Forno Bravo Pompeii Oven User manual

Forno Bravo, LLC
Pompeii Oven™ Plans Version 2.0
Build an Authentic Italian Wood-Burning Oven
A MAJOR CAUSE OF OVEN-RELATED FIRE IS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN REQUIRED
CLEARANCES (AIR SPACES) TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. IT IS OF UTMOST
IMPORTANCE THAT YOU FOLLOW PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
Forno Bravo, LLC
399 Business Park Court, #506
Windsor, CA 95492
[phone]
[email protected]
http://www.fornobravo.com
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 1

WARNING
Read this before beginning your project
No warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of this information or its suitability for a particular
purpose, are made. Forno Bravo hereby expressly disclaims any and all express or implied warranties, and does not make
any warranty or guaranty, or make any representation whatsoever, express or implied, regarding the use or result of any
information or services provided by this document. Forno Bravo will not assume any liability for any loss or damage of any
kind, arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, the use of this information.
Failure to heed this warning may result in damage to property, bodily injury or death.
Keep children and pets away from hot oven.
Use firewood for burning only. DO NOT use charcoal, pressure treated lumber, chipped wood products, sappy wood such as
pine, laminated wood or any material other than dry medium or hard firewood.
DO NOT USE liquid fuel (firelighter fluid, gasoline, lantern oil, kerosene or similar liquids) to start or maintain a fire.
BEWARE of very high temperatures in the oven and use long oven gloves and mitts to handle pots and tools. DO NOT put
unprotected hands or arms inside oven while it is lit.
Dispose of ashes using a metal shovel and place in a metal bin with a tightly fitting lid. The container should be stored on a
non-combustible surface, away from all combustible materials. Ensure ashes are completely cold before disposing of them
appropriately.
BEWARE of flying sparks from mouth of oven. Ensure that no combustible materials are within range of oven at any time.
DO NOT close the oven door fully while a fire is in the oven. Closing the door fully will cut off oxygen to the fire, causing the fire
to erupt suddenly when the door is removed. Always keep door tilted to allow air to circulate in the oven.
DO NOT use water to dampen or extinguish fire in the oven.
FIRE can result from incorrect installation or use of this oven. It is essential to use only building and insulation materials
designed for the purpose.
Contact your local building department for clarification on any restrictions on installation of this oven in your area.
Follow the instructions for curing the oven. Failure to follow the curing schedule can cause damage to the oven.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 2

Table of Contents
..............................................................................................................................................................Introduction 4
....................................................................................................................................The History of Brick Ovens 6
.......................................................................Why Build a Pompeii Brick Oven Instead of a Barrel Vault Oven 7
..................................................................................................Tuscan vs. Neapolitan Style Wood-Fired Ovens 9
.............................................................................................................Getting Started: A Brick Oven Overview 10
..................................................................................................................................................Oven Dimensions 13
.........................................................................................................................................................1. Foundation 19
.................................................................................................................................................2. The Oven Stand 22
............................................................................................................................................3. Framing the Hearth 26
............................................................................................................................................4. Pouring the Hearth 30
.................................................................................................................................5. Setting the Cooking Floor 32
....................................................................................................................................6. Starting the Oven Dome 34
.............................................................................................................................................7. Building the Dome 37
..............................................................................................................................8. Building the Oven Opening 41
.................................................................................................................................9. Finishing the Oven Dome 43
.........................................................................................................................................................10. Oven Vent 46
........................................................................................................................................11. Oven Arch and Door 49
....................................................................................................................................12. Attaching the Chimney 51
.....................................................................................................................................13. Oven Dome Insulation 55
................................................................................................................................14. Enclosure Design Styles 57
...............................................................................................................................................15. Igloo Enclosure 60
..........................................................................................................................................16. Walled Enclosures 62
............................................................................................................................................17. Curing Your Oven 65
...................................................................................................................Appendix 1. Materials and Tools List 66
......................................................................................................................................Appendix 2. Brick Primer 69
...........................................................................................Appendix 3. Why the Pompeii Oven Plans are Free 71
.......................................................................................................................Appendix 4. Thermal Mass Primer 72
.............................................................................................................Appendix 5. Wood-Fired Oven Anatomy 74
..............................................................................................................................Appendix 6. High Heat Mortar 75
.............................................................................................................................Appendix 7. Pompeii Oven Kit 76
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 3

Introduction
An Introduction – Before You Build
The Pompeii Oven is a set of free plans that describes
how to build a traditional Italian brick pizza oven. The oven
is constructed using firebricks, specialist refractory
materials and high temperature insulators, and basic
building materials. The refractory materials can be
purchase either from Forno Bravo, or from your local
masonry supply store, while the basic materials can be
easily found at any building supply stores (Home Depot,
Lowes, B&Q, etc.). Forno Bravo also provides Pompeii
Oven Kits, which contain the core refractory and insulating
components for the Pompeii Oven plans.
It's a great oven, and a great project. Much like Open
Source Software, these plans are freely accessible for
your use, though Forno Bravo reserves all rights and the
plans cannot be copied, or re-distributed without our
approval. If you are curious why the plans are free (really),
read our Why Free page (see Appendix 3). Otherwise, join
our User Group (http://www.fornobravo.com/forum) and
have fun!
A Little History
Wood-fired brick ovens and pizza have been with us since
the dawn of civilization. Both have been discovered in the
excavations of virtually every ancient civilization, with the
brick oven reaching its modern form in ancient Rome. The
brick ovens uncovered in ancient Pompeii and Naples are
in wonderful shape, and could start baking today with only
minor restoration -- the Pompeii Oven is named in their
honor. When you have a minute, take a look at our ancient
Pompeii Oven Photographs (http://www.fornobravo.com/
pompeii_oven/pompeii_photos/ventarch.html).
In modern Italy, the basic Pompeii Oven design is used to
build the brick ovens you see in pizzerias and private
homes and gardens. The wood-fired oven is great for
cooking virtually anything that can be cooked in an
ordinary oven, including pizza, roasts, Focaccia,
vegetables and bread. The oven can bake at high and low
heat, and it excels at roasting and grilling. It heats up
quickly and is efficient at holding the high heats required
for cooking the perfect three-minute Vera Pizza
Napoletana. The Pompeii Oven is also very efficient with
wood fuel and at holding heat. If you are interesting in
reading more about the theory behind the Pompeii Oven
design, read our Why Round description in the eBook
introduction.
There are literally millions of round wood-fired ovens in
Italy, putting you in very good company should you decide
to build a Pompeii Oven at your home. The brick oven is
as common in Italy as the BBQ is in the U.S., and our goal
is to bring these great ovens into the English-speaking
mainstream. Today, hundreds of Pompeii Ovens have
been built around the world, including the US, Canada,
UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Russia,
the Czech Republic, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Japan,
China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil,
the Virgin Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa--
and more Pompeii Ovens are being built every day.
It is not necessary to have professional masonry skills to
construct the oven, as evidenced by the numerous
successful Pompeii Ovens already constructed by
individuals with no special construction skills other than a
strong desire to reap the benefits of their labor.
We know that there are other plans for building a brick
oven, but we are confident that the Pompeii Oven is the
right design for virtually every homeowner. Heck, 60
million Italians couldn't be wrong about their round brick
ovens. Contact us if you have any questions on brick oven
design and performance. Take a look at Forno Bravo
Photos (http://www.fornobravo.com/pizza_oven_photos/
introduction.html) for inspiration -- there are hundreds of
brick oven photos.
Oven Size
The plans describe 36" and 42" (internal diameter) brick
oven sizes. You can either follow these directions closely,
building your oven to the same dimensions we describe,
or you can make modifications to meet your specific size
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 4

or space requirements. We do not describe a small
30"-32" oven, because while you can readily build an oven
this size, the additional cost and effort of building the
larger 36" are not great, and we think you will appreciate
having the extra space. The 42" brick oven is large
enough for a majority of home cooking requirements, so
we do not describe a larger oven.
If you have the space and budget, we recommend building
the 42” oven. The larger oven gives you the most flexibility,
can be easier to use, and does not stop you from cooking
smaller amounts of food. Remember that while you can
cook less in a larger oven, you cannot cook more in a
smaller oven.
Getting Started
We recommend that you join the Forno Bravo Forum
(http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/), our online user group,
before you start your project. The community can answer
your questions and try to help you get off on the right foot.
One of the great powers of the Internet is that it enables
everyone to share ideas, so that others can gain from your
experience, and you can learn from experienced builders.
Take lots of pictures, and when your oven is completed,
please forward them to us so that we can post them to the
site. Use of the plans is widely encouraged, so tell your
friends.
One Last Note
Please take a moment to read all of the instructions, and
look at all of the photographs, before embarking on the
Pompeii Oven project. It is not for everyone. The project
can be challenging, and requires time, patience, and
muscle power.
Our goal is to bring the pleasure of wood-fired cooking to
everyone, and there are a number of ways that we can
help make that happen. If it appears that the Pompeii
Oven project might be beyond your skill set, or available
time, contact us regarding a traditional modular oven kit.
Good luck with your project!.
Build!, Cook! Enjoy!
Forno Bravo, LLC
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 5

The History of Brick Ovens
Some Background from James
The Pompeii Oven project was born during a trip to
Sorrento and Naples -- the birthplace of pizza, as well as
the home of both Pompeii and Herculaneum. I had been
interested in wood-fired ovens for a number of years, and
had built a number of them, both from brick and from
modular oven kits. Like most visitors, I went looking
forward to the pizza and to seeing Pompeii, but I was not
prepared for how impressive both would be.
I knew that ovens had been discovered at Pompeii, but at
the same time I had read in various books and articles that
implied that the ancient ovens were simpler than modern
brick ovens, so I wasn't expecting much. Instead, I found
that the ovens in Pompeii are not only well preserved, they
also demonstrate excellent engineering skill.
The ancient ovens were used inside shops, which also
served as retail stores. The ovens were well shaped, well
insulated, well vented, and beautifully built. The cooking
floors were made from 2” terracotta tiles, and the domes
were round, and spherically shaped. The domes were built
using bricks covered with about 1" of mortar, and insulated
with an expanded clay. The neighborhoods where the
ovens were located were also home to food shops, which
had insulated terracotta trays for serving both hot food and
cold drinks. My guess is that the pizza and drink you could
find in ancient Pompeii was probably better than what you
find in today's shopping mall pizzerias.
Reading more, I have learned that there are a number of
examples of Roman craftsmanship using traditional
materials, such as brick, concrete, and glass, which
modern artisans do not yet fully understand, and cannot
accurately re-create to this day. In fact, many of the
"modern" ovens you find in the Italian countryside,
typically built before the second war, are made from stone,
not brick and terracotta -- giving them a very rough and
rustic quality. The stone cooking floor on these ovens is
very uneven, making cooking an adventure. Like many
other things, the brick oven took a brief step backward
after the fall of the Roman Empire.
33 brick ovens have been uncovered in Pompeii, and it
was instructive to see are in varying degrees of disrepair,
which by luck show how the ovens were built. It is possible
to see the edges of the cooking surfaces, the oven domes
exposed from under their clay insulation, the oven vents
and chimneys, and even a cross-section of the brickwork
that made up the dome itself.
The Modern Wood-Fired Oven
Later, after having spent hours with my head inside the
ovens at the excavations, my family and I ventured out at
night to eat some of the world's best pizza.
The Neapolitans have elevated pizza to an art form. In
fact, they are so proud of their culinary heritage, they have
just requested that the European Union regulate Vera
Pizza Napoletana the same way it controls Champagne,
Chianti, Mozzarella and Parmesan. In Pompeii and
Naples, I was struck not only by the great pizza, but also
by the fact that the ovens were so similar to the ancient
Pompeii ovens that I had seen during my days of
exploring. After a few evenings of talking with restaurant
owners and pizzaioli, I decided to re-create the Pompeii
Oven, and to make it a project that could be done by
hobbyists, enthusiasts, and builders around the world.
Building the First Oven
The next step was to actually build a Pompeii Oven. Jim
Hatch and I met on-line on a brick oven user group, and
began exploring how to best put the Pompeii Oven idea to
work in the real world. Jim's creative solutions to oven
design and construction issues were great, and we
concluded that the oven would work for an English-
speaking audience. Jim took the plunge, and started the
first Pompeii Oven.
Jim completed his oven in July 2004, less than three
months after we started talking about the idea. Jim's oven
is beautiful, and cooks wonderfully -- and the Pompeii
Oven was born.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 6

Why Build a Pompeii Brick Oven
Instead of a Barrel Vault Oven
1. The round Pompeii Oven design heats up much more
quickly than a barrel vault oven -- less than an hour,
compared with 2-3 hours or more for the heavier
rectangular oven. The round dome is self-standing (as is
the Duomo in Florence), so it does not require concrete
cladding to hold it together. Because the barrel vault has a
great deal of outward thrust, it needs a lot of concrete for
buttressing. As a result, the round oven can be much
thinner; 2”-4”, compared with a 9”+ thick barrel vault dome.
2. The barrel vault oven burns more wood (which isn't
good for the environment or your pocketbook). For many
owners, heat up time is the difference between using their
oven during the work week, or not at all. Round oven
owners use their ovens a couple of times a week, and
sadly, we know barrel vault oven owners who never fire
their ovens.
3. Pizza should bake at 750ºF, or higher. The Pompeii
Oven can easily reach and hold that heat, baking
authentic Italian pizza for long periods of time. The heavier
barrel vault oven has serious trouble reaching and holding
those high temperatures. The problem with too much
thermal mass is that the heat from your fire must heat the
entire mass in order for the oven to work properly. When
the oven dome and floor are not fully heated, the heat
from the fire is continually moving away from the inside of
you oven, where you want it for cooking, toward the outer
edge of the thermal mass. That continues to happen until
the entire mass is heated, which can take a very, very long
time in a barrel vault oven. For more information, read the
Thermal Mass Primer (Appendix 4).
4. The Pompeii Oven is designed for fire-in-the-oven
cooking and pizza. With a round oven you have room for
your fire on one side, and your food and pizza on the other
side and in the back. The entire oven can be easily
reached. With a 32” x 36” rectangular cooking floor in a
barrel vault oven, there is not a good place for the fire. If
you put it on one side, you have very little room for food on
the other side, and you cannot access the back. If you put
the fire in the back, the heat and flame do not reflect to the
front of the oven. A 35" round Pompeii Oven gives you
much more usable space than a 32” x 36”. For all the effort
you are going to be putting into installing a wood-fired
oven, a 32” x 36” rectangular oven is a one-pizza oven --
which is a shame.
5. The Pompeii Oven cooks more evenly. The round,
spherical dome does a better job of bouncing heat evenly
on the cooking floor. You can cook pizza everywhere (or
roasts and veggies) in the oven, and it cooks evenly. That
is how Italian pizzerias bake all those pizzas every
evening. The rectangular barrel vault design gives you hot
and cool spots, depending on the location of the fire.
6. The Pompeii Oven provides better airflow, as cold air
draws in lower half of the oven opening, up the oven walls,
and cross the top of the oven dome, before it exits the
oven as hot air through the top half of the oven opening.
7. The round oven is easier clean up.
The only downside is that a pizza oven can only bake
around 20-30 loaves of bread from a single firing, not 75.
But for a home oven, that typically works well. You can
bake more bread than you could ever eat.
There are millions of pizza ovens in Italy, and they are all
round. I also think it is interesting that there is a great deal
of wood-fired bread in Italy (Pane Cotto a Legna), which is
baked in large commercial, rectangular barrel vault ovens.
It is clear that there are two basic wood-fired oven
designs: pizza ovens and bread ovens, so you should
think about how you want to use your oven.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 7

Cold spots in a rectangular oven.
More cold spots in a rectangular oven.
Pizza in a round wood oven: Step 1.
Pizza in a round wood oven: Step 2.
Pizza in a round wood oven: Step 3.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 8

Tuscan vs. Neapolitan Style Wood-
Fired Ovens
There are two basic styles of Italian wood-fired pizza oven:
the Neapolitan oven, which has a more aggressive curve,
flatter dome, and a lower dome height, and the Tuscan
oven, which has less aggressive curve and a higher dome.
While both oven styles perform well with all types of
cooking, the Naples-style oven is more tuned to pizza,
because the lower dome gets hotter and reflects more
heat from the fire for cooking pizza.
Because the Tuscan design has a larger oven space
above the door opening, it is more efficient at holding heat,
and uses less wood. The high dome also allows for a large
oven opening, making it easier to work with larger roasts
and pans. It is also true that the higher dome is somewhat
easier to build, as the inward curve is less pronounced,
and there is less risk of a chain of bricks falling in before
they are locked in place with a keystone.
The higher curve of the Tuscan oven.
A taller first course and steeper, lower dome characterize
the Naples-style oven.
A sample Naples-style oven dome curve.
Our view that the differences between the two oven styles
have be exaggerated, and we heartily believe that you will
be extremely happy with either design, or if you choose to
build your own hybrid between the two. Practically
speaking, the dome height difference between the two
oven styles in a typical 36” backyard oven is only about
3”-4”.
You can make perfect Pizza Napoletana in a higher
domed oven, and you can bake and roast in a lower dome
oven. The only real limitation is that with its physically
lower dome, and resulting smaller oven opening, the
Naples-style oven can keep you from cooking larger
roasts or from using certain types of pans. Regardless of
which style you choose, the spherical oven dome shape
evenly reflects heat down on the cooking surface.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 9

Getting Started: A Brick Oven
Overview
The Pompeii Oven is comprised of a number of basic
components, which we will define here to give you a better
understanding how you will go about building your oven.
Other resources include:
The Anatomy of a Wood-Fired Oven shows the various
parts of the oven (see Appendix 5).
Our Thermal Mass Primer shows how wood-fired ovens
absorb and hold heat, and cook (see Appendix 4).
The Pompeii Oven Kit (see Appendix 7).
1. The Foundation
Your oven enclosure rests on a traditional reinforced 5 1/2"
concrete slab. It can be a stand-alone slab built
specifically to support your oven, or it can be poured to
accommodate other outdoor kitchen items including
counters, grills and tables. Your outdoor kitchen can, and
probably will, evolve over time. If you live in part of the
world with deep frost, you will want to ensure that your
slab is properly engineered to remain level during the
winter freeze.
2. The Stand, Hearth and Floor Insulation
Your floor insulation, cooking floor, and oven dome, are
assembled on a hearth and stand. The concrete hearth is
typically framed with wood, and poured directly on a
concrete block (CMU) stand. The hearth should support
the oven cooking floor at a height where you can easily
place and remove food -- typically around 40 inches.
A layer of insulation, typically ceramic fiber board, such as
FB Board, or insulating concrete, rests directly on the
concrete hearth. The Pompeii Oven Kit provides 2”
ceramic fiber board insulation under the cooking floor.
The insulating hearth serves three purposes, providing
your oven with:
•A rigid platform that spans the opening between the
stand's legs above the wood storage area.
•An insulation layer to stop heat from escaping through
the rigid platform and down into the stand legs.
•A smooth surface on which the cooking surface will
rest.
3. The Cooking Surface and Vent Floor
Pizza and bread are baked directly on the oven cooking
surface, while other foods such as vegetables and roasts
are placed in baking pans, or cooked on a Tuscan style
grill over wood coals. The oven landing sits just in front of
your oven, under the vent.
The cooking surface should be built using high quality
firebricks, set on their wide side in a basket weave pattern
so that the seams are staggered. This design provides a
2”-2 1/2" thick cooking surface, perfect for a home or
garden oven.
The Forno Bravo Pompeii Oven Kit includes large 18”x18”
firebrick tiles, which provides a high quality cooking floor
with fewer seams than a stand firebrick cooking floor.
The owner or builder can also choose to install a larger
oven landing in front of the oven using decorative
materials such as brick, marble, decorative concrete or
granite. The cooking surface is centered left and right on
the hearth slab, with the oven dome built either on the
cooking surface, or around it. Placement of the front edge
of the oven floor depends on the depth of the oven
landing, where the front of the oven butts up to the landing
material.
4. The Oven Dome
The oven chamber is built as a spherical dome built using
firebrick. The dome shape is designed to efficiently absorb
heat from a wood fire, and to evenly reflect the heat of a
live fire to the cooking surface – where it both heats the
cooking floor and food. The oven is constructed using a
high heat mortar (see Appendix 6).
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 10

The Forno Bravo Pompeii Oven Kit provides enough
medium duty, 9”x4.5”x2.5” firebricks and high temperature,
waterproof mortar to assemble the oven dome and vent.
We recommend using high quality firebricks for both the
oven dome and cooking surface. The firebricks that make
up the dome provide a majority of the oven's ability to hold
heat, and will allow the oven to deliver the high
temperatures that are needed for cooking pizza.
As many oven builders have noted, the additional cost of
buying high quality firebricks is very low compared with the
overall cost of the project, and the labor capital that is
being invested.
5. Vent
Unlike a fireplace, where the chimney is inside the firebox
in the back, the Pompeii Oven’s vent and chimney are
outside of the oven chamber -- in the front, above the oven
opening. The vent can be made from steel, brick, or cast
as a refractory form. We have included drawings and
directions for all three methods.
6. Vent Arch and Door
Your oven has two openings: one into the oven itself,
which can be fully closed off with a door, and a second,
optional opening around the vent, vent walls and vent
landing. The oven opening can be constructed with with a
flat angle iron or a curved brick arch, while the vent
opening can be made from a range of decorative
materials, including brick, stone, decorative concrete or
stucco.
You can build your own door, or if you build you oven
opening to a standard size, you can purchase an oven
door from Forno Bravo.
7. Chimney
The oven vent is connected to either a modular double-
wall steel chimney system, a steel single wall chimney
system, or a refractory chimney flue liner. The type of
chimney pipe you use depends on whether your
installation is outside or inside, your design choice, and on
your local building code. Be sure to check you local
building code prior to installation.
You should use a chimney cap to minimize rainfall
infiltration into your chimney and oven, and to stop sparks
from leaving the chimney.
8. Dome Insulation
After the oven dome and vent have been assembled, the
oven is covered with insulation, typically a woven ceramic
insulating blanket, such as FB Blanket. Unlike thermal
mass, where too much can be a bad thing, there isn't
really such a thing as too much insulation. Woven ceramic
insulation has the advantages of higher efficiency,
requiring using less space, and providing better oven heat
retention.
The Forno Bravo Pompeii Oven Kit provides 3” ceramic
blanket insulation for the oven dome.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 11

9. Oven Enclosure
There are two basic outdoor oven designs: the Walled
House and the Igloo, both of which give you a virtually
limitless range of design options and finish materials.
Oven structures can be designed to incorporate a range of
outdoor kitchen elements, such as counters, shelves,
storage, and grills.
The top half of the Gabled House can be constructed
using either metal studs and concrete board, or half-wide
concrete blocks (4”x8”x16”).
The Igloo is constructed using wire stucco lathe (mesh),
rough stucco (scratch coat) and/or exterior finish stucco.
The finish material must be waterproof.
The lower half of outdoor ovens that use a metal stand
can be finished with metal studs and concrete board, and
both the metal and concrete block stand can be finished to
match to top of the oven.
Indoor ovens can be placed in corners, against walls, and
when the oven is part of a larger re-modeling project, can
be set back outside a room to make the front of the oven
flush with an interior wall. Indoor ovens can easily be set
behind a partition wall constructed from metal studs and
concrete board.
10. Finish
Finish materials typically include stucco, brick, stone, tile,
marble, travertine, and granite.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
© Forno Bravo, LLC 2007-2009. All Rights Served. Ver. 2.0 12

Oven Dimensions
Oven Chamber Height and Opening Size
The height of the oven dome and the size of the oven
opening are based the size of your oven and the style of
oven you are building.
Interior
Diameter
Interior
Height
Opening
Width
Opening
Height
Low Vault
36
14.5"
18”
10”
42
15.5"
19”
11”
High Vault
36
18"
19”
12”
42
21"
20”
12.5”
To visualize the curve and height of your oven dome, build
a model on a flat space to get the exact measurement for
the bricks you are using. Do not allow space for a mortar
joint, as you will be setting the edges of the bricks facing
inside the oven flush with each other.
Stand Dimensions
The size of your stand will be determined by the size of
your oven, the thickness of your oven walls, the thickness
of your dome insulation, the thickness of your oven
enclosure and the depth of your vent landing and oven
landing. Use the table below to calculate the stand
dimension for your specific oven.
42"
Oven
Width
42"
Oven
Depth
36"
Oven
Width
36"
Oven
Depth
Oven Interior
42"
42"
36"
36"
Oven Exterior
51"
51"
45"
45"
Insulation
6"
3"
6"
3"
Enclosure Wall
8"
4"
8"
4"
Vent Landing
-
8"
-
6"
Oven Landing
-
12"
-
12"
Total
65"
78"
59"
70"
The dimensions in the example above are based on a 4
1/2” thick oven dome walls, 3” FB Blanket dome
insulation, 4" upper enclosure walls and a 12" oven
landing. Adjust your stand dimensions according to your
specific design.
Foundation
Oven size
Foundation
Block Stand
36"
67" x 78"
59" x 70"
42"
73" x 86"
65" x 78"
The foundation dimensions allow for 4" on each sides of
the stand support finish materials and provide a clean
reveal above ground level.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
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Top Elevation
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
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Front Oven and Stand Cross Section
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Cross Section: Igloo
Cross Section: Walled Enclosure
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Corner Installation: 35.5” external width oven
Corner Installation: 40” external width oven
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Corner Installation: 43.5” external width oven
Corner Installation: 49” external width oven
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
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1. Foundation
Overview
The Foundation Slab is exactly that -- the slab on which
your oven stand and oven chamber will sit. We recommend
a minimum thickness of 5 ½inches (14 cm) for the
Foundation slab, however your location, soil conditions and
local building ordinances will dictate the thickness required.
The slab dimensions listed below are 8 " wider than the
dimensions of your concrete block stand, providing you with
2" for finish material, and a 2" reveal on either side of the
stand. The slab is also 10" deep, allowing for 4" in the back
(2" finish and reveal), and 6" in front (the additional space
makes a nice edge for your wood storage). The foundation
slab will also be used to support forms that you will use
during the hearth slab construction The finished top of the
slab should be 2"-3" above ground level.
Instructions
First, excavate your foundation (Photo 1.1) The slab frame
for a 5 ½"(14 cm) foundation is best composed of 2x6 inch
lumber set so the top of the form is 2-3” (5-8 cm) above
ground level. The longer form boards should sit inside the
shorter boards, and the completed form can be held in
place by driving wooden stakes into the ground around the
perimeter. Before securing everything permanently, check
to make sure the form is located and faces exactly where
you want it, and is level and square.
1.1. Use a tiller to break up the soil.
Lay a 3" base of pea gravel (or crushed rock), compact the
rock (Photo 1.2), and cover it with a layer of 6ml plastic
sheeting to stop the slab from wicking water.
1.2. A gravel or crushed rock bed.
Place a sheet of wire mesh inside the foundation frame, and
install a two-piece grid using 1/2" rebar (#4) set 4" and 8"
inside the foundation frame. Tie the rebar together with tie
wire, then set the wire mesh and rebar half way up the pad
(2 3/4"), using either rebar stand-offs or fragments of brick
(Photo 1.3).
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1.3. Framed, lined, with wire mesh and rebar.
Mix and pour the concrete (Photo 1.4), and then level it.
Use a 2"x4" to screed and level the concrete, then finish to
a smoothness that works for you as the bottom of your
wood storage area (Photo 1.5). Allow the slab to cure for a
day or two. Keeping it damp will help it cure better and
become stronger.
1.4 Using a mixer.
1.5 The finished foundation ready to cure.
Other Considerations
Depending on where you live, you may have to excavate
18” or more, of topsoil to reach a stable substrate such as
hard clay. If you do excavate to a depth greater than the
foundation form height, you will need to add a material,
such as thoroughly compacted pea gravel or crushed rock,
which will allow for the drainage of water from under the
concrete slab. Placing a layer of plastic sheeting over the
material will help prevent it from wicking water from the slab
too quickly, making it brittle and prone to cracking.
You may also want to install your Pompeii Oven as part of a
larger outdoor kitchen project. Use the dimensions for the
oven in conjunction with your other kitchen elements, such
as counters, a grill, storage, a sink, and refrigeration. You
might find it easier to form your entire kitchen at one time.
!Pompeii Oven Instructions
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