Research

Building materials In general Here we present the various materials that can be used to build an oven. The proposed values are being used under normal circumstances. They won’t be correct in every case. During cold weather you have to take different proportions into account; the mortar proportions depend on the strength of the pressure of the brick, etc. Also not every material can be used everywhere. In coastal areas, the mortar has to be resistant to salt deposits from the sea. So always check which materials are commonly used in your environment to know which ones are suitable.

Calculating the number of bricks The number of bricks depends on the used format. By means of a table Here we give a table with the number of bricks and amount of mortar per m² measured for a half brick wall (1 stone wall = x2) in half stone bond, this is masonry that exclusively consists of stretchers, and with a joint width of 10 mm. Included is a chopping/breaking loss of brick of 3% and a prefab-mortar loss of 3%. With a traditional mortar you can count on 10% of mortar loss. (Data from Royal Assembly of Dutch Brick Factories and from Jozef Dockx)

Calculating the amount of mortar This calculation depends on the measurements of the chosen brick. Estimate the necessary number of litres/m² of mortar by means of this table. Calculate the surface (see calculating the number of bricks) and multiply this by the number of litres/m² to get the volume of mortar. For a bastard mortar with approx. 1 m³ of sand and a proportion 1 : 1 : 6 you will need the following: Portland cement (CEM I and class 42,5): approx. 200 kg Chaffed lime: approx. 100 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 1600 kg of 1m³ For lime mortar with approx. 1 m³ of sand and a proportion 2 : 1 : 1 you will need the following: sandy clay: approx. 3200 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 1600 kg of 1 m³ chaffed lime: approx. 600 kg Example (by means of building plan): number of litres mortar/m² ½ brick wall for Module 50 = 32 litres or 50 kg number of litres mortar/ m² 1 brick wall for Module 50= 64 litres or 100 kg total surface ½ brick thick = 2,576 m² total surface 1 brick thick= 5,422 m² total...

Calculating the amount of concrete Foundation In order to know the amount of concrete, you will first need to calculate the volume of the foundation slots. You multiply: the length of the outer foundation wall the depth of the outer foundation wall the height of the foundation Do the same for the inner foundation wall and subtract both outcomes. Multiply the needed volume by the number of kg of components, knowing that you will need for approx. 1 m³ of concrete with concrete strength of 250 kg/m³ mortar and a proportion 1 : 3 : 4  you will need the following: Portland cement ( CEM I and class 32,5): approx. 250 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 750 kg gravel (aggregate size 4/14): approx. 1000 kg Example (by means of building plan): length outer foundation wall = l(a) = 1,69 m length inner foundation wall = l(b) = 1,09 m depth outer foundation wall = d(a) = 1,69 m depth inner foundation wall = d(b) = 1,09 m height of the foundation = h = 0,60 m (l(a) x d(a) x h) - (l(b) x d(b) x h) = volume...

Documentary - How to build a bread oven? This documentary is a step-by-step practical guide for building a traditional brick bread oven. Watching these episodes, you can start building your own woodfired oven to bake proper bread the way our grandparents used to. English subtitles are being made and will be added shortly. There are 5 episodes and 3 extra films.

Calculating quantities If your bread oven has different dimensions or a different structure than that of the building plan, you can calculate the amount of materials using the following tips:

Covering the vault with loamThis text can only be consulted in Dutch.

Building the chimney This text can only be consulted in Dutch.

Substructure This text can only be consulted in Dutch.