Karuna >> How we built an Earth Oven

How we built an Earth Oven

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We couldn't afford to get our gas oven repaired ,so we sold it on e-bay to pay for the fire bricks for our earth oven.It's good to know that someone else is going to recycle it rather than see it go to land fill.This is Low impact,sustainable living,we can now repair our own oven.Having learnt the techqunique we can build an even better oven if we wish.Things just get better!

Whilst visiting St Anns community orchard in Nottingham I was much inspired by the earth oven they had built there.It was a solution to our problem.

There is immense educational and practicle value in these ovens.

We hope our oven will inspire others to get creative and enter the stream of environmental conciousness that reveals positive change in their lives.

There is nothing new under the sun, so called Alternative living/methods was the way our ancesters lived sustainably for thousands of years.Methods for doing this haven't changed at all over the milenia and all the techniques are still in use around the globe today.

Mark & Gisella {Wwoofers} laying firm foundations.

These base bricks were salvaged from a nearby property.

For mortar we used a mix of Clay,Sand & Hemp.

Cement production has become the basis of most building, yet humankind managed without it for thousands of years.It's great fun exploring Low impact options.

Cement is responsible for 10% of the worlds co2 emissions.

Soma Wondering................... "wot're they up to this time?".

He'll know soon enough.

C'mon Soma get treading, we need to mix up this Sand,Hemp & Clay.

Wow! Twist and turn Merav...Look at her go!

The Job is much more improved when treading bare foot.

Recycled Bottles are used as underfloor insulation.

The base was built from Random stones thick recycled tiles,used bricks and victorian cobbles.

These fire bricks we purchased new with the money from selling our old, defunct gas oven.

Merav is marking out the inside line of the oven.

Here I'm finishing off the Sand form that will become the VOID in the oven.

Below is the firewood storage arch.

The Sandform is covered with wet paper to prevent it from sticking to the clay wall.

Building up the clay walls.

Ist Layer of clay is completed.

Next cut out the door empty out the sand and polish the inside walls with the back of a spoon.

This is the very first firing,just a small fire to help dry out the clay before moving on to the insulation layer.

Mixing the Clay slip for the insulation wall, made of Slip, sawdust and Hemp.

2nd firing.1st layer is drying very well (notice the colour change)cracks start to appear ,this is normal ,only cosmetic, doesnt effect opperation and can be repaired with ease at a later stage.