Oven question for the Gurus

[jbento]

Making an oven seems simple enough (if you have the ability to work with sheet metal (which, in fact, I do not). But what appears to be the most challenging aspect is the door. So my question is simple:

Does an oven need a door? Can it just be a big (insulatedmetal 5 sided box with heating element and thermostat?

Thanks!

Joe

[DALE]

If you can load it and unload it then yup. I saw one that the door was on tracks made of angle iron and the door was raised to open it. kinda like a heat treating furnacem the door slid up in the angle iron.If you are really having trouble search your local area for the nearest used resturant equipment supplier and check out their old junk. Bakery ovens work great and most bread proofers can be insulated and rewired easily.
I would avoid a box with a lid that you lift off to load it, all of your heat will be lost. As for your idea yes you can build a five sided box and raise the whole oven off the part, it will require some creative thinking though. Such as wiring, part holding and handling of a hot heavy oven. A cheap hoist would work but you want to build a simple set of guides to keep the oven aligned while raising and lowering. Very interesting aproach though.
Please tell us how well it works for you if you go this route.