wood-fired pizza oven

Top links:

• www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/stories/how-to-build-a-wood-fired-pizza-oven and related blog at clayoven.wordpress.com
• How to build a clay oven in your garden in simple steps on YouTube

What you’ll need…

You can get most of these items from builder’s merchants – if not, we’ve given other options

• About 30 bricks: at least 20 will need to be smooth and solid, with no recess (frog) or holes (perforations), to form your oven floor.
• 20 breeze blocks and 5kg tub of cement or twenty 120cm x 20cm x 20cm wooden beams, an electric drill and long wood screws (for the plinth frame)
• Rubble and big stones
• 10-14 bags of builder’s sand (20kg each)
• 125-175kg clay (the cheapest will do – try angliaclaysupplies.co.uk)
• Assorted glass bottles
• Chimney or plant pot (optional)
• Large bag (14 litres or 6kg) of wood shavings (from pet shops)

Bricklaying

See www.wikihow.com/Mix-Mortar and maybe buy premixed brick mortar e.g. blue-circle-quality-assured-ready-to-use-mortar-20kg-bag.

Progress report July 2018

I did one layer of 17 bricks using about 15kg of ready-to-use-mortar. I need to lay 3 more courses and fill with glass bottles and hardcore to level off the base ready for the oven floor. I won't use ready-to-use-mortar again as it contains lime which can burn the skin. 

So I will need:

• 45kg sand
• Blue-Circle-General-Purpose-Cement-25kg
• Feb additive (whatever that is)

See instructions at dengarden.com...Bricklaying-for-beginners-Lesson-1

Oven base August 2018

Fire bricks for pizza ovens in standard 9"x4.5"x1" size (230 x 114 x 25mm) cost about £5 to £15 each. I have found some local slabs that came out of an industrial pizza oven, which are 12"x12"x1", at £7 each.

The oven base is 4'6" square so that needs about 20 sq ft, cost £140.

How to make cob (PS 22/04/19)

When we make the cob, we'll need to add sharp sand and hay. See http://riks-pots.co.uk under Cob Ovens, the website of my good friend, Rik in Wales. 
Add sharp sand to first layer of cob, and mix (puddle) it until all smooth. Then loosely add dry hay, which binds, dries and stiffens the cob. Add more hay to second layer. In each case, add hay in moderate amounts.