So good!

Thanks - it was a fun project! We have a path behind our house and I was always getting questions as people walked by...

Thanks a lot! Hi from Canada!

Thanks!

I used a 1:3 ratio of cement to vermiculite. Most guides i found online would suggest more vermiculite than that / less cement but the mixture just seemed better to me. I suggest starting with less cement and then adding until you think the mixture is workable.

Wow - This style of pizza oven isn't exactly portable. I'm not even sure how you would make it so you could pick it up and move it without the bottom coming out... Definitely would need to be on a strong base. Therefore it would be in the hundreds of pounds range. I would estimate the 2" slab I built on weighed 250lbs and the dome itself is probably another 250lbs. If you're really looking for a portable one you should look at something like an Ooni pizza oven. If you really want to build something at home, I think you'd need to come up with a strong, wheeled base. All the best with your project! Thanks for watching the video... Let me know what you end up deciding.

I used regular Portland cement

Yes I do have some cracks forming. I've probably used it about 50 times or so. Nothing seems to be loose or crumbling, just a few cracks. I have wondered about caulking or painting the outside to try to reduce water entering the cracks, but haven't done anything with them yet. I don't think it is unusual, but it does concern me a bit. Thanks for watching!

I'm not sure really - I've only built one oven so far. I put the blanket in based on the plan I was following, but logically, I think the blanket gets compressed down to 1/4-1/2" thick based on the extra coats of cement mixture. It's all about insulation - so if you left it out, it the oven may just need slightly more firewood. Another possible benefit is that the blanket creates a decoupling of various layers of cement mixture, which probably reduces cracking from thermal expansion. Anyone building an oven in a lower income country probably does not have a ceramic blanket, and it probably still makes great food.

@@MrGTMan002 found out the hard way that if you use a ceramic blanket, keep the fibers out of your eyes! Mine burned for two days. I do think it helps to have the blanket. I can have mine at 1,000-degrees and still put my hand on the outside of the oven.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ea97aJN6sMuWpmw.html I've only used vermiculite so far based on what was available to me for a reasonable amount of money. The video link above has a guy who's used both explaining what he thinks the differences are. Thanks for watching!

I left the fitness ball in place for 4 or 5 days. I didn't cut the opening for 2 weeks but that was more related to a lack of time available to work on the project... Thanks for watching!

I called around to various brick suppliers in my area asking them if they carried fire bricks, or if they knew of someone who did. After 3 or 4 calls I found an independent building material supplier who carried them. For the vermiculite, I called plant grower supply wholesalers and found a fertilizer, seed, farm supply place that sold it in large bags. Good luck! Thanks for watching!