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Brick for bake oven

80K views 569 replies 46 participants last post by  dbrons 
#1 ·
I've been talking about building an outdoor pizza/bake oven for years. This year I vow to build it.
I realize the best material would be firebrick, but I'm trying to do this by using all the odd ball masonry staked up around my yard.
I'm thinking firebrick for the floor and solid pavers for the vault. How do you think they would hold up? The brick work will be tight and neat.
I'm guessing they will be alright.
 
#3 ·
Probably OK. Pizza oven is what 500-600 deg? Wood fired?

Will the fire be in the same chamber as the pizza? If so it will be a fairly large chamber & not so likely to concentrate the heat on the wall as it will vent out the chimney & open door. Sound right?

If you want to check your ideas you can try one in my backyard first.
I'll do some NY's or Rib Eyes on the barbie while we are waiting for the mortar to dry.
 
#4 ·
Been doing a little research as to the proportions of the oven. The cooking area will be 28"X30". Highest part of the dome is 21" and the door is going to be 14"X14"
It will have a small chimney just inside the door.
Cooking temps could go as high as 600-800* not worried about that heat. It's the back wall that will have a small/medium fire burning right against it.
I use regular clay brick in fireplaces that need to look period in old or reproduction homes. Backed up with fire brick for code.
I've seen a few after years of use and most only had minor spalling.
 
#7 ·
I was up in Grand Marais a few years back. That is in Minnesota, eh? There was a funky school there for funky people that taught how to make paper, canoes, and bake ovens.

Lots of lost women there looking for the meaning of life in wood pulp.

You might hook up with them (the learning institution) and offer to teach something on dry-stacking rocks and check out their ovens at the same time.
 
#8 · (Edited)
CJ-check out www.fornobravo.com I've been snooping around their website for years, even though I've yet to pull the trigger and do one myself. They seem to have piles of info, great ideas, a lot of shared experiences, kits, vendors, you name it. Personally, I would use firebrick, and maybe I'm being overly cautious.......but I just picture a nice gathering at the house, and someone bites into a pizza with a chunk of brick busting a molar......cheap insurance I'm thinking.....But either way, post some photos.....it will help to motivate me..... Good luckhttp://www.fornobravo.com
 
#9 ·
I've built a few of the Mugnaini pizza ovens. I think they were about 4' in diameter with an arched door.

I'm sure you could build your own. The dome in the kit is refractory and you use refractory mortar on the seams.

The most important aspect, I guess, is the insulation. The oven floor floats on a layer of sand and one of concrete with a wood storage underneath that. The dome is covered with a blanket then filled all around with vermiculite.

Here's a good drawing:
http://www.mugnaini.com/files/pdfs/2008_Medio110_AllMasonry.pdf

Dave
 
#10 ·
I don't think the brick will be a problem with the heat, but the regular mortar won't hold up to the heat cycles. Mix fire clay, portland and sand equal parts, its pretty cheap and makes a good refractory mortar.

Forno bravo is a great site, check out Tscar's build, the man has some skill.:thumbsup:
 
#11 ·
Dry pressed commons will work fine, but I would use firebrick for the floor. The brick will be exposed to 12-1300 degrees when firing, and you will want to cook with the dome at 900+ and the floor above 700.

The Forno Bravo plans are the best out there, even if you want to build a barrel vault, stick closely to their plans in regard to insulation.

In this area, using the FB plans, the retail cost for the oven itself, not counting the stand or the enclosure is about $550 bucks for a 42" oven.

The type of refractory mortar will depend upon your design.
 
#12 ·
I remodled a resturant a couple of years ago for an Italian guy who wanted to build a brick pizza oven. I subbed out the brick work but the mason used regular commons for the dome and fire brick on the bottom just as Tscarborough stated. Turned out real nice and cooked a mean pizza. The guy went out of business about six months later though and it turned into a mexican resturant. I guess it works just as well on burritos.
 
#13 ·
I'm in the same boat you're in. I've had a pile of fire brick sitting in my garage waiting for me to pull the trigger. Good advice so far. I've been researching for a long time.

I'm not sure how Forno Bravo has anything less expensive than about $1200. But that is their DIY kit. They are great though.

I've found a ton of inspiration on You Tube. There are hundreds of videos, and some of them are actually very good, some not also. Some guys think this is a weekend project. If it was, I would've done it already.

Put up photos, it sounds like a fun project.
 
#15 ·
Mine is amateur, I am no bricklayer, but it works very well. On the next one (oh yeah, I am going to build another one), it will be square with a low arch dome, probably 36"WX32"DX20"H. The opening will be at least 21"W so I can make 20" pizzas, and will be offset to the side 4-6".
 
#18 ·
Yes, a barrel vault. Flatten it out as much as practical though. The key measurement is the door height to dome height ratio: The door height should be 63% of the dome height. i.e. for a 20" dome, the door height should be about 13".

If you are planning on cooking other than bread or pizza, you may want to make the vault higher. If you are planing on primarily pizza, you will probably want to offset the door to the vault as well.
 
#24 ·
Just keep in mind the mechanics of the appliance. You will be using wood to heat a certain amount of mass to the desired temperature, and insulate it well enough to both achieve the temperature and hold it for as long possible


I just saw the layout pics. What is your primary use for the oven?
 
#25 ·
OK, after looking at your plans, it will work fine. I would, however, move the right side of the door arch to flush or nearly flush with the right vault wall. You are gong to want at least a 16" door width, and the fire works better during cooking against the left wall, not the back.

For 14" pizza, I can barely squeeze them in with the fire on the side, for 16" I have to bank it against the back. It is much more efficient on the side.

Pics of 16", fire in back, 12", fire on side.
 

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#26 · (Edited)
CJ-

Very impressive. The photos of the layout are the sign of a master mason with planning and not just a "mudslinger".

It is fortunate you have established a name in a market that has enough selected projects that are willing to have it done right.
 
#27 ·
CJ-

Very impressive. The photos of the layout are the sign of a maser mason with planning and not just a "mudslinger".

It is fortunate you have established a name in a market that has enough selected projects that are willing to have it done right.

Tear enough chit down and you finally learn to do careful layout.:laughing::laughing:
 
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