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

[Henry Raduazo]

	I have been walking on the roof it seems plenty strong enough. If it  
blows over or falls down this winter I will learn something. That is  
why I experiment. I am also using an available material (paper) which  
appears to be superior to horse shit. In several plaster situations  
where both manure and paper clay were exposed to the weather The  
paper/clay/sand mix lasted longer. Most paper components are  
biodegradable. My recycling paper into a composite roof material will  
not cause more of it to be created.
	I use shredded wood because I can get truck loads delivered to my  
door free of charge. When someone delivers a truck load of hemp to my  
door free of charge I will use that. I don't mind it if wood cob is  
weaker than straw cob. I am mostly interested in the science of "good  
enough".

Ed
On Sep 25, 2010, at 7:41 PM, Howard Switzer wrote:

> 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
>
>