[Cob] Double walls

[Raduazo at aol.com]

Jane:
    I just got back from helping to build a bail cob wall in Wales. The 
construction technique was as follows: A cob wall was constructed having a 
thickness of the width of a bale + 4 inches, and a 4 inch thick wall 4 inches high was 
built on the inside of the wall. The wall curved outward for an arc of about 
10-20 degrees. Two bails of straw were placed widthwise on the wall and a pike 
was driven into the wall and used to jam the two bails together against a 
vertical surface of wall of the cob wall and while being held there wet cob was 
jammed into all cracks and interfaces between the bale and the cob wall. Once 
the two bales were anchored another bale was added and then another till the 
opening was filled from pillar to post. The inner 4 x 4 wall was then built up 
to the top of the bale. The outer surface of the bales will later be covered 
with cob plaster. The bales were very secure and did not wobble or move once 
they had been cobbed in.
    I have pictures but cannot send them to the coblist.
Ed