How to Build an Earthen Oven

In this video we show you how to build an earthen oven. Wood-fired earthen ovens are easily documented all the way back the ancient Romans. Likewise, they are easily documented in archaeological evidence and first-hand accounts from the 18th Century. We show you how easy it is to build one. #townsendovens

#townsendsearthenoven

Twitter ▶ @Jas_Townsend
Instagram ▶ townsends_official

[bkpickell]

finally! A video titled "How To" that is actually a how to and not a slide show with music of someone building one.

[gozertablet]

Just an idea to help with the refractory qualities of your inner layer of clay and sand mix...toss in a few handfuls (or more) of wood ashes. The ashes help to refract heat back into the oven and increase the efficiency. It's perfectly contemporary with that period, and is a trick that blacksmiths of all time periods have used in constructing simple forges out of the same materials. (See Tim Lively's "Knifemaking Unplugged" video on making a forge to see what I mean.) If it works for heating iron and steel up to working temperature more efficiently, it will definitely work for cooking bread and other things more efficiently in your oven.

[MichaelMagill]

What a warm-spirited man. I hope he lives a very long and fulfilling life.

[intoxicviii]

Can we give this guy credit for keeping a clean shirt all the time lol

[Rufert]

Just commenting to thank you Jas. After watching your video my father and I made one of these for my parents' garden. It now lives with its own little shed. Building it was a success, and it makes delicious food!

Never would have happened if you hadn't made this video. Thank you.

[NakedExpat]

First video I've seen that explains the importance of 63% ratio/height for opening. EXCELLENT tip. Thank you so much Jas.

[rogerhwerner]

Great video Jon! Many years ago, I had the chance to make Adobe bricks and the mud covering used at Sonoma Barracks, California, circa 1810. The bricks were made using sand, clay, and water. Once laid in place, they were covered in a matrix similar to the oven matrix shown but instead of hay, the Spanish employed horse hair. In my fieldwork, I encountered dozens of outdoor ovens dating from the Gold Rush era, 1849 to 1862. The ovens, typically associated with southern European occupation in California, consisted of a clay interior roughly 6 to 8 inches thick. To protect the over from weather, this was covered with either a motared layer of cut or uncut fieldstone, or, if available, commercial fire brick. After 150 years of exposure to the elements, these "Behive-shaped" ovens were sometimes completely intact. Other times, they had collapsed and could be observed by nondescript piles of fieldstone. That when pulled apart often revealed melted clay matrix.

[generalerica]

Right, it's 12:33 am... Now to construct an oven in the garden!

[simontesla]

Can you imagine having someone cool like this as a neighbor. I'd probably pass out from all the info smashing around in my head.

[mattevanswastaken]

Loved the video! I took your suggestion and invited all my friends for a cobb party, not only were they disappointed there wasn't any corn, but now I have more earthen ovens then friends. More bread for me.

[AggelosKyriou]

Awesomely old school as always <3
In southern Greece were I hail from we used to build earthen ovens on a plinth of stones laid dry (the top would be soapstone, even better than firebrick if you can find it, and/or dark colored stones which must have been basalt although I cannot really confirm this), reinforced with a lattice like frame of simple river cane or reeds around the plinth. The frame which held the adobe and cob in place, was an old coiled basket made of straw or river cane, one no longer serviceable, which would burn clean leaving just some imprint of its sides and bottom therein. The dimensions of the basket were quite similar to the one you've built in the video.
This method ensured that the structure was dry enough to test fire in less than a week if the temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius (it was late April, the time were these ovens where usually built in the surprisingly wet climate of mountainous western Greece). The caveat of the method was that when the core was ready and scored, the second layer was laid and covered with bark shingles squeezed on the surface of the cob. The bark was sourced from a European pine tree, but that was just a random pick that was available. This was covered with a tarp until it was ready to be fired and then left on the open air. Gradually, the bark shingles would disintegrate and be used as feed stock for the fire in the oven. They can be replaced with ceramic tiles laid with common lime, sand and pozzolana mortar.
I took part in building such a structure when I was 12 years old and it is still serviceable after 24 years :)

[gristlevonraben]

I would love to make one of those. You probably already know this, but you can add cement to your clay. Our ancestors used to make cement binder by heating common limestone until it glowed red hot, in smaller oven pits than yours, but very similar, basically driving off every drop of water possible. When you let it cool, then pulverise it, it will heat up when added to water, but more importantly, if mixed with clay and gravel, with the water, it tries to become a stone again, but has to interlock it's crystals around the other materials, thus making it a stone with longer lasting strength than just the limestone alone. I love your show, I wish it was on PBS. Maybe you could create a Roku channel. They have a free to use template. You and Roku could possibly make money through commercials. Or you could ask Pluto TV to put your videos up. For a show that teaches a person history and crafts, it's oddly very relaxing. I wish you lots of luck in 2018. 😁

[stavrosgazis]

Jas you horrible man ;-)... each time i watch your videos i have this desire to have a small little farm and living this way... i just need the farm now!

[randyladiski]

This may be the only channel on YouTube with next to no negative comments. I love this channel, and how positive everyone is. Thanks for your videos, sir. God bless

[dandamanatee]

Me at 3am: "Yeah I could totally make an oven"

[Nasreddiin]

In North Africa this very same oven is still used in the rural areas to make a blessed tasty bread to eat with olive oil... 😊

[jdmaine]

dude this is my new favorite channel... thank you for this.

[gaylejideofor]

when I was a missionary in Kenya we used cow dung to make this type of 'clay ' for the floor of our church. The ladies mixed cow dung, water and sand. The result was a beautiful green velvety floor covering the consistency of thick felt. ( the cow dung had built in grass, no added grass or straw added because we used it on the floor.) It would keep the dust and dirt from getting kicked up from the people walking & dancing and jumping~ in Praise in the church. After about 3 months the bench seating legs would cause it to break up a bit, we would shovel it up and out and start again. A coworker of mine made a pizza oven like this and made a clay face looking down with closed eyes and praying hands. ( Positioned it above the center &Front. of the dome.Her 'Mother-Earth' oven has been the star of many yard parties. THanks this was so interesting and well done.

[HeatherMerrell]

I think this was the first video I ever watched of yours. It's been 11 years!!! 😆 Wow. I feel so old.

[Snuzzlekin]

This whole setting, music, your clothes, the forest in the background and ofcourse ye olde building of the earthen oven reminds me of the olden times where life was hard, but also a lot simpler. Twas truly a gifted way of life.