Earthen Ovens (a.k.a. Cob Ovens)
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There's an oft repeated mantra in the natural building community that goes, "Give it good boots and a good hat". This saying rings true as ever when it comes to building an adobe style earth oven. The raw materials are so inviting to work with and are capable of lasting hundreds of years (with upkeep of course!), as long as they stay dry. Water percolating from concrete foundations into earthen plaster, or deluges of rain pouring from overhead will be the death of an earth oven. Protect it well from water and it will serve you as kindly as the most expensive brick oven on the market.
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There's an oft repeated mantra in the natural building community that goes, "Give it good boots and a good hat". This saying rings true as ever when it comes to building an adobe style earth oven. The raw materials are so inviting to work with and are capable of lasting hundreds of years (with upkeep of course!), as long as they stay dry. Water percolating from concrete foundations into earthen plaster, or deluges of rain pouring from overhead will be the death of an earth oven. Protect it well from water and it will serve you as kindly as the most expensive brick oven on the market.
Catch a Fire
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Build it with or without a chimney... its a rare case we don't install a chimney these days, as it helps improve the combustion and keeps smoke and heat out of the baker's face, but if forgetting the chimney helps you get some bread in the oven, then by all means, it will still burn and bake! Often times we'll dig up the earth used in the construction straight from the ground below the oven. Dig a pit, fill it with gravel to avoid damage during flood events and frost heaving and put the good sub-soil clay to the side for making your mix, how beautifully simplistic!
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Build it with or without a chimney... its a rare case we don't install a chimney these days, as it helps improve the combustion and keeps smoke and heat out of the baker's face, but if forgetting the chimney helps you get some bread in the oven, then by all means, it will still burn and bake! Often times we'll dig up the earth used in the construction straight from the ground below the oven. Dig a pit, fill it with gravel to avoid damage during flood events and frost heaving and put the good sub-soil clay to the side for making your mix, how beautifully simplistic!