I feel like I copped out a bit at this level. I built a concrete slab to set the oven on. One of my intentions with this project was to do it with recycled, re-used, cheap, or free materials. But the slab was the obvious way to get what I wanted: a strong, flat surface about 30" above the ground.
I filled the slab with re-bar & mesh. That oven might get heavy over a 32" span. Greta and Brandon came up for the weekend and they mixed on a tarp in the back of the pick-up
truck. That way we could pour right into the form without lifting. That was Greta's idea. Actually a really fantastic idea!!! It took us about 90 minutes. They were awesome. I wish I had pictures, but it was over before I knew it.The next step required a lot of beer drinking. Some friends helped. And a neighbor contributed too. The beer bottles are laid out with an inch or so between them and the voids are filled with a mixture of coarse sawdust coated in clay. Just enough to stick together and reduce chance of catching fire. I think there ended up being around 100 bottles. I wonder if we could work this into an ad campaign for Magic Hat. The empty bottles and sawdust create a temperature break between the oven hearth and the concrete slab. That way the slab doesn't draw heat out of the oven that should be kept in the oven for baking.
