Sunday, April 15, 2012

Oven By The Pond (stone base)

Besides getting a sore back from working with stone, you should also come to appreciate the work of stone masons (just for the record, I'm not a mason, not even close). If you build an oven base of stone, it will be an experience not soon forgotten. For me, stones have become even more beautiful.


I did use some mortar when laying up the stone, but only between some stones where it wouldn't show. Not that I have anything against mortar, but in this situation I didn't want to see any. Perhaps I should have used more mortar than I did for added strength, but I think all will be well.
The next step will be to insulate the floor.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stu,please list cost and place of purchase of items you have to buy.
Big help for first time builders.Looking forward to more pics.Thanks for the blog.

Breadhunter aka Stu Silverstein said...

If you live near me in Maine, you can borrow my book or simply download an inexpensive copy. Everything I write about is in the book with cost breakdowns. Also, check out Kiko Denzer's book as well as Dan Wing's book. They will provide you with invaluable information.
All materials are easily available, and I expect to spend under $500.00 on this oven. If you search my blog you'll see a completed, similar oven that I built for my son in France.

Breadhunter aka Stu Silverstein said...

Okay. Let's see if this helps.
You'll need 2 bags of Portland cement, sand and gravel. Lots of field stones. 2 bags of mortar mix. At least 75 bricks. Fire bricks are better than red clay bricks, but cost more. Maybe 3 large bags of perlite. 50 pounds of fire clay.
Surface bonding cement for stucco.
Depending on the size of your oven, these amounts can change. You can find what you need at a masonry supplier, Home Depot, farm supply store and a pottery supplier.
Stu