Form is Done

We mixed sand and water in a wheel barrow so the sand would stick nicely. Here you see the completed form.

Sand Form

I used some old ice cream buckets to take up space for the sand form so I wouldn't need to get so much sand. Here you see the buckets in place and we're ready to begin forming the mound of sand which will become the inside of the oven.

Base is Done!

Here you see all of the top pavers in place, and the hearth is laid out with fire brick. We actually added more bricks for the hearth than you see here as we wanted a larger baking surface. One was added for the entry way and two more on each of the remaining sides. 28 total. At this point, including the slab, base and fire brick I have around $200 in the project.

Placement of Top Slabs

First top slab in place. Again, these are 2' x 2' concrete pavers. Set in place with construction adhesive.

Bricks in Place

Here you see all of the bricks are placed, ready for the base slabs to be laid on top.

The Base

For the base I followed my friend JD's design and used concrete block. They are joined together with construction adhesive (it's stronger than you think), this way if I ever have to remove the oven it will be easier. The column of bricks in the center will support the four 2' x 2' slabs that will form the surface for the hearth. This photo shows the first row of bricks glued to the slab, with bricks used for weight to achieve a good bond.

Step One: Foundation

Note: Nothing during the process of building my oven is set in stone. There are many different ways to approach this project and the steps I have taken may not work for your situation. A very good resource to dig into is "Build Your Own Earth Oven" by Kiko Denzer.
I decided to erect by base on a concrete slab. We made a form from used 2x4 lumber(thanks Zahns!) and dug out a spot in the ground. My foundation is 4' x 4'. We mixed the concrete in a wheel barrow where we added a couple of bags at a time to make it easier to work with.

Next we'll move on to the base.