Converted Block Arch to 3 season Brick Oven w/pics

[valleyman]

I did a crude version last summer but this season I spent some more time modifying my block arch into a wood fired pizza oven.

For starters, I blocked off the rear half of the arch with a wall of firebrick. Then I built up the height of the floor with scrap brick to the desired height.

I have some old sheet metal that I cut and laid over the base. This evened things out and gave a base for the firebrick floor.

Did some research and found out that the flue is up front on brick ovens so the heat from the fire in the rear travels forward heating the ceiling and inside more effectively. I built the front outward for the flue and the doorway. Based on some more research, The height of the front is 63% of the height of the ceiling.

For the ceiling, using refractory cement I secured half thick fire brick ( to keep the weight down) onto a piece of 12 x24 bluestone. Two of these ceiling sections cover up the area where the two front syrup pans were. I may get some arch insulation and sandwich it over the ceiling and another layer of bluestone to keep even more heat inside.

Its all modular for easy assembly/ dis assembly and it made some nice pizza's and calzones yesterday.

The attached photos show the arch before modification and after.

[waysidemaple]

Looks really good. I wish the block arch I used this season looked that good.

[KenWP]

What is blue stone. We used to use blue stone but it was copper sulphate in the old days.

[valleyman]

I dont know. I think its a type of sandstone but very dense. At the stone yard, I asked for a piece of the grey colored stone that I saw in the yard 12 x 24. They had it in many sizes and thicknesses from 1" - 1 1/2". Down in this area you'll see it in patios.

This place is great. They have fire brick for a 1.10 for full and 1.05 for splits.

[TapME]

nice looking pizza oven there. Makes me want to convert mine to an oven and have home made pizza and calzones. Moving the stack for me would be the problem to overcome.

[valleyman]

Tap Me,

I left my rear stack in place. What I did was completely block off the back half the arch with a wall of fire brick. I'm going to go back in and back that with some block to create more thermal mass.

I then built outward a bit. At Home Depot/Lowes I got a 8x8 square that tapers up to a 6" diam. stack duct. I rivited that between two right angled pieces of sheet metal lengths that came from old utility shelving. On the sides of stack some bricks fit right in.That whole unit I secured with some refractory cement. That unit then rests on stacks of brick. Comes apart very easily.

You should definitely try it. It gets nice and hot and makes great pizza. I going to make a door. After the high heat of pizza making, because of the residual heat you can bake bread or roast chicken, ect.

All this is just an excuse to stare at the evaporator durring the off season. :)

[valleyman]

I realize this is off subject but since it's related to the block evaporator I wanted to show you how my modification is coming along.