Comments on: Backyard Earthen Oven

By: Ramon & Laura Lopez

Ramon & Laura Lopez — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:02:10 +0000

My husband is about ready to start building our earthen oven. I was super excited seeing yours. We live in Texas and our temps are in the 100′s now is a good time to dry. where did you get the sand for your oven Thanking you in advance

By: MAd Coyote Joe

MAd Coyote Joe — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:32:48 +0000

Nice site check out my blog I’m a food writer, tv cooking show host, and becoming a baker. If you surf around my blog you can see pictures of my oven build. My wife and I are opening a cooking school. I just wanted to make a connection for the future… who knows.

Gotta go feed my starter
Warmly,
Mad Coyote Joe
.-= MAd Coyote Joe´s last blog ..Mad Coyote Web Site =-.

By: John

John — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:44:43 +0000

Eric,

I used waste clay from a pottery studio. In all I think it was about 3 or 4 five gallon buckets full. Not sure about the weight but I have successfully googled a volume to weight conversion for clay before. The clay must be mixed with sand to make it structural. It’s actually more sand than clay – I did 1 part clay, 2 parts sand.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:24:26 +0000

That is an awesome looking oven! Do you know about how many pounds of clay you used?

By: Adobe oven plans - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

Adobe oven plans - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:15:21 +0000

[...] it into the mixture. Hmmm… Anyway, here’s Grit’s version: Backyard Bread Oven And another: Backyard Earthen Oven | DigginFood None of the above seem to be genuine cob and they definitely aren’t adobe. It probably doesn’t [...]

By: Brian Coffey

Brian Coffey — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:52:42 +0000

Your oven is great! I am inspired….

By: DIY Outdoor Lighting | DigginFood

DIY Outdoor Lighting | DigginFood — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:58:03 +0000

[...] an outdoor living area is our next big backyard project and the so-far-imaginary space includes a wood fired oven, flagstones, and a big, old, rectangular table for dinner parties. A perimeter of flickering [...]

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:22:30 +0000

That oven is just awesome! Now I want one too. Also wouldn’t mind having a outdoor stove since it impossible to can inside on such hot days.

By: John

John — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:32:39 +0000

Tom,
You’re welcome of course! Happy building.

Yes, the oven needs to be covered to keep the rain off. I’ve been using a tarp but plan to build a more permanent roof before winter.

I haven’t repaired the crack at the door. Cracks seem to be almost inevitable, every oven I have seen has them. Any solid object that is heating and cooling, expanding and contracting that much is bound to develop cracks.

The cracks on my oven open up more when it is hot and then close up a little when it is cool. They don’t appear to threaten the structural soundness of the dome though.

One thing I recommend when building your oven is to be sure you use ‘fire bricks’ for the floor. I used red clay bricks and have had some minor cracking of the floor. I think fire bricks are made to withstand more heat.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:34:22 +0000

John,

Thanks so much for the pics and the link to the book! I went right out and got it at the library, and am looking forward to getting started.

A couple of questions about your oven though; are you concerned about a lack of covering, and the clay/cob being affected by the weather? Also, did you repair the crack at the door, and if so, what steps did you take to do so? I’ve noticed both of those things in my brief exploration of Denzer’s book, and would love to hear about your experience.

Thanks again, and keep up the great posts!