upcycle restaurant table-top convection oven?

hey all you thoughtful repurposers --

what could be done with this? it's heavy, all stainless steel except double glass door, the interior space is only about 10" high, 18" wide, 13" deep --- I saved it from landfill once and now have to take it to my place or take it to the recycle --- so far I don't have an idea for it that is worth the hassle of hauling it 4 hours north -

thanks in advance for any ideas --   T

If it does not work you could probably use it as solar fruit dryer or wax melter if you have bees. I would start with cleaning the glass first. A solar powered fan could replace the original one and the drying would be accelerated.

Maybe the door could be used on a rocket mass heater aka RMH.

Rack could be used to cool baked goods.

I also liked the dehydrator idea.

thanks so much CC and AM for the replies!

I will definitely at least salvage the racks, and the door is a good idea, too, if only for the heat resistance glass -- dehydrator/melter is a great re-use idea, but oven interior is really small for my purposes --

I hate to just recycle a good stainless box! I tried removing the fan motor to lighten it up, may try to take it apart further -- the exterior case alone (removing interior box and insulation) might work as a solar oven

I would probably build a rocket powered ,"black" oven out of it.
Or use the oven itself as a firebox.
While not a rocket stove, it is a highly insulated fire"proof" box, so it should support efficient combustion.
But bring far away from home, scrapping it for money is not a waste.
Money is to cool scrap as whiskey is to corn, but less work/profitable.

William Bronson wrote:
Or use the oven itself as a firebox.
While not a rocket stove, it is a highly insulated fire"proof" box

I like making use of its existing qualities --
would that mean burning inside the oven, adding an exhaust pipe/chimney, and using it as heating? or maybe cut an opening in the top as a burner for cooking?

TR Stream: Check my thread on a folding oven I bought
Winnerwell Foldfast Oven question
It's about the same size, and I talked in there about things I can do with it. You might get some ideas.  :D

Neat find! I'd have DEFINITELY snagged that too!!!   That's my kind of fun!  :D

can you take the outer bottom layer out and heat from the bottom over fire to make an outdoor oven.  Guessing at least that there is 2 layers in the bottom too?

thank you Pearl I did see your great folding oven find while I was searching for ideas -- if I were to strip this thing down to just the exterior shell it could possibly become something similar.

as is, its about 70lbs -- not immovable, but kind of a PITA

I think I am going to end up hauling it to my place in order to try some of these ideas - I am salvaging several things, including a dead glass door display refrigerator that is going to be a seed start mini green house right now and maybe some kind of black-tank-in-a-box water heater later

T R Stream wrote:thank you Pearl I did see your great folding oven find while I was searching for ideas -- if I were to strip this thing down to just the exterior shell it could possibly become something similar.

I vote leave the insulation, I wish mine had it.

as is, its about 70lbs -- not immovable, but kind of a PITA

I'd vote design someplace it can just live for good, so you don't have to move it, and leave the innards in (except controls and elements etc) Having the racks easy to work with, and the insulation, will make it a lot more usable.

I think I am going to end up hauling it to my place in order to try some of these ideas - I am salvaging several things, including a dead glass door display refrigerator that is going to be a seed start mini green house right now and maybe some kind of black-tank-in-a-box water heater later

ENVIOUS!! I want one of those glass front fridges!! It'll do both of those tasks well :D

T R Stream wrote:

William Bronson wrote:
Or use the oven itself as a firebox.
While not a rocket stove, it is a highly insulated fire"proof" box

I like making use of its existing qualities --
would that mean burning inside the oven, adding an exhaust pipe/chimney, and using it as heating? or maybe cut an opening in the top as a burner for cooking?

I was thinking a hole in the top, with a "plunger" tube, a piece of 4" flue pipe that extends down into the oven/firebox, stopping 4" off the bottom.
Pipe that into the bottom of an inverted  half barrel, sitting on top of the oven, which itself has a plunger pipe leading to a proper chimney.
Seal between the barrel and firebox with cob.
The barrel radiates heat, not unlike the barrel on a rocket stove.
Cook on flat surface of the barrel,or heat firebricks on the upper oven rack for baking.

That's one idea, but you could also just punch a hole in the bottom and direct the exhaust from a tlud or rocket stove onto  the bottom of a chunk of steel/stone/ refractory inside the oven.
You probably wouldn't even need a chimney, just prop the oven door open a bit.


I have much crappier oven  that I hope to use as the firebox for a boiler,  with a tlud inside and a couple of retorts alongside it , or with a tlud below the stove heating the retorts through a hole.

A fire worthy box with a nicely fit hinged door has a lot of possibilities for your average mad tinkerer .

C. Letellier wrote:take the outer bottom layer out and heat from the bottom over fire

I think that might be possible if I just deconstruct it down to just the exterior box and use it like Pearl's folding oven --

William Bronson wrote:...a hole in the top, with a "plunger" tube, a piece of 4" flue pipe that extends down into the oven/firebox, stopping 4" off the bottom.
Pipe that into the bottom of an inverted  half barrel, sitting on top of the oven, which itself has a plunger pipe leading to a proper chimney...
Seal between the barrel and firebox with cob.

WB thank you for the detail --- now I can imagine it --

William Bronson wrote:A fire worthy box with a nicely fit hinged door has a lot of possibilities for your average mad tinkerer .

YES!! This!!

My dad was an inveterate salvager/saver/tinkerer, and I was the one to go through 60 years of amazing tools and materials I could not take - it has made me think two or three times before I decide to adopt (another) heavy, bulky ever-so-useful thing --

I knew I could count on you all to give me good reasons to haul this up to my hill and play with it -- the oven is loaded up and will get to my place sometime in April