The Learning Curve

 I've been watching the FB page for Brick Oven Builders. It's time to add my 17 years of experience.  Plans for a DIY oven build are all over the map; most give minimal specs and sometimes bad advice.

Throughout building over 70 genuine brick ovens (not cast-refractory), I have analyzed the ergonomics of oven design.  At first, I followed the standard approach: build a dome, attach a mouth and face, with the flue between.  I noticed that the face and mouth created a tunnel, preventing the user from seeing the edges of the dome floor.  So, I corrected that by widening the face by angling bricks to allow the peel access to the area to the left and right of the mouth.

Travels to Europe allowed me to observe the traditional ovens in Italy and France (primarily) as many still stand that are 500 years old or more.   The bakery ovens in Pompeii are over 2000 years old and still intact after being buried under volcanic ash.

The result has been incremental improvements, making both building and cooking in my ovens easier.

#1  The face of the oven can be much wider than commonly seen giving great access to the interior and more work space in front.  Stick to the height ratio to the dome.

#2  The French style skips that face arch and replaces it with a lintel over the entire width of the oven.  The flue and chimney are wider and the lintel is easier to build; it also supports a broad chimney.

#3  I have recently found that only the back half of the dome needs to be built (as a half-dome).  The front half can be a barrel vault since it sits against the mouth structure and also the face structure.  It works the same as a complete dome and the interface is cleaner.

These are three parts of my learning curve.  I wince when I see posts of people reinventing ovens without researching the physics or ergonomics.\

You can search for those details on this blog; there are over 200 posts on details of the building.