Wood oven made from old convict bricks

Hi Rado

I received your plans three years ago and built a very nice original design MTO complete with a 210 year old convict clay bricks feature. It felt special working with these old bricks, knowing other people held them in hands too and that they were manufactured such a long time ago. These bricks produce such a great character.

I am interested in your newest generation MTO3 design. I will be building a second oven for a friend and did not write down the material amounts when I built mine. I forgot. Can you tell me how many full, half and thin Besser (cinder) blocks would be needed to complete the build and the amount of vermiculite? Any help would be appreciated. I will attempt to send new photos shortly. Please let me know what you think when you see them. I am purchasing the new CD as well.

The cast iron door I fitted to my oven has been in the family for over 100 years and was used in my grandfathers and father bakery brick oven. (I am a pastry cook by trade). The convict bricks were saved from a concreters’ truck. The pies and bread cook beautifully in my oven and the whole suburb where I live can smell them cooking. It’s all positive.

On a side note, behind our house there was an old railway line dating back many years and it has been turned into a cycle-way. I went up there and liberated an old wooden railway sleeper, spikes and even one switch gear to decorate my oven with that old proper metal. What do you think? Baking and cooking cannot get any better than this!