A couple of years ago I was home, recovering from chemotherapy and I decided to build a pizza oven. I had been wanting to build one for a while, and I used a plan called the Pompeii Oven from Forno Bravo.
I decided that I would use some of the old kiln bricks I had collected over the years, and supplement with new bricks. Kiln bricks are perfect for this purpose but probably a little overkill since kilns reach much higher temperatures than a pizza oven, but they will hold the heat so they are ideal for an oven..
The oven is a dome shape with an arch doorway. The flue is located between the dome and arch, so it is close to the doorway opening.
In order to build a round shape, I needed to cut most of the bricks into a tapered shape. I bought a tile and brick saw for this project.
To close the dome it was necessary to cut smaller and smaller wedges and back fill with scraps from cutting the brick. I also used pottery shards the way it has been done for a few thousand years!
The photo above shows the saw and trimmings from cutting the tapered shapes.
This is how the oven looked after the brick work was finished, now it is ready for fiber insulation and stucco.
The ceramic fiber insulation is also a product used in kiln building as a light weight substitute for firebrick in some kilns. It has some advantages in kiln construction and it is a perfect material to insulate on the outside of the brick walls.
Next after the fiber blanket, I used a mortar mix with some clay in it to help it handle the heat.
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Before the first pizza night, it needs to thoroughly dry out, so as I was putting tile on it-(tile I made) I had a small fire going in it for days. It still needs the chimney, and final stucco.
The chimney I threw on the wheel in 4 sections.
And... it works great!
