Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect Loaves

I bought this book 2 summers ago and have since built 2 ovens. Both using the largest suggested dimensions in the book. (changed a little to make the (crouching beaver style). The book is fantastic in the way that it seems to find the balance between excellent clear instruction and leaving you enough room for improvisation. I found that this helped me keep it cheap. The only real money I spent was on the refractory bricks/fire bricks $120 can. I would suggest that you splurge on this part of the oven as it is worth it.I also suggest taking your time looking for materials. I was given 80 kg of clay for free from a potter. (it wasn't the kind she likes....I didn' ask why, just took it and got the hell out of there). My mother had a stash of old canning jars for the floor. (an alcoholic friend is a useful resource as well). A guy who makes ceder shingles let me clean his floor for the insulation, and the rocks and sand were given to me free from two seperate sand pits. (the trick is to say in the most casual way possible that you only need a litte bit and then after your 3rd return trip just try not to make eyecontact). Also just put the word out there, it is such an interesting project that people will help just to be a part of it. If you follow the directions and don't cut corners you will have a perfectly functional oven.I decided to make a little weekend money at the local farmer's market and by the end of the summer I was selling out of 250 loaves of bread in 2.5 hours. 150 of them were baked in the oven. (I had a big picture of the oven hanging from the stand and although I am a trained baker and make pretty good bread the oven was a huge draw for sales.)It stays hot enough to bake 11 x 900g loaves twice. 1st batch 25 mins. 2nd batch 35 mins. Fire it back up for 30 mins and then its hot enough for next two batches. I also recomend as for more of a history lesson and to give some context to this book, The Bread Ovens of Quebec. Its a quick and easy read and you can download it in pdf form for free from the Canadian Museum of Civilization.I will conclude by reminding you that before these two ovens I have never built anything before.