Oven overkill?

[Joe S.]

I have fairly awesome parents and grandparents who got me this for my birthday this year:

I'm wondering if that oven is overkill though, usually I hear about picking one up at a garage sale for almost nothing. This one is brand new, is kind of large for pen blanks, and has some nice features on it for "shop use". So, do you think this oven is overkill and I should return it and get a cheaper one, or will it be nice to have further down the stabilizing road?

Note: my dad and I were going to build the vacuum chamber together later on, so I don't need to buy one of those.

 

[lyonsacc]

A little extra capacity might be nice.

If I run 2 stacks of blanks at once (maybe 16 to 20 blanks) then some of them end up awfully close to the top heating element . . .

 

[D.Oliver]

I couldn't say if its overkill, but for some odd reason I'm hungry for pizza.

 

[tomtedesco]

It is always handy to have more room that too little. That being said, you could also find one at Goodwill for under 10 bucks and use the saved money to buy more pen stuff. Have fun either way.

 

[SteveG]

As mentioned, a little extra capacity is probably a good thing. Along that line, just having a bit of extra distance from the heat element and your blanks is good. If I were shopping for an oven for the specific purpose, I might have selected something slightly smaller, but already having it in hand...I say keep, use, and enjoy! One desirable feature is a setting that will simply turn the unit on (at whatever is your desired temperature setting). Some units are designed with a max timed cooking, so every 30 minutes or so, you have to return to the unit and reset the timer. On my unit, I can go with timed or use an "On" setting, which is more convenient for cooking blanks, and less likely to result in an interrupted heat cycle if you fail to get back to reset the timer.

 

[jttheclockman]

If you ever get into powdercoating, the extra space will be a benefit.

 

[turncrazy43]

It's a nice oven. Try to find another cheap one at Good Will and save the gift one for warming that pizza or what ever.
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Everyday I'm vertical is a great day

 

[triw51]

I second saving the nice one and getting a cheap on at a thrift shop or off Craig's list

 

[BSea]

I've killed 2 of the Goodwill cheap ovens. I have a similar one now. Bigger is better.

 

[Ironwood]

That looks exactly like mine except different branding. Mine has done over 18 months in the workshop now.

 

[chartle]

Just noticed its convection. For at least food you have to adjust the time and or temp if you use the convection setting.

Which just means a $5 fan blows around the heat.

But cookbooks don't have an adjustment for blanks soaked in Cactus Juice.

 

[robertkulp]

I have a small toaster oven that works well enough, but I've been thinking about getting one of the convection ovens like yours. One day, you'll be glad you have that extra capacity. It's a keeper.

 

[Joe S.]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm going to keep it for the shop.

And thanks to you guys mentioning it, I have been really craving a homemade pizza. Maybe I'll make that my first project before putting all those wonderfully fumey chemicals in. Those mess up the flavor. :biggrin:

 

[wob50]

Well new cars are coming out with a lot of hp (Lot) over kill yes
but as a car nut I love extra power so my 2 cents keep it your going to need it one day.........