Anyone Built A Woodfired Pizza Oven

[fcmcg]

I made my first following a book by the late great Alan Scott ( Aussie who lived in America)
My second I made following Rado from Traditional oven and some of Alan's ideas....
My hearth is all second hand fire bricks and my done is just common reds...with refractory cement...
Pretty good but it does take 3 hours to get to temp to cook...

 

[Howlingdog]

Yes, both those designs are overkill for the pizza now and again. I like to have enough things planned to need to run it for three days then it takes a week to get down under 100 deg.C. By the way mine is based on Rado Hand's second design.

Wood type is also a large factor.

HD

 

[komodo]

Fire bricks were $3 ea + delivery last time I priced them up
I think I worked out that to build an entire oven (dome and floor) you'd be up for $2500 including insulation and vemitculate (?)

My parents have one that the guy that built their house (poured earth and stone) built for them and its awesome for a party but as suggested takes AGES to get hot enough. I actually think the basic kits (which can be had a lot cheaper than the bunnings prices) are a better option for most back yards unless you need a really big one for parties

 

[Sprungmonkey]

I have still be reasearching them and the bunnings ones look like the go - they are 1000 bucks and all you have to do is build the base and about a day of putting the domes together. when i get some extra cash thats what ill be buying.

besides pizza only take about 5-10 minutes to cook - so your cooking them about the same time it takes to dress the next pizza

 

[sillyboybrybry]

The Planting festival held at Woodford at the start of May has a how to make a cob oven workshop.

http://realview.woodfordfolkfestival.com/theplanting/2013/

 

[sp0rk]

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f9/challenge-wfo-under-100-aud-6094.html
This looks like a great build, and if you spend some time looking on ebay/gumtree/freecycle or calling round brickworks or whatever, you can get refractory/fire bricks a lot cheaper than what boral and the other mobs are asking for them
I'm going to try and clone the below barrel bbq, but i might get some thin fire bricks to put on the top shelf, sit the pizza trays on there and see if the heat reflecting from the top of the barrel is enough to cook the pizzas in a decent amount of time
http://www.drumbecue.co.uk/drum-bbqs-c1/smokers-c2/drumbecue-original-charcoal-bbq-drum-smoker-with-thermostat-p1

 

[fcmcg]

I've done a cob oven workshop and they are pretty cool...you just have to make sure that the clay you use is the second layer below the top soil...
I did it after I built my oven , out of interest...
Would I build a cob one ? Probably not...
I will also say a mate of mine build one based on the shape of a 44 gallon drum and put a refractory blanket sandwiched between the two rolled sheets of steel...he welded a frame inside upon which he placed terra cotter tiles with air gape around the sides...
He uses heat beads in it when roasting and it's ready to go , once the beads are going...
I'd actually almost have made one like that... It's on a frame , on wheels , is not too big and he puts it on a traitlor when they go camping and it's a bloody winner....

 

[seamad]

Thinking of building one based on the fornobravo ones, 1m internal diam. Materials to build complete oven from field furnace refractories about 2 grand. Includes tapered half bricks so a little less cutting .Like the idea of getting a couple of days use out of it. Will check out the rado hand design, haven't heard of them, like the look of the igloo fornobravo pompeii though.

 

[givemeamash]

place over in Perth does kits made out of refactory cement, pretty easy to construct and they ship. I have chatted to them and they seem much bigger that the basic bunnings ones, they don't lay the bricks on tht insulation fluff, and thy look scmick. Alfresco ovens, ship to east coast, and actually cheaper to get them to hip than buy through their agents. I will be getting one of these when I do outside. only tie 45 mins to heat and heat lasts for up to 16 hours.

 

[flaggycreek]

Have a look at this site. He built a Alan Scott oven and I just copied his photos

http://www.brickoventampa.com/index.html

It is helpful to have a mixer, bricksaw and a mate who can lay bricks

I laid about 1/2 of mine

Andrew

 

[New_guy]

Any pics/instructions?

Sorry for the late reply mate
Essentially it is a spit roaster that I have a rack that slots in just below the top lip of the base
Pizza stone sits on rack and it can do three pizzas at a time

Basic Construction:
Slice 44 gall drum in half (make sure it never had annoying toxic / flammable in it)
I ran a lip of 25 x 25 x 3 Angle iron around the edge of both halves
X2 Basic hinges welded to one long side
Handle made and welded to top lip
Bend some 50 x 3 lengths flat lengths to match curve of inside base of drum (about 350 long) for bracing ribs
Design your base / frame (I think I went a bit light duty and plan to re do this)
The top of the base is more 50 x 3 flat same curve as previous ribs
Drill holes through base of drum and bolt base through drum to ribs to secure all together
Find a big heavy duty piece of C channel (this may not be right term) to sit inside base to hold charcoal
Put a temp gauge on the lid
Install spit roast kit from BBQs galore
You need to recess this so that the lid can shut and clear the spit rod
Paint outside of drum with black hi temp paint

This is not the simplest or the best but its now about 10 years old and has been used countless times for lamb, beef, chicken, pizza, mountains of jacket potatoes etc...

 

[Mercs Own]

Check these guys out - http://www.alfrescowoodfiredovens.com.au/

I am on my second wood fired oven from these guys - the first oven was built into my outdoor area and when I sold that house I had to leave it there.

The one I have now is the Midi oven which is on a base with wheels so if I sell this house I will be wheeling it away with me. (mind you I had to knock a hole in my garage to get it out the back!)

Yes I am on their home page and also have contributed to their recipe page and I am also talking to them about setting up a demo oven in Melbourne so as to demo the oven and sell them to people but that is a way off if it ever happens.

I Love these ovens - they take about 45 minutes or so to get up to 450 degrees C and will cook your pizza in 90 seconds when they are cranking - once they cool off slightly your pizza will take 3 minutes! They are great at retaining heat (something the cheap ovens from those large hardware type stores don't do) so you can do roasts, cakes, breads and of course long slow cooking also - 12 hour wood fired leg of lamb anyone?

You can buy them in a kit form and build it yourself which is obviously going to be cheaper or you can buy it made sent over to your house and you can wheel it in to the perfect spot in your back yard.

The couple that make them (own the company) are a husband and wife team couple of kids and really really lovely people. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

[Phoney]

You can buy them in a kit form and build it yourself which is obviously going to be cheaper or you can buy it made sent over to your house and you can wheel it in to the perfect spot in your back yard.

What sort of coin does one need to drop for the kit form?

There's a place in Sydney that are selling them ready made at $1200 a pop. I've looked into them a few times, but I suspect it's the sort of thing I can see myself buying, using a few times and then rarely ever again.

 

[Mercs Own]

www.sydneyheaters.com.au

They installed my first Alfresco - Tracy and Peter - good people and did a great job!

Not sure of prices best bet would be to call the Sydney guys or Trent at Alfresco.

The fact they heat up and are ready to cook in 45 mins makes them pretty approachable and there is nothing you cant cook in them.

 

[Arghonaut]

Ive got one of these bad boys:

http://www.nectre.com/?page=baker-s-oven

Combo wood heater/oven, its awesome, amazing pizzas. Cranks out too much heat to use in the warmer months though, need to build an outdoors one.

 

[givemeamash]

The alfresco ovens go for about 2300 in kit form for the middle size. Kit sounds easy as the shell is one piece, lay insulation blanket, cook wire then render. I am sure that there is a touch more to it but general gist sounds easy enough. Have spoke to the above mentioned couple on phone and do sound great and they were happy to discuss pros and cons of their oven against competitors which was good to hear.

 

[pat_00]

http://uuni.net/

Anyone seen these? portable wood fired pizza ovens!

I want one! would be awesome for camping

 

[fortmonty]

I built a wood fired oven a few years ago, see below. It was great fun, not to difficult to do bearing in mind I had never laid a brick before in my life. It heats up to over 400 degrees and cooks pizza in 90 seconds ( which is what it is meant to do ). The food is amazing and I can't get enough opportunities / excuses to fire it up. There is plenty of info on the web and I am happy to answer any questions or chat about the oven ,building process or pizza.

Cheers

 

[mr_wibble]

Ive got one of these bad boys:

http://www.nectre.com/?page=baker-s-oven

Combo wood heater/oven, its awesome, amazing pizzas. Cranks out too much heat to use in the warmer months though, need to build an outdoors one.

I've got one of these too. Bloody awesome.
My next house will have one for sure.

 

[Chods1]

Has anyone built a pizza oven - how easy/hard is it? was it a success?


I see bunnings have kits you can buy - anyone made one of these (they are under the 1k mark) - which is relatively cheap compared to most i have seen.


Cheers


Dave.

Hey Sprungmonkey. I've made a pizza oven they are very labour intensive and unless you get the flue right it will smoke badly. We also bought a Hark pizza oven from stratco for $200 and it works very very well for pizzas and roasts etc. Really good product and ultra simple to put together. It's not a flash brick one , all steel, but hey who's that fussy?