Huge outdoor pizza oven building project pledge

Ah yes, great question Mark as that is the whole trick.
It took me a while to get it right but now i've got it down to an art.

The trick is to give the tray a sprinkle of polenta before laying the base on.
Just make sure the whole tray is covered and more is better in this case.
The polenta acts like tiny marbles and keeps the dough up off the tray. (or at least that what i think is happening)
And the other trick is to be careful with the toppings. You don't want them spilling over onto the tray as they will melt/burn and you'll have all sorts of trouble.
Once the tray gets burnt then you might as well throw it away as **** will stick to it, just like a blanket!
And once they are cooked I either just tip them off onto a board to cut or use an egg flip.
and Enjoy.

 

Im looking to build a med size clay pizza oven - done a few days of looking up info. There is a mix of a good quality cement and vermiculite as mortar, to set the red clay bricks - here in South Africa, Ive never seen refactory cement (what is used in the US). But, apparently a good cement is good up to 1000 degrees C.
One thing that I read was that the actual bricks (in a dome shape) are self supporting, the mortar is just there to link the bricks together - but, the structure isnt held in place by the mortar (like a wall etc...)

Ive also been looking at some sort of terra cotta clay lining over the structure - but, I think that the weight may be an issue.

 

Here is a link I came across....

http://www.goodshomedesign.com/outdoor-pizza-oven/

 

I'm not sure, but the cracking could be because the heating is done too soon, or too hot too soon, before the materials have dried properly? It might be worth leaving the structure for a month, even cover it up for the first week to avoid it drying too fast and cracking, and then start with a very small fire to run for a while and don't try cooking on the first fire? In the below design they say they let it dry for a few days and then they make a big fire in it, I would think it'd need more time to dry?

I like this, but the only thing I see as a problem is the wooden pallet. Those pine pallets tend to have short lives outside in the elements. Maybe they'll move the oven to another location and remove the pallet, but they didn't mention it. It'd be bloody heavy though, you'd think you'd build it in it's final position.

 

Any one who is considering building a wood fired oven i would recommend having a look at this website,
http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.html

There is a free download of the very comprehensive plans to build your own wood fired oven and all the information you could ever need on the subject.

I have been thinking about building one for a couple of years now but now i live in a rural area that bans any fires from the end of october to the end of march i'm not sure if its worth it because i reckon thats the time of year when i would use it the most, saying that cooking in a wood fired oven is probably better in the cooler months rather than summer time so i might build one after all. Another one for the long term project list.

 

Yandina demolition has solid bricks atm for $1.00 each. These could be used for the actual oven, but not the base

 

I reckon I could build a beauty for well under $500.00

 

Just came across this cool thread - thanks guys!
Mark, all hats off to you for giving it a go. Building it needs some gusto and know-how, and I'm like you - no brickie in any way. Buying a good one already done sounds like the way to go - and after all, it's more a lifestyle investment, and such costs are not made purely on value for money.
I'll hope to do one down the line but will be keeping a close eye on your own path to success in it...

 

Interesting fact for the pair of you, they're known as Roman arches, or 'keystones' the angled stones utilise the above and below stones to pinch the central stones, and they swap roles as the arch progresses, being both a central and supporting stone (upper and lower).

I'm still of a firm belief that the Romans of old, lived better than any other culture in history, including our materialistic and debased society. Everyone here appears to be a rare breed of human being, I like it. If you've not read Cicero's How to Grow Old, I could firmly recommend it for anyone that likes gardening, philosophy or psychology.