Bread/ Pizza Oven Construction
I built this oven in the summer of 2002. I am not Alan Scott of Ovencrafters although I could not have done this project without his help. His book was my constant guide throughout this process of construction.   Many people find this video helpful when building their own ovens.  

This page details my construction process of my woodfired oven.If you have questions about building a wood fired oven after reading this page, please read the frequently asked questions.

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1. Foundation poured. It is about 4 inches thick and 6 inches thick at the edges. If you live in a very cold climate, you may need a more substantial foundation. The dimensions of this foundation are 76" wide by 92" deep.

2. Concrete blocks laid up. I later filled the vertical cavities with concrete and some pieces of rebar.

3. Framing for plywood floor. Notice the eight legs holding the 2x4 platform in place. There are two 4x4's holding the center supports up. The front row of blocks are held up by two angle irons. The back angle iron is set in the mortar gap between two 8"x 8" blocks. The rest of the blocks are all 8"x 16".

4. Plywood floor. This floor can remain in the oven indefinitely. It could be removed if you needed the space under the oven, but it does offer a little support to the hearth.

5. Vermiculite/ cement insulation layer screed off. It is about 2 inches thick.

6. Notice notches in concrete blocks. I cut these with a masonary blade, but wish I had used blocks made with the channel pre-made.

7. Rebar tied in. The wood form will be removed later, creating a space between the hearth foundation and the cinder blocks. The rebar should now be exactly in the middle of the hearth foundation which will be poured next.

8. Concrete hearth foundation poured. The metal pole in background made an excellent roller/ screed for an absolutely flat, level surface.

9. Sand/ clay bed for hearth bricks. Notice the wood has been removed and now this foundation "floats" in space which isolates it (thermally) from the exterior.

10 Firebrick hearth- this area will take a lot of heat so it is worth getting fire bricks here if no where else.

11. Wall bricks laid out. Note: I chose to NOT build an ash drop to keep the design simpler/ cleaner. This makes ash removal a bit messier as the ashes have to be dragged further, but it hasn't been an issue.

12. Back wall mortared in

13. The arch support is described on p. 186 of Bread Builders.

14. Arches started.

15. Last row of arches.

16. The front archway uses a different form but a similar process.

17.. Starting to tunnel down toward the chimney.

18. Finished front archway.

19. This is NOT my oven, but a great shot of the tunneling forward technique by a better mason. Notice the angle iron.

20. Again, not my oven, but a super shot of the base of the chimney.

21. Foil and wire grid in place

22. Concrete cladding...lAlan Scott said this was wrong: "Bill, the side walls would have been better if they were 4" block so that there would have been 5" space for the loose Vermiculite insulation..."

23. Alan continues: "You should not put the concrete cladding right up to the outside walls. You should have built a weatherproof lid on the whole thing so that the vermiculite could be filled up to about 6" over the top as well as the 5" on the sides."

24. Another person's oven showing the proper gap for loose perlite. In the commercial ovens Alan recommends cement backerboard sides and therefore 9" of vermiculite on the sides and 12" on top.

25. On to the decorative stuff! This is the colorant I used in the stucco to create the warm orange effect.

26. Take the time to pick out tile you like. This can be a lifetime investment.

27. Your oven can increase the value of your home especially if you take the time to make it look nice.

27. Keep an eye out for decorative items like this wrought iron artwork I found for the counter.

29. The finished tile work.

30. Dry your oven out over many days to keep cracks to a minimum.

32. Starting the roof. If you live in a hot climate and are building this during the summer, build the roof first!

33. Finished oven, roof and counter surface.