Fiery Oven Workshop Plan

Bette’s Fiery Oven Construction Workshops:

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Workshop day #1.  August 4^th: 

Foundation and Oven Base Construction

·      Dig out and level 5x5’ square 6” deep in the yard where oven will situate and make a surrounding form for adding smooth concrete surface to foundation slab.

·      Dig postholes and make footings using the Sonotubes and ready mix concrete.

·      Add 3” layer of pea rock for under concrete slab.

·      Set 5x5’ concrete slab base, rough side up, & add smooth surface concrete overlay.

·      Center and set 3’x3.5’ concrete culvert tile on slab to support the 5x5’ oven platform concrete slab. Add the top 5x5' slab rough side up.

·      Make a wood form for a 2” wide x 4” high rail on the platform top  that will retain insulation for the oven floor. 

·      Center the wood rail form and mix, fill, level and smooth vermiculite/concrete mix in the form.

·      Once vermicrete has set remove form and  place 2 Duraboard 2x4 foot sections side by side in insulation retainer. 

·      Add sand on top of Duraboard, pack the sand, smooth and level it

·      Using thinned Airset refractory mortar, coat4x4’ firebrick edges and install bricks for the oven floor.

·      Cover the entire base loosely and let it cure for @ 48 hours.

 

Workshop day #2:  Cob Oven construction

Date to be determined – likely 2^nd or 3^rd week of August

 Making the dome oven chamber

·      Make plywood template  for shaping sand dome mold  diagram

·      Create sand dome with damp sand, finishing and smoothing with the plywood template

·      Apply latex/newspaper coating dome

·      From cob recipe mix/apply cob over sand dome

·      Build entry arch form and set in place

·      Mortar and lay bricks for entry side walls

·      Construct entry roof with firebrick set on 2 angle iron bars

·      Overlay entry with cob

·      Cover and cure structure for @ one week

·      Start small fire and begin heating oven for one hour to begin drying process.  Repeat over 4 to 5 days with slightly hotter fires doubling the heat and duration each time. Oven must be protected from rain and dampness with tarp cover.

Workshop Day #3 - Insulating and cladding the oven dome

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·      Cover the oven with loose chicken wire.  Warp the wire shape over the exterior oven so wire is irregular and not flat against the surface.

·      Mix cladding recipe of concrete, vermiculite, sand and lime

·      Apply cladding from bottom up to achieve a four inch thickness.  Cover the entry with cladding also.

·      Allow the coating to set up

·      Complete the surfacing work using the stucco cement by applying a one inch coat of  stucco over a stucco wire blanket . 

Workshop day # 4:  Exterior decoration and cooking utensils

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·      According to Bette’s ideas for using field stone, sort stone for relative size and positioning and lay up with mortar..

·      Have oven basic utensils ready for use;  (peel, shovel, broom, rake, oven door).

Workshop day # 5:  Final drying and firing to cooking temperatures.

·      Over a period of 3 days complete 3 firings, each one progressively hotter (@200, 400, 800 degrees) and of longer duration. 

·      Use the third firing for experimental cooking once 800 degree temperature is reached.