Production Cob.

[Mike Carter and Carol Cannon]

Ed,

Always good to hear from another person willing to experiment with making
cob faster.
We're working on organizing a "production cob" 3-4 day workshop for
mid-March down here in Texas at an Ecovillage.  We are going to rent some
equipment, like a mini-excavator (15 foot reach) and a conveyor, to see how
fast (and with what quality) we can make and place cob at height.  The
co-teachers have already worked a lot with cement mixers, mortar mixers, and
experimented with a crane and various pulley systems.  The workshop is only
open to those who have completed 1-week or longer cob workshops or have
extensive cobbing experience.  The cost of making cob using different
techniques will be measured.

Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Raduazo at aol.com <Raduazo at aol.com>
To: coblist at deatech.com <coblist at deatech.com>
Date: Sunday, February 14, 1999 10:37 PM
Subject: Re: Cob and straw bale builders


>
> I am a graduate of an Oregon cob workshop, and I, like most graduates,
tend
>to feel that criticizing Oregon cob is somewhat of a sacrilege.  My two
weeks
>building an Oregon cob house was a wonderful spirit building experience.
>However, there is one major problem with Oregon cob.  Like many
Marylanders, I
>do not have twenty friends who are willing to work like slaves for two
weeks
>so that I can have a small but beautiful house.
> What I would like to propose an east coast brand of Oregon cob.  Maryland
cob
>would be dug with a back hoe, mixed with a rototiller, loaded on to
>wheelbarrows with a backhoe, wheeled to the wall and lifted on to the wall
>with a dirt fork.
> Most Marylanders don't have a backhoe either, but I can do something about
>that.  If there is anyone out there who would like to try Maryland cob
(this
>includes Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) give me a call or send
E-
>mail.  I have a baby back hoe and a rototiller that needs some work to run.
>Since I am writing this off of my wife's income as a business expense I
would
>ideally like to rent myself and my equipment to show IRS that I am trying
to
>make money, but I am not judging success or failure by how much money I
make.
>For individuals who do not have money I am ready to make labor exchange
deals.
>I also have a 12 HP mower that cuts down brush and small trees up to 1" in
>diameter, three chain saws and lots of other great stuff.
>
> Ed Raduazo
> (703) 360-2316