Children usually like the feeling of being given responsibility. They feel important when their parents, or any adult for that matter, ask them for help. So, this activity is a perfect family bonding time. The kids will feel important and the adults will have more hands to make the job faster.
Here are the things that you are going to need. You are going to need a tape measure, a wheelbarrow, some sculpting utensils, a plastic tarp, a shovel, a bucket and also some lumber. You will also need some soil and some sand and a big area to work in.
The first you need to do is to figure out how big you want your oven to be. You can start off by figuring out how big you want the inside to be and you can work from there. Then, mark the dimension of the oven on the ground using your shovel and then, dig out the area about four to six inches deep.
Lay down a layer of sand on the area you dug out and pat it down to level it out. Then, set a layer of bricks on top of the sand you just placed and level them down again by patting. After that, add a second layer of bricks that will come out the same level as the sand.
Wet some sand and pile it on top of the bricks you have laid for the floor of the oven. Get the half of width of the floor and add three inches on that and that’s the height you want your form to be. Then, figure out how high you want the door to be and keep that number in mind.
Now, you have to lay out your tarp and collect some of the soil just below the topsoil. Create a mixture of one part clay and three parts sand and mix it as thoroughly as you can. Add a little water at a time while mixing. To test the consistency, grab a ball of the mixture and drop it. If it keeps its form, then form a brick and watch it while it dries. If it dries with cracks then, keep going with the mixing and adding water. But if it dries without cracks, then you are good to go.
Wet some newspaper and cover the sand form you placed earlier. This is to separate the sand and the mud. Cover the newspaper with mud about four inches thick. Keep the thickness constant and remember to curve the oven by manipulating the mud without moving the sand.
Pack the mud on the oven with a flat board and wait until the mud dries. Smooth out the outside of the oven with your sculpting utensils. Figure out where you want your door to be and carve it out with your hand and take the sand out while you are at it. Create the size of the door you wanted and dig out the sand on the inside. Smooth out the doorway and the “ceiling” of the oven but down dig it out too much because we are trying to avoid going into the newspaper we placed earlier.
When everything is dried, make a fire in it and allow the fire to burn for about three hours. Once you no longer see any black soot, you are done!
Once everything is done, you can now enjoy the fruits of your labor and cook something on your brand new wood fired oven.
For more information about Ovens, please visit: Building A Wood Fired Oven and Counter Top Oven