[Cob] Washington DC cob: The experimental wood chip and paper clay wood shed

[Howard Switzer]

I'm not sure I understand what makes you think your cob building with wood
chips in lieu of straw was a success.  Did you do a lateral forces
structural test of it?  Getting a mud wall to stand is not so difficult, I
was at Pine Ridge recently and saw some big thick walls someone had done
that had almost no clay in them, mostly they were silt.  A lateral force, of
course, could bring that mess down hopefully with no deaths or injuries.

The point of straw, long grasses, in the cob is to provide lateral
reinforcing(shear strength), length matters, wood chips not being very long
are not likely to do that, more likely making a weaker wall by displacing
cob.  Test it against good cob and let us know how it does. On the other
hand there are probably better materials for lateral reinforcing such as
hemp and probably Kudzu as well, both are toothy compared to the slick sides
of straw.

I am a big fan of experimentation so I am not talking from any lack of
experience, but I do caution folks that it is important to learn the nature
of and especially function of materials for building so suitable
alternatives can be used.  Building with what is a available is appropriate
but a material's use should be appropriate too.  Just because you can do
something doesn't make it the right thing to do, necessarily.

You were reeling at the un-naturalness of local manure and straw ...but not
the un-naturalness of chlorine bleached paper not to mention toners and
ink?
Not sure I understand.

best wishes,

howard