Cob Re: cob oven for bread

[John Hall]

Michael Saunby wrote:
>   (snip) It will crack to hell. I think the idea (for an
> > oven that is to last) is silly.
> >
> 
> I'd say have a go.  Sure in Devon you won't find a cob bread oven, perhaps
> there never were any, or perhaps it was tried, failed and other things
> tried instead.  But cob houses in Devon are of the order of 300 years old,
> the fireplaces were in daily use in many of them until about 60 years ago
> (a time at which there was no new cob building), all were repaired as
> needed, and most improved to include the latest innovations, e.g. bread
> oven, raised hearth, etc.  I even saw a picture somewhere of a spit that
> was turned by a dog in a wheel (like a hamster), saves taking it for a walk
> on cold evenings I guess.
> 
> >From the brickwork, I'd guess that bread ovens in many of Devon's cob
> houses were last replaced late in the last century or early this century,
> and they're full of cracks, so would probably need repairing if you wanted
> to use them regularly.  These ovens are preformed from what looks like a
> lime based cement, and I understand manufactured and sold in quantity.
>  Let's be honest, the builders of the houses didn't intend that they would
> last 300 years or more, the bread ovens were probably only really good for
> 20 years or so, some more, some less.
> 
> Surely most of the ovens in African and Indian rural areas are made from
> earth.  They may not last for a very long time, but given that it would
> only take a few buckets of water and a day or so to rebuild what's the
> problem?

No problem at all I suppose, if you can explain to your building inspector that its not 
meant to last, and to your mortgagor that you will keep fixing his investment as and 
when, and you yourself have the time and inclination to carry out such running repairs 
just when you fancy a butty.  I guess its all a question of whether we want to have a 
bit of fun mucking about, or else being genuinely serious about building a place to 
live.  I haven't been on the list long, but believe some people on it are really serious 
about building with the stuff.

African mud huts (Nigeria at least) are made out of sun dried mud blocks/ bricks, and so 
would be much better than cob, but still not enduring enough for a permanent oven.  They 
use an open fire.
> 
> > Incidentally, I don't think a chimney is necessary on a conventional
> > "beehive" type bread oven.  Just leave the door open whilst you're
> > heating the thing up, then pull the fire out before you shove in the
> > dough, and then close the door.
> >
> 
> That's the way a traditional British bread oven works.  What about pizza
> ovens, do they have a chimney?

Sorry, don't know much about the Med (we were talking about bread ovens weren't we?) 
except they did use a form of earth building (Pise de Terre?), and yes, a pizza oven 
would have a chimney, as the fire stays in with the pizza.
 
> > Only trying to be helpful,
> >
> > John.
> 
> Michael Saunby

John.