Building the Entrance and Chimney, Part One

Today we did more work on the exterior brick facade as well as build the arch.  This arch looks cool, because it is the first arch made out of our red brick. It will also make our wood storage area look cool, and ultimately it will support help support the entrance to our oven.

Here are some shots:

We also further utilized child labor in building the corners.  First, there was the ceremonial writing of name (on the back of the brick).

Then it was time to get down to business.

Building the Cooking Chamber, Part 4

In order to get the right air flow, the cooking chamber needs a dip. So tonight we worked on a smaller arch that will lead to our chimney in the front of our oven.


First we had to soak the splits and prepare the entrance:

Once the entrance was built we had to cut the angled brick that will support our new, smaller arch.

Then we laid the arch:

Building the Cooking Chamber, Part 3

Well today was pretty cool, and I think demonstrated why the building of an oven is not something that can easily be done by a book or written instruction manual.  It's a craft, and there are so many tiny steps and choices that it would take a long time to write down in any coherent structure.  So, instead, we get the teaching method that has been used for thousands of years: "Here, let me show you how to do it."

There's so much power in that. We live in a world where we are constantly told what to do, but the people doing the telling rarely show you how it's done.  It's the teacher living out the concepts that they are teaching, rather than just standing at the front of a classroom or on high.

With that, we had our fearless teacher, Mike, showing us how to do it....and we did it!  After a wooden half circle form was built, the crew began laying the arches for our beautiful and quite big cooking chamber.

Here you can see that two arches have been built, and the form has been pulled forward for the third arch as we work toward the front of the cooking chamber.  You have to get the arch just right, so there aren't wide gaps and it lines up with the arches behind it.

When each arch is done, then the inside needs to be cleaned with a wet sponge before the mortar dries.

Then you do it, again and again, until you are to the front of the cooking chamber.

And eventually the final scrub. This thing is solid. It is now apparent that if there is a tornado, I might be taking refuge in the brick oven.