Bench Plan

This is our bench plan for us to follow and build.

Mr. Kerr has given us a stainless steel sink bench and we will use the Hinuera stones we got from the farm.

Burning Ring of Fire

Burning Ring of Fire: Johnny Cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lhf9U5Wf3Q

Lighting A Fire for Our Wood Fired Oven

Remember to keep your wood dry and in small pieces so that they catch fire easily and fit in side the oven.

The stainless steel door keeps the heat inside the fire and stops the fire burning too fast. We need a chain on it to stop it falling down.

Our oven needed a "flue" so that the oxygen can be sucked up through the fire via the entrance and out of the flue to keep it burning.

Your fire needs to fill the whole oven and burn for at least an hour to generate enough heat to cook your pizzas.

Our Instructions

First: Roll sheets of newspaper up really tight after folding them into quarters.

Second: Arrange the rolled paper in a triangular layer on top of each other.

Third: Sprinkle dry bark, wood chips, dried fern leaves (brown), or cabbage tree leaves over paper sticks.

Fourth: Add two slightly larger pieces of dry wood and then more paper sticks.

Fifth: Build up your stack in layers allowing plenty of room for air to flow through.

Six: Light the fire down low in three different spots with a BBQ lighter.

Seven: Stand back a safe distance and add more wood as the fire grows.

CAUTION: Do not use petrol or any other flammable liquids to start your fire.

Make sure there is always an adult supervising you.

Mind Mapping Our Next Steps

We met with Mr Ngatai and Mr Kerr to mind map our next steps now that the main job of building the pizza oven is completed.

We centred our thinking around the word "Organic" because that is what we wanted to create, something that looked like it had risen out of the earth.

Our Thoughts

A mountain rising out of the earth with a cave and water fall over it's entrance. Lots of native plants including ferns cloaking the base of the mountain that is filled with wood (our fuel) to feed the internal volcano (oven) that lives inside the cave.

The Paua shell will represent the water droplets from the waterfall which will cascade down from the mountain top.

Our Pizza Oven will include the natural elements of earth, wind, water and fire.

More Plastering

In this photograph Kayne and Uriah are making little dents to make the oven look more "organic".

In preparation for this photo we needed to have completed an excellent job in plastering our pizza oven.

When plastering our pizza oven we needed to make sure the plaster was even all over before we could move on.

Jaycob 24th September 2009

Levers

In this photograph, Clinton is slowly but carefully placing the pizza oven on the base that we had prepared one week before the arrival of the oven.

In preparation for this photograph we needed a hiab to lift the newly prepared pizza oven on to our fantastic base we made.

Jaycob 24th September 2009

Getting Plastered

In this photograph I am plastering the pizza oven. The plaster I am using for this is Clinton's secret plaster recipe. I am unable to tell you the ingredients.

Before this photograph was taken there was a lot of preparation that had to be done. We made runny mortar to brush onto the pizza oven. This is so the plaster had something to stick to.

We had to make sure that the mortar wasn't drying to fast by the time we had made the plaster, otherwise it would not have stuck. (A bit like glue)

Jaycob 24th September 2009

Adding Details to the Oven

Clinton is placing smashed Paua shell on to the front entrance of the oven. So that it looks a bit more "organic".

He needed a strong person to smash the Paua shells and that was me. He also needed to be really careful in case someone bumped him.

Uriah 24th September 2009

Mixing the Plaster

Clinton and Jaycob are mixing a bucket full of plaster which includes spades full of sand, cement, and a little bit of water.

They required a bucket, a spade, a hose, cement, and sand with salt in it.

They also required a safe place to work so no one would get hurt (including Jack the dog).

Uriah 24th September 2009

Taking Photos of the Oven

In this picture I was taking a photo of me. I was the cameraman so there weren't many photos of me and I thought we needed one.

Even though I did some mixing, sealing and smashing up of paua shells.

Another reason for taking this shot from inside the oven; it was raining and I kept the camera dry.

Before this picture was taken I required a camera and a suitable location to place the camera.

Uriah 24th September 2009.

Embelishing the Pizza Oven

Fern print detail.

Paua inlays detail.

The plastered oven with Paua inlays and fern prints.

Construction Day Photos: Trailer to base.

Paul from Kiwispan.

Thanks Kiwispan for the use of the hiab.

Same at the back.

Then a spade and crowbar to lever the block out and the oven down.

Using a block of wood as a large lever.

Lowering it into place.

Up she goes!

Placing the straps in place

The Pizza Oven arrives from Kaitaia.

We were putting up the gazebo and we put it over the oven to cover us and the oven from the rain that fell all day.

It was lucky that Mr Kerr got the gazebo from Mitre 10 so that we had some protection from the weather.

We were plastering the herb garden and Clinton was showing me how to do it. This was fun and when I had finished, I played with Clinton's dog Jack. I was playing fetch with him.

As we were making the plaster Clinton said that he lived in a pineapple house and that he is one of the best oven makers in New Zealand. I got all dirty and my clothes were covered in plaster.

Arapeta Thom 24.09.09

I was collecting some ferns so Clinton could press cool molds of the fern prints into the pizza oven plaster.

We had to mold this special plaster on to the outside of the pizza oven so we could put leaf prints into it.

Kayne Kohu 24.09.09

The hiab picked up the pizza oven off the trailer. The pizza oven weighed 1500 kg. The hiab placed the pizza oven on top of the block base we had made earlier. Clinton placed some of the blocks on top of the base so he could prise the oven off the straps that were attached to the hook of the hiab.

We had to organise a hiab to lift the oven off. It came from Kiwispan Sheds and Paul controlled the hiab from his truck. Clinton parked the trailer close to the hiab. Next we put some straps under the base of the oven and tied it down tight.

Kayne Kohu 24.09.09

I am using scissors to cut out a cardboard template so that we could put a piece of granite on to the sides of the pizza oven for a place to put our cooking tools down as well as decoration.

I had to measure the width of the sides by placing the cardboard on the sides and drawing with a pencil where to cut the edges.

Kayne Kohu 24.09.09

Our Oven Is Here

What an awesome day we had yesterday (Wednesday 23rd September 2009) when at 9.00 am Clinton arrived after travelling down from Doubtless Bay in the beautiful Far North with our wood fired pizza oven on his trailer.

Paul from Kiwi Span arrived at 9.30 am with his hiab truck to help us unload the oven (which weighs in at 1500 kg).

The oven fitted perfectly on top of our base which we made a week ago (the template was a great idea Clinton).

We then set about plastering and decorating our oven. Clinton also donated a fibro-cement herb planter as well.

Read our narratives below on our fantastic day.

Thank you Clinton, Paul, Mr Kerr and Mr Ngatai, for helping make our vision a reality. Learning has never been so much fun. Now the real work begins...

Keeping in touch with Clinton

From: Clinton Scott [mailto:woodfiredovens@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, 31 August 2009 10:56 a.m.
To: ngatai@rhodestreet.school.nz
Cc: rhodestreet.school@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Rhode Street School Order

Hi just making sure the template arrived ok and if you have a aprox date for installation yet Regards Clinton We Reply: Yes thanks Clinton Week 10 of this term: 23rd September. You are most welcome to come down the night before and stay at our place (promise a big breakfast). Clinton Replies later: That all sounds good thank you for the kind offer of accommodation but I have very close friends that will be put out if I don't stay with them.Will be in touch closer to the time. Regards Clinton

Uriah's version of events

Today the Pizza Oven Pioneers made mortar. A creation of sand, water and cement to put between blocks to make them stick together and stick to the concrete base.

We have made four layers of ten blocks using two double blocks and eight singles. Mr Kerr (our caretaker) has mortared all the blocks and we have mixed, placed and evened the mortar.

Our next small step is to spray a little bit of water on the blocks and martar to keep it moist so it doesn't dry to quickly.