Wood fired oven

Here you go Folly Man.

In truth I don't have time for this project, and it certainly wasn't on my 'to do' this year list, but life is way too short and I want to do something that I and others will get plenty of enjoyment from.
With this in mind, I want to build a pizza/bread oven.

History first.

My interest in doing this project started many years ago whilst on hols in Belgium (don't laugh) This little frame was in the garden of the house that we rented, and it was also the frame which got me started in oak buildings, as I thought that I could do better, so did.
In many ways I still prefer this frame to anything that I do, simply because it is so rustic and simple. Something that I'd love to be able to do, but can't as my brain has a bit of conflict of interest in neatness. Sadly I'm too clinical in approach when it comes to my own builds, and this is a trait in me that I don't like.:(



I also loved the simple brick BBQ and then spotted this on another holiday, and was hooked!


This isn't going to be a fast project, simply because I'm having to fit it in amongst other projects and work, and my joint pain is pretty bad now so I'm struggling, but if Folly Man can do it, then so can I and here is the start.

First job to be done, is to extend the existing BBQ area/gazebo. I dug the footing a few weeks ago, then laid the bricks for the dwarf wall two weekends ago, and the concrete base last weekend. I got my finger out again today and started to lay the brick base, but ran out of bricks! The colour difference isn't as much as it appears in the photos, but I hate the existing brickwork, and stupidly laid those when money was super tight and bought what I could afford. I hope to finish this stage next weekend, then the build can start.

I couldn't bring my self to risk moving the clematis, so made a planting pocket around it.

 

I guess that I should have added this. The existing area.

 

and Again!!! You Am a Abslute Hands On Legend!!! And Be Proud in Your Boots As Ever TOP WORK!!! Thread Subscribed too

LOVE IN IT

 

Thanks FM, if you were living in my area, I'd have you helping by now.

I spent a couple of hours this morning pointing up, just a shame that I'd run out of bricks as this stage would now be finished.

 

And If I Lived by You Id Be There Helping you with Abslute Pleasure!!!

LooK @ That it Looks Lovely

That looks like a Marshall Town Trowl I See there?? if it is I Have just Treeted my self to One of them and Love it

 

Yep, it's a good old Marshalltown 19-11

The pointing trowel is okay for detail work, but it's too small to really be of any use.

 

Looks bloody brilliant!

 

Many thanks, I now just want to get started on it.

I grabbed a bit of time over the weekend to get the paving finished, and now need to start on the base.
The base is one aspect of many wood fired ovens that I hate. To me most of them look like a cross between a bomb shelter and a coal bunker, not exactly aesthetically pleasing. I've come up with a couple of ideas of how to 'lighten' this look, and I've decided to opt for building it on top of a simple oak frame.
I now just need to work out the exact location for it etc, then get the wood ordered up.


The finished paving

 

Eddie, Lovely work, as always, its an inspiration seeing your projects

My daughter is doing a brick laying course and I'd like to buy her a nice trowel (set?). I have absolutely no idea what she would need or like?, what Brand etc. Could you advise please?

Marshalltown seem to do 11" or 11.5"? Philadelphia Brick Trowels in 4 different handles:
DuraSoft® Handle, Wooden Handle, Leather Handle and Plastic Handle? (and perhaps something smaller than 11" / 11.5" might suit her better?)
Plus a pointing trowel perhaps? Anything else?

I can set her to work on some garden projects then

 

That oven!!!! I WANT ONE!!!
Well done on all your hard work. Great job.

 

Many thanks for the positive reply Kristen.
Ref the trowel, I think that the 19-11 would be too big for your daughter. It is quite a wide and heavy trowel, which is favoured more for block laying than brick laying. I'll have a chat with a brick laying friend of mine to see what he would recommend. I like my DuroSoft handle, but then I also like the wooden handle on my older trowel.
Off the shelf rubbing irons for pointing joints are rubbish. If you PM me your address at some stage, I'll pop a decent one in the post to you.

 

I haven't built the oven yet, this is just the start of the project.
The area currently houses a couple of BBQ's one gas and one charcoal. I hate the gas one, but some Germans friends seem to prefer it, so I just keep it for when they come to visit.

edit.. Sorry Lea, I just realised that you must have been talking about the oven shown in my first set of photos.

 

We have friends who have a Pizza oven, which looks a lot like that. They light a fire (just some logs) inside the oven a while before eating (dunno how long, but several hours I think) and then at cooking time just push any remaining embers to one side and cook on the base of the inside of the oven using the retained heat. Their pizzas taste fantastic!

(Duno how expensive, but they bought the oven as a "DIY kit" and just had to build the brick chimney to surround it with)