# Capt's pizza oven build



## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

I didn't wanna highjack Fishingpol's thread, so here are a few pics of my pizza oven build we started Aug 4th.

Footings dug, and slab for the hot tub:






All poured and block laid.  The firebrick there is a built-in charcoal grill.  The other side is reserved for an outdoor fireplace:





First color brick laid, and base poured for the oven:





The cast refractory pieces for the modular oven.  It's from Superior Clay products:





Laying out the circle for the poured refractory clay:


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

Mortar poured, ready for the firebrick floor:





Herringbone floor laid:





All pieces mocked up, ready for the heat-stop mortar to join together:





All pieces together, and first flue in place:





Cousin Dave (the mason) thought my helmet from work would make a nice cap:  lol


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

Checking draft with a few sheets of newspaper:





Transitioned to the red brick:





Arch formed:





Arch completed:





Entire dome parged with 2 inches of refractory mortar:





Scaffold set up, ready to take it to the sky:


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

Cousin Dave was the head of this whole project!





Forms built, ready to pour the caps:





A night time pic from my roof.  All that it needs now is an acid wash:





Cousin Dave washing it with acid:


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

Here are a few food shots from the first real pizza party last night:










Finished in 90 seconds:





My wife doesn't eat pizza, so I threw a few venison steaks in a cast iron pan for her:


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

These are my wood racks from spring.  I have doubled this in wood now. I hope I save enough to heat my house this year, and not use it all in the oven!


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

Forgot the biscuit pics!






I make my own bacon sawmill gravy.  I like my biscuits broken up, tons of gravy, bacon pieces and red pepper flakes:





Thanks for looking!


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## thewoodlands (Sep 3, 2012)

Nice work Capt., good thing I just got done eating.
zap


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## fishingpol (Sep 3, 2012)

Great pics Capt!  You will have a lot of good times from that oven.  I like the herringbone brickwork for the oven floor. 

I've thought of putting some type of angle iron to prevent the coals closest to the pizza from burning the edges.  Is that what the brick is for on the biscuit pic?  The biscuits and gravy looks really good.  I have to do biscuits and cornbread soon.


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

fishingpol said:


> Great pics Capt! You will have a lot of good times from that oven. I like the herringbone brickwork for the oven floor.
> 
> I've thought of putting some type of angle iron to prevent the coals closest to the pizza from burning the edges. Is that what the brick is for on the biscuit pic? The biscuits and gravy looks really good. I have to do biscuits and cornbread soon.


I used the firebrick to deflect the direct heat and flame from burning the close edges.  Works great!


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## fishingpol (Sep 3, 2012)

Capt said:


> I used the firebrick to deflect the direct heat and flame from burning the close edges. Works great!


 
Ok, good idea, I really didn't want to put angle iron in, brick makes sense.


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## fishingpol (Sep 3, 2012)

Oh, your cousin is one helluva mason.  Nice work.


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## Capt (Sep 3, 2012)

fishingpol said:


> Oh, your cousin is one helluva mason. Nice work.


 
Thanks!  He is awesome. I didn't post a lot of the detail pics, as I don't have that many.  I will be sure to take some and post them soon.


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## ScotO (Sep 3, 2012)

beautiful work, Capt!  That looks fantastic, I'm thoroughly jealous of your oven.  Keep the pics coming, looks like you did a great job even with your first pizzas!


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## Eatonpcat (Sep 4, 2012)

Incredible work...You and cousin Dave should be proud! 

Pizza looks delicious!


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## swagler85 (Sep 4, 2012)

Wow that is great work, and I bet the food is amazing as well!


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 4, 2012)

Very professional looking.Looks like a great place for BBQ or to roast a small pig as well. You must really like pizza(doesnt everyone).


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## Capt (Sep 4, 2012)

Seasoned Oak said:


> Very professional looking.Looks like a great place for BBQ or to roast a small pig as well. You must really like pizza(doesnt everyone).


 
LOL, everyone tells me I'm going to get sick of pizza.  But the fact is, that wood fired oven is much more versatile than a home range.  You can smoke meats in it, bake bread, pizzas, roast meats, sear steaks, toast marshmallows, etc.  I can't wait to do a complete thanksgiving dinner in it!

Thanks for the kind words everyone!


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## Stax (Sep 4, 2012)

Friggin Awesome!  Kick a$$ operation.  Be proud of yourself.  Great oven...great stacks.  Keep doing your thing man.


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 4, 2012)

I have the much smaller teaser version of this in my house,its actually a wood stove that you can roast in it. Only small portions on a SS rack. I havnt tried it yet but am looking forward to it soon. I already have the rack.


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## Capt (Sep 4, 2012)

Seasoned Oak said:


> I have the much smaller teaser version of this in my house,its actually a wood stove that you can roast in it. Only small portions on a SS rack. I havnt tried it yet but am looking forward to it soon. I already have the rack.


 
Sweet!  You have any pics?


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 4, 2012)

Capt said:


> Sweet! You have any pics?


Its a Harman TL-300 wood stove ,if you go to their website and download the the brochure i shows a couple steaks on it. Id like to make it a little  larger and lower it down into the stove more as you can put chicken pieces on it but not a whole bird as its kind of shallow. Im going to try it for the first time as soon as we get a cold snap.


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## DexterDay (Sep 4, 2012)

Holy Detailed pics and posts Capt Man!!  Beautiful work.... Beautiful Pies too


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## PapaDave (Sep 4, 2012)

I think Capt has just installed himself into the "you suck" club.
See, now I have to go in the kitchen, fire up (yeah, right) the oven, and bake some biscuits, an apple pie (might be pumpkin), pizza, etc.......
Man that is one nice setup, Capt. Fling a pie or 2 my way, would ya'? Don't worry, I'll catch 'em. I don't waste pizza.


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## fishingpol (Sep 5, 2012)

PapaDave said:


> I think Capt has just installed himself into the "you suck" club.


 
I think he has helped level the playing field.   There are more keyhole firepits being built this year that WFO's.  Ironpony should be up next with his oven completed, and maybe one or two more by the fall.

I think the best is yet to come this fall for food pics from these things.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 5, 2012)

Capt said:


> LOL, everyone tells me I'm going to get sick of pizza. But the fact is, that wood fired oven is much more versatile than a home range. You can smoke meats in it, bake bread, pizzas, roast meats, sear steaks, toast marshmallows, etc. I can't wait to do a complete thanksgiving dinner in it!
> 
> Thanks for the kind words everyone!


 
Is it possible to get sick of eating pizza . . . so many ways to make it . . . so many different configurations. Heck, I have a Healthy Choice pizza for lunch every day -- and that's nowhere near as tasty as the pizza that will be coming out of that oven.


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## ironpony (Sep 5, 2012)

we are making progress albeit slowly. beautiful job there Capt.


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## jeepmedic (Sep 12, 2012)

AWESOME !


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## WellSeasoned (Sep 12, 2012)

That is a very sweet setup! Good work

Sent from my SGH-T759 using Tapatalk 2


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## save$ (Sep 13, 2012)

Brick oven baked biscuits!   That with some butter and home made jam.   A meal on its own.   I would be baking bread in that oven.  I had some in Quebec.   Oh so good!


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## bfunk13 (Sep 14, 2012)

Very cool, nice build. Jealous again.


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## Capt (Jan 11, 2013)

Here are a few updated pics.

Here is a pic with the gas lights and the Shield.  The shield came from WWW.Detroitshields.com






Closer view:





Here are a few venison tenderloins I raosted in it last night:





I am uploading some more food pics, I'll post soon.


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## ScotO (Jan 11, 2013)

Love that shield, Capt!  That's the BEST way to do loins, I can almost smell and taste them through the phone!  We always look forward to seeing wood-fired food pics!


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## Capt (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks Scotty!


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## Eatonpcat (Jan 11, 2013)

Sweet...Gotta get me a shield!


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## begreen (Jan 11, 2013)

Sweet deal. The shield really caps it off. Nice job, you're going to have a lot of good times around that oven.


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## Gasifier (Jan 11, 2013)

Nice Capt. Nice.


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## DexterDay (Jan 11, 2013)

Mmmmmmm


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## save$ (Jan 11, 2013)

Very neat work.  Dig in and enjoy!


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## Jags (Jan 11, 2013)

That is some sort of awesome.  Nice job.


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