Clay outdoor bread oven??

Well, after watching our clay and sand bricks that dried in the hot sun for 5 days absolutely melt in the sprinkly rain over the last two days, we're thinking we may need to add a little mortar mix to our cob. Even our starting clay brick with no sand added became soft. I can just imagine the whole oven melting after one of our fall rains. Not a sight I ever want to see. Even though I know it will cure harder after it gets a fire in it, it has to dry before that can happen. Not going to get to work on it this weekend anyway after all since we have to help someone clean out their garage. Oh well, at least I got my steel plate bought. I can get that installed and set and let it cure some this way. Will post pics.
 




We built our oven 3 years ago still works great! You have to keep it covered with either a roof or a tarp we use a heavy tarp. Makes the best pizza and bread and roast chicken or just about anything . I don't have a picture of the finnished oven on my computer but it covers the brick base. This is just the first layer.
 
Cool. What is the box shape off the side with the yellow bricks for? Is that a fire box or??? Do you have a clay floor or a brick floor? Just trying to pick the brain of someone who's done this before.

It rained all last week here off and on and never really dried out until today so I'm behind where I wanted to be in the building process. Will try to get the base set by Friday and then see if we can get the rest of our soil on Saturday to start building the dome.
 
The yellow bricks are fire bricks they line the floor of the oven and are set in a thin layer of sand over a 6 in base of clay and sand which is the heat sink.

The last picture is before the door was cut the bricks extending out make the entrance.
 
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Ah, I see. We've debated whether to do a brick floor or a clay floor. I'm thinking brick just because I don't think they will flake off dirt on my food like the clay might. Probably just me but ... How many days did it take to build the first layer and how long did you let it dry before you started the next layer?
 
The first layer is 4in thick we did it in about 4 hours with 2 of us working. We let it dry about a week, It depends alot on how humid the weather is. It wasn't completely dry but very firm.
 
The yellow bricks are fire bricks they line the floor of the oven and are set in a thin layer of sand over a 6 in base of clay and sand which is the heat sink.

The last picture is before the door was cut the bricks extending out make the entrance.

Hi Jackson41! Thanks for the pictures. You mentioned the bottom working as a heat sink ….?? Is that a way to control the temperature?
 
Actually it's what helps retain the heat on the floor of the oven. Without it all the heat you build will not hold in the oven. We have a four inch layer of clay and straw mixture surrounding empty wine bottles laying on their side.under the 6 in clay slab.
 
Actually it's what helps retain the heat on the floor of the oven. Without it all the heat you build will not hold in the oven. We have a four inch layer of clay and straw mixture surrounding empty wine bottles laying on their side.under the 6 in clay slab.

And so I learn something else today – an excellent use for empty wine bottles!
 

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