I'm building an Earth Oven, apparently. Any experts with construction tips ?

So, I've got a huge pile of clay sitting around making an eyesore of itself and the missus has gone and gotten a copy of;

This Book

Seems fairly straightforward, but as with all things construction wise, there's always a slightly better or easier or more durable approach. Keen for any tips and if you've got any photos that would be cool too.

ETA: Just thought I'd add that the clay came from the last clean out of one of the dams. Reckon there's about 3m³ of usable clay, although I haven't tested it yet, feels fine between the fingers though.

Kind Regards
Myselfaswell

a reply to: myselfaswell

G'day mate. If the clay is of a good consistancy I' d say you've got a winner for build
ing a clay oven. I like them.

Let me know what you want it for and I may suggest a design. Simple pizza oven is easy for a start.

A good rock 'base' makes it easy. Otherwise concrete base. I use to use straw but find chicken wire a good alternative to build upon (shape)'

Sun dried at first with a little spray of water now and then to assist in preventing cracking. Anyways I can give you some rough bush tips if you're interested. Great stuff.

Kind regards,

Bally

a reply to: bally001

G'day Bally, definitely interested in any tips & tricks.

Pizza is always nice however I suspect it'll be primarily used for making sour dough bread and the like, so yeah I'd imagine a design for a bread oven will be more better.

Cheers
MSAW

a reply to: myselfaswell

Okay, draw a design however a bread oven may require a good even heat so I suggest your fire pit has a good all over flue aspect with the oven internal. Not complicated apart from your oven entry which would, for a good consistant loaf, require the ability to 'brick in' the opening and gauge timimg/heat.

A neat project not unsimilar to cooking damper in a camp oven. The fire pit may require attention in this regard. Give it a go cobs.

Bally

Found this on the YT a reply to: myselfaswell

a reply to: myselfaswell

Sounds like the book should have all the

DO's and

all the DON'T's!

I'd think that the arch size and shape and the thickness would be important to get fairly right.

My friends in Taipei built a small clay kiln. It would have worked for a small loaf of bread. LOL. They used it to test small pieces.

Should work. Of course, with a kiln, firing it to temperature kind of vitrified the clay kiln along with the pots inside.

Bread baking doesn't get that hot. So, probably what you'll have is a rather solid adobe oven.

Please let us know how it goes and post pics! . . . as you know . . . or it didn't happen. LOL.

I have to pay attention to this thread, I plan to build an outside oven/fireplace in the next couple of years. I'm going to build an open fireplace on bottom with smokestacks going around the oven, made of brick,rock, and clay. Got a bunch of bags of fire clay for nothing a while back, about four hundred pounds to work with. I can get a bunch of broken fire brick also for filler. The ancient people here collected lots of rocks and put them in rows, so I have lots of rocks to work with.

a reply to: myselfaswell

maybe use a 55 gallon drum as a mold? Make semi curved blocks to fit around it,use watered down clay,(slip) as a mortar between them

Righto, today was dirt day.

Checked out the pile and found a variety of material. This first pic is way too much of a conglomerate for the oven itself but I will probably use it as a bulk filler in the base.



The next pic is the clay that I've got.



It's not the best photo but you can make out the thumb smear I made in it after a quick dump in the dam. It is seriously dry, so I've taken a couple of lumpy samples and got them sitting in a bucket of water. I checked them after about 5 hours and it looked to me as though they're going to re-hydrate nicely. The clay does have some crystalline material embedded in it but I think that will be ok as I'm planning to add a fair bit of sand to it anyway.

At this stage I'll get the foundation prep done and get the base up, I'm confident I've got the expertise to do that. After that ?????.

Anyway, I'll keep the pics coming for those interested.

Bally, I'll knock up a bit of a design when I get close to finishing the base to see what you reckon. For the most part I'm more concerned about shrinkage and cracking, so re-enforcement is pretty much going to be at the top of the list.

Kind Regards
Myselfaswell

a reply to: myselfaswell

Looks okay. What do you intend mixing with it mate. Any lime or cement? I prefer it dry and crushing it if its that hard then adding small amounts of water at a time.

A mate showed me the benefits of adding some measures of cement and lime. (We made bricks that day).

On a side note its been 'meat' week for me knocking over some chooks and pigs.

I'm designing a simple outside spit to roast a porker at xmas. Plenty of time yet.

Keep us updated on your progress and some pics would be appreciated.

Keep cool,





Bally

a reply to: bally001

G'day Bally.

At this stage I'm not giving it too much thought, the actual oven that is. I've had a bit of a hiatus but will be starting on the foundations this weekend so, yeah photos will be incoming. Getting the clay together is going to be a bit of a mission, but you get that.

As for your activities mate, have you thought about dry curing any of that ham ?. I was in northern Spain a year or so ago, the cured ham is hmmmmmmmmm........fairdinkum it's off the chart.



Cheers I'll be in touch
MSAW

a reply to: myselfaswell

Cheers for that. Will have to look that up. Presently learning tricks and cuts. Most will be frozen. Will try pickling too. Starting to pickle eggs in a mixture of sweet cider vinegar, white vinegar, salt, peppercorns, gerkins and some scorpion chilli I managed to locate. Tastes alright on a cold day.

Will also be making some pork jerky. Make a lot of beef stuff but its expensive.

Gotta make me a big clay oven now.

Kind Regards,

Bally

Can you use normal cement/sand mix for the floor of the oven or will the heat crack the concrete? I have a heap of rocks and bricks I have been saving for use in the base of the oven but I would like a smooth surface on the floor of the inside of the oven. What about those creme coloured fire bricks, what are they for?