# Brick smoker/pizza oven slab/foundation....



## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

Tscarborough said:


> I haven't heard of them, but as long as you insulate it you can't go wrong.
> 
> I do not like the igloo look much, but I did really like the barrel shape of mine pre-house and the next one will retain that shape in the finish either in (completely flashed) brick or stone. The best feature of the house is that all the oven tools store perfectly on top.


 
As long as we'e on the topic now, I have another brick pizza oven coming up fairly soon. Last time, I bought a few bags of insulating castable from Buckley, but at $82.00 a bag, :w00t: I found a recipe for my own.

IIRC, I mixed 6:1 or so. I actually used Western M, because I didn't like the seperation from the straight Portland. It sat exposed a few days before covering & actually shrunk far less than the pre-mixed that I bought. 

My question is, should I stretch the cement a little farther, as I've heard ratio's ranging from 6:1 all the way to 12:1, or does it really not matter much?


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

I made some samples form 4-1 to 12-1 and tested them with our (1400 degree) heat gun. 8 to 1 seemed to be the sweet spot, assuming you are talking about perlite/portland.

I made my insulating door today from a couple of AAC block. I sliced and diced them and glued them back together into a 2 part door will all overlapping joints. My 1st try, lying on the table, was 8-1 on the inside covered with a layer of 4-1 on the outside. It failed on use.


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

Tscarborough said:


> I made some samples form 4-1 to 12-1 and tested them with our (1400 degree) heat gun. 8 to 1 seemed to be the sweet spot, assuming you are talking about perlite/portland.
> 
> Indeed, I'm refering to perlite to portland.
> 
> ...


Best of luck with the second try. I'm kind of suprised the first attempt failed so easily. Good use of some old pointing tools though! :laughing:

Believe it or not, the first pizza oven I built, the HO built a wood plug wrapped in tin foil. It actually worked for a few fires while he waited on the welding/fab shop to build his thick plate steel permanent plug. The HO is an extremely high end furniture maker though, so w/e wood he selected was pretty stought none the less. He would actually burn some pretty exotic scraps in the oven, whih got my inquisitive mind going one day. When I asked him how much the scraps cost him for the fire in question, I believe it was around $50!:w00t:


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

Nice job :thumbup: I've built a few pizza ovens using the Mugnaini kits. I just finished one actually.

I have pictures of the job as it got done, but I've always thought about building the oven by hand with firebricks, is that what you've done here?
Dave


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Yes, it is built using 2"x1-5/8"x9" firebrick (splits cut in half lengthwise), two layers thick with 2 inches of stucco added for mass. It is a 22"x36" barrel vault, not a round oven. Here is the dome as soon as I stripped the form and with just a parge coat on it.


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

yeah, nice technique. Of course you've still got to create the door and chimney. But the kit I just used cost $3000, and around $600 for the metal chimney. You saved a lot of money. 
Next time I'm going to suggest handbuilt. 
The one I just did I built a peaked roof and then laid rebar and hardybacker down and poured concrete and covered with flagstone. Looks kinda cool. 
Dave


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Total, I have about 300 bucks in it (not counting beer), and that is just mortar and perlite, I had the rest of the stuff lying about. Realistically, maybe 1000 bucks for the stand and oven itself, mason prices, plus whatever the finish out is.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

It is done. All I have left is to beat on the edge of the metal roofing and paint the wood.










I am waiting on my cast iron built in grill so I can finish the counter tops.


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## lukachuki (Feb 11, 2005)

dbrons said:


> yeah, nice technique. Of course you've still got to create the door and chimney. But the kit I just used cost $3000, and around $600 for the metal chimney. You saved a lot of money.
> Next time I'm going to suggest handbuilt.
> The one I just did I built a peaked roof and then laid rebar and hardybacker down and poured concrete and covered with flagstone. Looks kinda cool.
> Dave


Without pictures it doesn't exist! :no:


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

OK, this is a kit.....as I said $3000


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

roof was done with concrete and flagstone. Eldorado stone veneer - matched what was on the house.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Verra' Nice!


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## lukachuki (Feb 11, 2005)

I knew I could goad some pictures out of you. Thanks for sharing them. What a fun project!!!!!


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

Tscarborough said:


> Still have to finish beating on the tin roof, caulk and paint and give a final washdown, but I have already cooked a bunch of pizzas and some bread (waiting on my cast iron BBQ grill so I can place the concrete countertop).


Whats with the Salvador Dali brick work? Intersting


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

I did it to drive all my mason friends insane.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

Tscarborough said:


> I did it to drive all my mason friends insane.


I did a bit of a folly when I brick veneered the gable end of my garden shed. Built a window and bricked it in, but really the window was never there. People always want to know why I bricked the window up. :jester:


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