June 19, 2011 - 6:50pm
The journey now begins
After 2 years of research and practice (2 trips to North House folk School)I'm now starting my own oven it's just shy of a 4x6 for our on farm bakery. Yesterday I dug out the pad and today we installed the forms and rebar. Concrete arrives tomorrow. Then we are on hold for 2 weeks until I can remove the wall from the barn. My nephew is having his HS graduation party in my sugarhouse/bakery. Wife says no more construction until it's over. If anyone in mid Mich wants to see,or help just let me know. The goal is to have it working by Sept 1st.
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.........and good luck. I Don't think that Sept. 1st is a bad goal. Took me a couple of months to build my oven (albeit smaller) and I did it myself. You could easily get done by then, especially if you've got some help.
How about posting some pictures of the process as you go? I'd love to follow your progress.
Now that's what I call bravery! Good luck, and please move the horses to pasture when you crank her up to 900 F.
The chickens and turkeys are the only ones in this barn, but they are very cold and in small peices when they come in. The barn is a liscened food facility. The evaporator room is 16x32 for making maple syrup and my bakery room is also 16x32 the oven is built into the wall so most of the oven structure is outside the building. To save on floor space. The wifes kitchen area is 15x24. Radiant in floor heat, lots of lighting ,a restroom and seperate septic system.
Where abouts in the Mid-Michigan area? I live in Clare and would be happy to help as I hope to build my own in a short time.
Mike
We are just north of Perry (48872) and my private email is stfiretech2000@yahoo.com The base pad is poured (40 #80 bags of quick crete) and we got a heavy shower about 3/4 of the way thru but some quick tarps and we got by with out too much water on the pad. Man am I beat. Time to grab a snack and head off to our local farmers market to sell some syrup.
Hi there! I am VERY interested (along with dear hubby) to see your progress. We are contemplating building our own later this summer and would love to get some first-hand knowledge. Please post pics and perhaps we can make a trip out to see it at the halfway point...we can even pitch in and help :-) Very excited to see it and best of luck to you!!
~Krista
Your oven project sounds so exciting, I wish I could be a part of it. Actually your whole operation sounds fantastic. Do you have a website? I agree with the others here and I hope you take and post pictures of construction during the process. I am very interested in these ovens as well. Sounds like you are very well prepared and well armed with a lot of knowledge. I am sure it will be a screaming success. Have fun.
Can wait to see some pics. I'm in SE Michigan and would pitch in...except I'm in the process of building my own :) Good luck!
Well with the heat, the fair (I'm a 4-H leader) and other crummy excuses the oven is not done but still underway. The base blocks are mortared and dried. The forms for the next slab are in place, so it's rebar and another concrete slab to be poured this week end. Foam glass is ordered and will be picked up next Friday ,a trip to Ohio, and then the refractory pad gets poured. Then it's OVEN time.
Any pictures? :)
Well, I am located in downtown Lansing and have been considering building a wfo at my parents place for a while. I do not head towards Perry all that often, but I am familar with the location since part of my youth I grew up in Williamston and traveled to Perry for school events. If I head that way sometime I'd love to try and set up a visit to see how things are progressing and possibly help out if you need it!
Best of luck!
Arlo
i know it has been a while since my last post but the oven is moving forward ever so slowly. An up date is do. We have the base finished, upper pad poured, foamglass down and 2 of 3 layers of hearth bricks installed the forms are in place for the final layer. We built a lean to shed onto the barn and protected the oven from the elements. Hearth size will be 48x58. We have been taking pics right along I'll see if my daughter can get them posted soon.