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

[Bill Christensen]

At 10:36 PM -0400 9/27/10, Henry Raduazo wrote:
>	David: I am referring to shredded wood produced by a 6 inch 
>wood chipper. For some reason that I do not understand certain types 
>of green wood passed through the chipper comes out and fine 
>separated fibers. I can not send pictures through the cob list, 
>however if anyone wants to see pictures of these fibers I can send a 
>photo enhanced version of my original letter.
>	Photo number 2 in that essay shows a pile of green willow oak 
>shredded and delivered to my house by a friend in the tree business. 
>The fifth figure shows some of those fibers incorporated into a 
>T-shaped wall segment of my wood shed.  The sixth figure shows a 
>close up of a hand full of fibers. The entire batch of chipped wood 
>is not this good, but I have no trouble sorting out cart loads that 
>are just like short straws only much stronger than wheat straw.
>	Wood from dead trees comes out as chips and is probably not 
>suitable for cob

This clarification regarding the wood "chips" you're using makes all 
the difference.

There are different types of chippers - some make chips that are on 
average 1 1/2 inch or so square by half an inch thick - those 
obviously wouldn't be useful for lateral strength, as Howard pointed 
out.  Others tend to shred the wood into foot long pieces.   And the 
type and age of the wood makes a difference as well - oak tends to 
chip, the local cedar (ashe juniper) here in central Texas tends to 
shred.

So the combination of the wood and chipper can result in some quite 
different material.

Essentially, Henry and Howard are probably both correct.  Henry's 
been around enough to know to use long fiberous material.  But by 
using the words "wood chips" he wasn't clear that it was actually 
shredded wood fibers, and many of us assumed he meant the short chips.

Keep us posted on how it holds up.


-- 
Bill Christensen
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