well away from the steel and to provide a more stable base than sand alone.
Why a piece of steel? I wanted to create a hole under the base to store the wood.

If it doesn't work we can always use it as a bar! It's just the right height to rest your elbow on.

 

Nooo! They're holding everything up!

I hope.

 

Yes but what with the British climate the London common brick (in my head) be a poor brick choice, I'd of used a fire brick, engineering brick or block paver for longevity.

 

When I built mine I did this , it did take a while .....but worth it mmmmmmm

 

I used paving bricks as they are fired when making to beyond heat you will generate . I also think the common Felton isn't the best choice.

 

Them London commons not a Felton.

 

Ok I'll check em out! Thanks, it's not too late to change.

 

I started to build a brick one last summer in a scavenger budget I got as far as this and broke my wrist at work

Needs the vermiculite outer covering and the base painting.... Still as I've just had surgery on the same wrist lol
However, even in its current state we managed a record 1:45 to cook a small pizza last weekend

The base stone is old Aga lining bricks I got for £20 and the clay bricks were from an old Victorian chimney
One day I'll get it finished once I'm finished tinkering with the bus (read never)

 

I also did a course on this (Kate Humbles farm on the Welsh border)
http://www.humblebynature.com/cours...ills-courses/build-wood-fired-clay-pizza-oven

If I recall there is an optimum ratio of height of the oven to the door height to enable heat to be retained but get the smoke out - forget what it was though so here is a slighlty less than useful post for you to mull over....

 

I just winged it lol

 

Mind you, what does work a treat is if, like me, you like a little more colour on your cheese, just a moment before removing it with the paddle, lift it up to the top of the oven for a few seconds and see the difference the blast of heat does to the topping... Yummy!!!

 

There is! I've got it written down somewhere. Thanks for that.

 

Top stuff!

 

Checked out a few blogs. . You're right it'd be better if we're going to use it a lot as the London bricks can crumble with thermal stress (as they heat up unevenly) and will resist the weather better. But most seem to think they hold the heat better and that fire bricks have more silicates which some say might just be carcinogenic. Not that that worries me much.
But as the London bricks look nice and as its quite sheltered and I'm not going to be using it every week I may as well stick with what's there.