Many types of work are prohibited on the holiday weekdays (chol hamoed) unless they are for the holiday purpose. Even when work is allowed, it should be done unprofessionally. On the other hand, not only baking is permitted, but building an oven or a stove is also permitted. It is a few steps removed from the food preparation for the holidays, but it represents is an exception. It is essential to enjoy the holiday.
Rava permitted a few things on the holiday weekday, depending on one's intentions. For example, suppose one is leveling the mounds of rocks and earth in his field. In that case, if he is doing it to prepare a threshing floor – it is permitted (because it is for a festival need). Still, it is forbidden if he is doing it to prepare for cultivation (and he won't enjoy the fruit of his labor this holiday). How do we know what he has in mind? By the size of the mound that he leaves over.
Let us say you are cutting branches from a palm tree. If it is to feed his animals – it is allowed. If it promotes the tree's growth, then it is forbidden. How do we know? – If he cuts from one side only – it is for the animals. But if he is careful to cut it from all sides – he is doing this for the tree.
Art: Interior with a Stove by Carl Holsoe
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