Points of Difference: The Dome

Question 4: Is the Dome single or multi-piece?

Wood Stone

Single Piece Dome

The modern materials and manufacturing process we use allow us to manipulate our refractory in very unique and important ways which benefit the customer. Our dome is a great example.

Cast as a single piece of refractory and at least 4" thick in most models, a Wood Stone dome is the epitome of durable. Since we began building ovens in 1990 we have never replaced a dome on a Wood Stone oven.

The tremendous mass of the dome also creates a vital reservoir of heat. As we discussed in reference to the thickness of the floor, that "heat sink" of thermal mass is what provides high performance during heavy production.

Other Manufacturers

Multi-piece dome construction is a very traditional method for oven making. It allows the builder to use bricks or pre-cast blocks in various shapes and sizes and piece them together to form the dome. One perceived advantage of multi-piece construction for the builder is that the smaller--and often thinner--pieces can be more conveniently moved and assembled by hand. That's why many manufacturers have opted for this low-tech approach to dome construction.

A major disadvantage of multi-piece dome construction is that as the ovens heat and cool, those individual blocks expand and contract. That expansion/contraction process, assisted by gravity, has a very real and measurable effect on the ovens long-term durability. Dome failures, which render the oven completely unusable, are common with multi-piece dome ovens. Over the years we have replaced scores of different competitive ovens that suffered terminal dome failures.

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