DIY Advanced Solar Oven! Hi temps! Fully Insulated! No Turning! Large Capacity! and solidly built! (made w/real wood, real glass and real mirror!) 350F+. this video shows the full build of my most advanced DIY solar box oven yet! The video breakdown... first 3 mins showcases the oven (w/talk through, temp tests and cooking). then a 10-minute "Time-lapse Assisted" Fast Full-Build (from 3 - 13 min. marks) *and then wraps up with the facts/stats pages, a list of parts (lumber, glass, mirror, hardware, paint etc...) some final design thoughts, cooking and storage idea. The idea in designing and making this one was to try to make one of the best ones ever made. a few of its features... 1.) it's a "No Turn" design for ease of use. because it has a long low-profile shape w/large rear reflector there's very little shadowing... therefore you almost never need to turn it (only once every 6 hrs or so). 2.) it's Fully insulated (back, bottom and both sides). high temps are achieved in part by fully insulating the bottom, back and both sides using a large amount of "very densely packed" insulation. the insulation used is the strongest on the market (with highest R value) that is made *while also being "food safe". it's a green fiber blend made up of ground up newspaper, cardboard, straw, sawdust etc. note: you should not use foam or fiberglass insulation. foam won't handle the heat. it's only good to 150 or 160F and don't use fiberglass for obvious reasons (plus the R value of fiberglass is lower than what i used, so it's not as good for that reason too). this along with the permanently installed real glass on the top and the front, a large glass mirror reflector and thick caulking and heavy weather stripping combine to make it a solid high output unit. 3.) it's weight and a very low center of gravity allow it to handle high winds easily up to 40mph. 4.) made with a glass top AND a glass front for maximum sun exposure and no slanted top so no wasted heating of the space above the pots (the glass sort of hugs the pots to center the heat around them). 5.) super easy construction. it's all rectangular shaped pieces (no slanted cuts, no curved cuts, no angle cuts). 6.) super solid - all real wood, glass and mirror for maximum reflectance and heat retention (no plastics or polished aluminum and definitely no cardboard or tin foil). 7.) all caulk used is FDA rated food safe and good to over 500F. 8.) it's large cooking area (28.5" by 12") holds 3 big pans and is the largest space by far of any solar oven on the market 9.) can be left outside year round. i'll be leaving this one outside year round (covered by a tarp when not in use). 10.) lastly (and possibly most uniquely) the way it opens is one of a kind! with most solar ovens the glass-top IS the door. (but that allows for a lot of heat to escape) with mine, all the glass is permanently sealed up and there are no doors on the back or sides of the unit. so how does it open? the whole oven (minus the cooking platform) tilts back! since the oven only opens at the bottom and since it's heavy and sits on heavy weather stripping, this allows for a nearly complete trapping of the heat. (and when it is opened, much heat is still trapped in the top part for minimal losses). every aspect of this oven was thought thru to make it one of the most powerful and durable ones out there. additions to it could be to add removable side reflectors (for times when you don't mind turning it) or double panes of glass for additional heat. if you like the vid. please rate sub and share!
UPDATE: i just posted a video (on 06/01/2021) of my latest 'high temperature solar oven' here's the link • DIY Solar Oven! - High... . it's lightweight (at only 4 pounds), and folds down small (into itself) when you're done using it. the reflectors are made of reflective 'mirror-like' mylar. the oven has 12 reflectors that focus the sun (to reach temps around 375F/190C).