ENGAGING WITH  others humans is a dynamic certainly in evey project or group undertaking. the focus here is on the inclusion of a standard two others assisting in your oven build- although if you put together a group-learning effort or even oven-building course of your own (recommended), you can realize multiple benefit not just oven-related in scope.

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(suggested: after you conclude this course and move into build-mode, you are implored to preuse the AFTERBUILD BONUS section, in HUMAN MULTPLICITY, for an ideabank on growing your oven projects into upmarket status. first things first....)

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you have a choice in project management- whether its your oven or someone else's, like as in a client. when you supply your own chosen team, then YOU handle compensations and overall care of the experience.

when you don't travel your project package with attached labour-  then see about the CLIENT supplying local folk that are likely to be more affordable or familiar to the client. then, the overall responsibility over those engagers is also in their concern- though YOU are still the director of the operation.

in a client-supplied labour situation, do enquire as to  whether this will be a load or an undue concern point for them- be sensitive and sensible about what you bring to the mutual opportunity- and you might best assume the labour lead- and draw those funds from your adjusted oven budget accordingly.

cool?

The Materials List for an earth oven is usually quite short and simpl.

Where we get the materials is key- since we want the most responsible design and implementation as possible. preferably, we can gather everything we need from just around us, and metal scraps and and open bag of cement etc. is also lying around somewhere.

NOT good is, when we order new materials from a commercial retailer, unless they are a local supplier who relies on local supply only. long-haul, far-away sourcing of project materials is a NO-NO.

HERE is another avenue by which you can exercise your ideation and resourcefulness.

Add-ons, since they add more good times to an already good thing, is truly gravy on your Project undertaking, and it's up to you to come up with locally known and interesting side projects or finishing items that will accent or lend more focus to the arrival of the new best-friend oven, in your new best friend's place of business.

LOOK around at the setting of every Project....what else can really make the whole scene more spectacular and appealing to customers AND to your client?

...and don't forget to budget this in accordingly. or set up a trade account or exchange of add-ons for food, lodging, or some other perk that you can benefit from.

have fun on this one, gang!

HERE TIS a simpl project proposal & cheat sheet to keep things in focus, if you haven't already moved on to doing a spreadsheet or system more of your choosing.

the project mgmt cheat sheet is also downloadable-  i have included the editable word file and pdf, below.

again- simpl is the word- do not attempt to blow away a client with your brilliance, or make this too complicated. because it really isn't.

ADAPT this example project rundown as a simpl guideline- to let the Client know what will happen and what to expect- mostly positive mutual benefit between yourself and Clients.

hopefully this will assist in your drive to bring new opportunity to the continued success of with whom you engage.

CONTAINED herein are some of the most key audience and attention grabbers , along with the long-term Best Practice features that are recommended for your oven Projects.

after all, it's how and where you LOOK, that really matters, and that you make damn SURE your oven gets noticed by the absolute maximum number of hungry customers!

SOME key physical positioning factors are added here. we DO want to assure we are performing high-quality, attention-grabbing, safe, secure and long-lived Projects in every case. and it all starts with your own oven.

at least, if you made certain mistakes in this regard with your own efforts back home, you can be sure not to repeat them with Clients!

It's been said time and again- without a strong foundation, infrastructure, humans and nations cannot stand for long.

THIS video SimPLy shows going about the process of floor-creation:
Locating your oven,
Stomping the site down and adding durables like rocks
and non-compressible materials,
Making it waterproof with rocks and mortar, or just cement,

NOW you're ready to make the rest of it happen!

anyone getting excited?

BUILDING a rock base is a jigsaw puzzle, just that the pieces don't always FIT together. This takes one thing, TIME.

time to go over the REQUIRED excess of rocks you've gathered (at least three times what you actually use!) to find rocks that:

1. fill the space below
2. join up with the neighbour situation to the sides
3. leave a reasonably LEVEL surface on top

we're talking about natural rock here- those weird and undefinable shapes you find in the Nature, which can drive you nuts figuring out which to keep for later, or to use now IF you hammer or chisel off pieces to make a fit, etc....

many engagers like to only use block-cut rock, nicely manicured & processed,  done to save masons time and money by easy, mechanical staggering of rock layers one over the other like bricks. one can certainly opt for this, if you're not sure of IF you can handle the natural rock process right now.

that's ok. do what you are ready for. if you want a push, into a higher level of strategy and creativity for yourself- to become a badass at rock work- then go for natural.

the vid here will give you some idea of what we're talking about, but only the REAL -

that's you v. actual rocks, all the way up to waist height- will show you the story.

think it over.

and let us know what happens, with PHOTOS and well, story.

i'm waitingggggggg.....

peace

OK, so you're building your rock base. GREAT!

Q: WITH WHAT shall you FILL that rock base? hell, i'll tell you right here-

IT'S a good question- because we can just go with something obvious like dirt, or trash, or whatever's lying nearby, jump on that a bit then start laying in our clay layers. BUTTT....

IF you think about it, what would be a smart, practical method of fillage......and that might lead you to conclude that, to fill the base with material that: 1. you DON'T want around you 2. DOESN'T cost you anything to fill 3. is DURABLE, or noncompactable 4. COSTS something to get rid of, such as wastes,

IF YOU THINK this might be the way to go, then we are on the same page with this. note the video here, with the visuals....

THEREFORE, might we suggest to RECYCLE all your non-useable, durable wastes, by placing them in the rock base- and compactify these materials as best you can- smash them to small pieces, stomp on them, slug them with a massive hammer-

WHATEVER is needed, to ASSURE that this base is not going to SAG or lose compaction at some point in the future.

WHAT WASTES ARE THOSE? well, could be any of the following: glass and bottles, cans or scrap metal bits, bike and machine parts, hard plastic object shards, concrete slag, old car tires (filled inside) and such.

NOT YET FULL? get more of the same from the neighbours or friends. we're SURE there is stuff that just about everyone wants to be rid of.

arright, no bodies, gangstas.....remember we're going to be COOKING just upstairs from there, ok...

WHAT WASTES DON'T WE WANT? something that might have these properties: biodegradable- plant or animal wastes, wood products, any kind of organic soil, anything organic is a no-no here, styrofoam and flimsy plastics.

THE REMAINDER - the rest of the fill can be any rocks and concrete bits that are lying around, sand,

AS YOU ARE FILLING, be sure to add SMALL amounts of water as you go, to help with the material bonding, but NOT to create extra volume with the moisture (which will just dry up later- and deflate the rock base!)

and, STOMP STOMP STOMP all over that stuff as you are filling up- be careful NOT to knock your newly-laid rockwork finery out of place, as having to re-do your rock base is a real bitch. i hate that....

FINALLY, you stop filling about 20-30 cm below the very top of your rock base. this allows for your clay layers to get laid in there, each about 10-20 cm thick, with a layer of scrap SHEET METAL in between the clay layers, which covers the entire top of the base.

(you'll see all that later on).

THAT'S IT! your rock base is filled! and done with great purpose. now

you are even more of a recycling practitioner, having found a new way to use the junk-junk.

just to inform you ahead of time about the upcoming clay layers-

THE FIRST LAYER caps off your base fill. then, a layer of scrap sheet metal is laid on top of that.

This metal covering is called the HEAT REFLECTOR, on account of metal reflecting heat and all.
this will assist in keeping the intense heat upstairs, where the
cooking is going on- and also to protect any burnables underneath, also
to prevent any compactifying action from goin on.

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hey hey! NOW we're really going places, team. you're rock base is proud, strong, beautiful- and will last you a lifetime, if you did the work with quality in mind.

onward!!!!!

LET'S just get groovy now.

drop the tools, ditch the notepad and take a journey thru what Nature and an intentional human can slap together.

rock bases are equally, by this view, as spectacular as what sits eventually up top.

base and body, the beguiling combo which THEN delivers the best foodie chow that
anyone can remember- if we're doing our proper due diligence.

it's what we strive for, anyway, and when we start hearing this praise from
fellow fans of wood-fired fare, we know we're learning in the right direction.

rock on!

HERE we give an example of one type of suggested oven shelter- for the tropical dwellers and those who have local access to large-diameter temperate poles.

Using only bamboo as primary building material and a few bolts, we introduce the sensible and beguiling opaque effect of bamboo half-pipes alternating over and under each other in a progression,

which sits atop a simpl post-and-beam structure- made of yes, bamboo.

this way of providing weather and sun protection for a tropical Earth Oven earns high marks for minimal environmental loading with BAMBOO- the King of the rapid-renewable materials- along with impressive style and strength.

a suggested choice for those with local access to the King...

A CLOSER look at the guadua bamboo- proper cleaning and prep, optimizing roofing placements, and the continuing tie-down of of the roofing members.

GOT WALL? our hands-down vote for Optimal Best Renewable, Tropical Structure: sensible and simpl, strong and secure, and oh so sexy.

seven years from now, we can build again, using the same mother bamboo source to produce a fresh crop of premium building material.

this means, one can harvest a major stand of guadua being keen on leaving the mother shoots to remain. next is preparing the  larger diameter guadua children for over-under use,  then applying those fatty bamboo poles to oven shelters, bungalow, toolshed, bathing room- and any simpl structures as one can envision-

BEFORE going ahead with the build of the structure contents- such as the oven body.

onward to the clay!

THIS was filmed on location at a remote farm on Sumba Island, Indonesia.

Rumour had it, that a vein of the red stuff was present in the earth somewhere on this familiy's land, so we drove our massive dumptruck several hours out of the southern beach resort at Rua Beach, to discover this small deposit of pure clay.

Now.....whether or not the clay is sound material for
earth oven use is another story, so stay tuned and listen for clues on inspecting your clay.

The ClayDance, similar to the crushing of grapes in the old wine trade, by foot- is an age-old method of getting the proper amount of water into the stiff, stubborn clay by stomping and twisting the feet deep into the big lump, until the desired consistency has been achieved.

as you can see in the vid, this process takes more than just jumping up and down on the clay- which actually makes it more compact and harder to penetrate. one in essence does The Twist instead, rotating those feet until they corkscrew their way to the bottom of the clay mass, continuing until the water has fairly mixed in.

the next step is folding the mass first one direction then folding again at right angle to the first, continuing around until the mass has been folded and broken, re-broken and re-folded, making like large tacos within your tarp or mixing sheet.

if one doesn't have a mixing sheet to hold the clay, then doing the Dance on a hard surface is ok, if you then can shovel it or scoop it to break up the mass.

in the case of forming the oven body, we want a relatively DRY mix- not much water- which results in a strong moist clay which can support some weight on top of it, while we pile it on the oven, also to prevent undue SAG whenever we place the clay.

proper behaviour during the ClayDance includes inviting some buddies to join in, playing groovy music, enjoying suitable refreshments for the experience, and of one assigned ClayBoss to guide the process. the ClssyBoss must take care that the clay is throughly mixed, and that water is minimized throughout the process.

good strategy is to keep enough clay mixed to keep the job running continously- until we are DONE with the upcoming tasks at hand (or foot).

sure, it takes awhile to get it right, but hey is anyone suffering? make SURE this doesn't hsppen! work can be just as entertaining and healthy-good as any gym that the trendy professionals pay lots of money to lose stomach fat with...

enjoy enjoy enjoy!

THE FLOOR of the Oven is both the bottom piece of the cooking chamber and the top piece of the rock base. This is why we can also think of it as being the Base Cap.

Like the remainder of the Oven body, this is pure clay or whatever clay-based earth you have to work with.

The Base: once the base has been filled, the metal sheets of the Heat Reflector installed,
and a layer of earth covers the metal,
the 10-20cm/4-8 inch thick, clay Floor is laid on to seal the Base,
and is smoothed out flat.

The Next Step: the Floor next gets covered with a sheet of plastic,
and the Sand Mold is poured over it and formed.
From this point the body is created around that mold,
and its all about the Art from that point forward!

THE SAND MOLD is a slightly ovalesque pile of sand atop the Oven floor, with a sheet of plastic underneath it to separate the sand from the clay.

This volume of space contained in this mold, IS the heat chamber of the Oven: whatever size or shape we make this mold will determine how big our firing area is, inside that Oven.

It is wise to be mindful of how THICK we want the Oven Wall to be (at least 20 cm), and so we leave that amount of space all around the floor, when we place the sand on top.

Then, our pile goes up as high and vertical as we can make it, and this becomes our chamber- after the sand is removed from the completed Oven structure.

SURE, this is a somewhat similar of an explanation of the last sand mold lecture- yet offered here for the purpose of being thorough in our instruction.

this example takes place in Sumba, Indonesia, and if anything perhaps we get the idea of how sand actually supports clay, in forming an enveloping bodysheath- and also how the size and shape of the mold actually forms the chamber space by which all this fabulous food gets blessed for our collective consumption.

SANDY TIPS: be sure to have a moist sand- but not too wet, vertical sides along the bottom of the mold, and good compaction for solid support.

ALSO! remember to MEASURE the vertical height of the sand mold, from top to bottom, and write down that number. this will be used later for knowing how tall that oven mouth will be.

onward!

A first clay layer does a few things to start off the more exciting process of creation up-top:

• it covers the newspaper strips before they blow away and cause undue frustration

• it provides a support and anchor for the SECOND clay layer, which should grab and bond onto the first layer

• it might form CRACKS, which provide additional anchor points for the second-layer clay to grab onto- a bonus for long-term quality and strength

take care to make this process SEAMLESS, whereas you bond clay pieces together to form one cohesive SKIN, and here i believe we are READY to thicken and bolster our new lifelong friend, despite whatever design is applied, into becoming a literal MONSTER of beauty and functionality.

so, make the first layer not too thin, folks, we got heavy bulk coming on....

grrrrr.....arrrrghhh

alllllrighty then. here is where the bulk of our monster friend gets going. the method used here is for LOOSE clay,

though if you have access to strong and pure-clay mudbricks- i actually prefer and recommend that instead.

Mudbrick bodyforming is done by wetting the bricks, pushing them into place onto the first clay layer, then packing loose moist clay in betweeen bricks to form a unified mass -

CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH IN THE SAND MOLD, WE WANT  TO BOND BUT NOT CRUSH THAT FIRST LAYER!

Loose clay bodyforming, as is shown here, can be applied by asserting large-ish lumps of the stiff stuff onto that first layer, careful always to evenly form that second layer evenly and seamlessly, right.

but...SOMETIMES we may have not the correct type of clay for this- we make SURE our clay is stiff, strong, and can dry without becoming crumbly- what is HEAVILY suggested therefore, is to form BALLS of your clay and let them dry and harden, then observe their properties.

a weaker mollecular clay makeup, the crumbly kind, must instead be appiled in thinner layers, with more overall layers. the claybody should be an overall 1-foot thick, or similar, in this case.

sure, a pain in the ass, but please keep in mind the excess work you grudgingly do NOW, assures you of big ENJOYMENT and minimum HEADACHES later!

DO it folks, DO IT!!

This second method of the second bodylayer is filmed in koh pha-ngan, and shows a more common method of applying clay to that first bodylayer- the thickness being the width of your gloved hand- use rubber gloves for less friction.

probably we need a third layer to make a sufficient body thickness, but the third layer is pretty much the same as the second, but is applied the following or second day afterwards, as the clay needs to set up and harden, in order that any more clay will not sag too much.

when any additional clay layers are going on, we must TEXTURE the layer we just finished- jabbing holes all over the body with our fingers, as anchors for the next layer to grab.

so we approach now the end of layering, finally, after all that is done, and can move onto more exciting bits- mouth cutting and removal, sand removal (revealing our chamber) and so on....

chins up, gang, we're getting there!

The earth oven door or MOUTH determines the rate of heat retention- and of heat loss, also the size of wood which may be fedd inside- and the size of the food preparation.

The mouth's design is quite simpl, yet  more exacting than one may think.

ultimately, the look and constraints of the mouth sizing will inspire or prevent certain wild ideas in
oven persona-sculpting, so the builder-artiste grapples with a fresh new canvas, of how to fashion this opening into an original illusion, in each new oven design creation.

Simpl oven lingo: vented (with chimney, or vertical heat-escape) and non-vented (no chimney,
where heat escapes through oven mouth). 

Both main types of earth oven are shown here,
and the non-vented Gandalph oven, circa 2003, is discussed for
heat-building, fire removal, door & oven design- 

and the Bar-Bake-Q,
which is leaving the burning wood inside the smoky oven during cooking.

A LITTLE simpl carpernter goes into the oven now, low-tech and economical, as to forming a chimney pipe from second-hand or scrap sheet metal.

one can simply use an old stovepipe laying around sure, but here's how we do it from scratch.

now, for the highest-end clients, or yourself if you want the look of professional quality throughout, ok search for that used pipe, even paint it black for the polished effect.

the point of second-hand and recycling is stressed, as nearly everywhere now can be found metal scrap. therefore new-goods consumption, or increasing the resource demand in the local area is not desired, or even necessary.

here you see how to sidestep a possible dilemma in choice, and get yourself right into functional mode, with creating a smoke and airflow exit point, and being ready for the sand cleanout and the BURN.

...and we LOVE a GOOD BURN!

THAILAND: JUST BEFORE we fire up our clay Meltaba, it is useful to  inspect the inside of the chamber. we see cracks, sure- this is clay,  after all, but do we care?

stay tuned...

NOTE: FOCUS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE OVEN HERE, SO APOLOGIES FOR THE SLIGHT BLUR IN YOUR LECTURER.

Melataba Oven, Thailand: The Time Has Come, for all lumps of clay  to become fully-realized Ovens, and emerge from the earth as  fire-breathing, vital pizza-rendering, lifelong allies of those stalwart  individuals who call themsleves Earth Ovenists!

here is explained the initial and delicate operation of the  oven's FIRST BURN. it is done preferably with PAPER and associated light  organic burn materials, eventually moving to full-on wood  conflagrations in a few days' time- AFTER the clay or earth body has  baked through to become one solid, gorgeous hunk of ceramic  fire  containment and food preparation.

enjoy - im

For most Earth Ovens, since the rest of the build is reasonably similar from one to another, suffice to say that DESIGN is SCULPT, and SCULPT is DESIGN.

translated to sensible understanding, what this means is most ovens are the same, except for adaptations which we apply, to fit them into particular environments- existing building corners, integrating them to new construction, or even setting them out in the Nature to take advantage of the Perfect Rock in the base- as a few examples there.

WHAT DIFFERS is how we sculpt each oven to take on that persona and unique personality or meaning, according to the oven owner's wishes or just what we come up with on the fly. have a gander at this vid for some tips and insights...

...though keep in mind that NOBODY can teach anybody creativity-

all i can do, for example, is discuss what has happened before, and offer mechanical techniques.

perhaps each creative inspiration is like a Divine suggestion which peaks through the fogbank of Mind, to hand us a roadmap to somewhere no one else has gone, or perhaps we are given a clue when we may be clueless.

the process or routine that each of us, as equal designers wandering about the planet, end up adopting or discovering IS exciting, though. it's not only the shiny-toy new cellphone or sport motorcycle that can give us that electric buzz when something original shows up in our lives.

what can be equally or even more "shiny" are the beheld results of our own genius- something WE make whether it was intended and calculated, copied then modified or seemingly accidental- that can fire up the adrenaline, seratonin, or (hopefully) oxytosin- and course through our veins to uplift us and encourage us to continue, go beyond, build upon, improve, even achieve excellence and mastery why not.

know that there is at least one dude out in the world who awaits this from you, almost desparately hoping that you will excel me, outdo me, show me more than a thing or two.

belittle me, embarrass me- i challenge you. I DARE YOU.

just more of the same DESIGN jabber, of what we mean by the SCULPT.

here's an exercise. ask yourself

WHAT CAN I BRING TO THIS ENVIRONMENT,

TO ADD TO THE SURROUNDINGS OR IDEA THAT HAS BEEN STARTED HERE

OR TO JOLT THE OBSERVER INTO SURPRISE,

TO FIRE THEIR OWN IMAGINATIONS BY THE SHOCK....

get into it - this is YOU now.

ohhhh yeah baby, time to awaken your inner Necromancer-

some naughty spells can be cast, banishing forever the yawning Ordinary and averageness of the Uninspired. and please keep in mind, that to some degree EVERY potential client NEEDS YOUR HELP!

give it freely, with abandon......

LIME & CLAY - A Winning Combination

Creating that natural veneer or sheathing of an Oven- that hard protection layer to prevent water spills, rain or otherwise overly-moist ambience from compromising your Oven's outer skin and sculpted artwork- is actually quick and easy.

simply mix equal parts of hydrated lime and clay, with enough water to create a thin paste- not too stiff, not too runny- that you will actually paint the oven body with. all that is needed, is a bucket to hold the mix, a stick or trowel to mix with, and a wide stiff paintbrush to paint on your plaster.

most mixes will look exactly like just clay mud going on the Oven- but wait until it dries! later on today or tomorrow, the colour will majically turn a bright white, and you're ready to use your Oven!

COLOUR- if you want a slightly different look for your New Best Friend in clay, you can mix in a little dye- preferably natural, using a rock dust or vegetable dye- to change the Oven hue to a subtle earth shade or off-white look.

Dark, bold colours are not recommended, as any cracks or chips in the finish will be painfully obvious, and maintenance of those colours is kind of a pain in the ass.

anyway, its up to you. creativity or artistic preference is not a condition owned or defined by any one of us, after all.

one hopes that by now, after allll of this has been said and done, that you have at least a grasp
of where you want to fit in the oven-schema of things-

questions to hang out with:

• ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR THE NEXT CHANCE TO CREATE EVEN BETTER

• ARE YOU SIMPLY RELIEVED ITS MOSTLY OVER, AND GOOD RIDDANCE

• IS THE EARTH OVEN-BUILD/BUSINESS-HUSTLE EXPERIENCE FOR YOU

• ?

?