Thread: Is this asking for trouble?

First of all if I have posted in the wrong section can the mods please move it to the appropriate one.

This is where I am at.

I am wanting to build an earth oven. I finally got some concrete bricks for the base and have put them together to form it. I filled in the middle of it today.

There are 80 bricks which I am prety sure weigh 10kg each.

The dimensions are 127x120 cm by 73 cm high. The middle is filled with those standard garden rocks ( I think they are volcanic) and crushed rock (gravel). The whole thing sits on about 5cm of gravel. I dug out the 5cm and filled with gravel before building this on top. The ground is very hard clay.

On this will go about 4 inches of sand then the firebricks. I have used a level and it is fairly even all around.

The oven itself will be 66cm by about 45 cm high in an igloo type structure. 2 layers. The first will be 8cm mix of clay and sand and the second wil be 15cm, which will consist of clay sand and straw which I beleive is what a mud brick is made from. The oven will be heavy, but I do not know how heavy. I am guessing anywhere between 3-700kg. I have no idea a I have not tried working that out yet.

I have never built anything before and I am not vey handy. It has taken me a few weeks to get to this stage.

Will this do as it is or should I take it down and mortar it up, then build the oven on top?

My bro in law is a brickie and he could fix it up but the problem is getting him to our house.

Pic of where I am at.



Also a link to something similar. http://www.pequals.com/at/blueoxoven/oven_completed.jpg