Cob: Cob Outside Bench

[Amanda Peck]

All you need to take sidewalls off a tire--really--is a knife--maybe a drill 
to start the hole.  When I cut mine we used a jig saw with a plain wood 
blade (there are ways to doctor them to make it work even better) and a 
drill. Hint: Assuming you picked up a big load of tires at the Co-op or a 
tire place, take the sidewall off before the tires come off your truck, 
otherwise you a) end up with tires rolling down into the stream 200 feet 
away and b) you have to put the cut walls back anyway to take down to the 
tire trailer at the dump.

If you're not putting much weight on this, tires with one sidewall cut out 
may work just fine.

I hope that someone else takes a good look  At the rest of your procedure.

It's not what I have visualized for the retaining wall I'm going to use my 
tires for. I am planning to dig down about two tire depths, fill half-way 
with gravel, lay the first course of tires, put drain pipe behind them 
(under might be easier) just fill the tires, first course with gravel again, 
tamp. backfill, with gravel (close) and soil/clay (farther back), and keep 
on going.  With occasional tires held in place with cables connected to a 
tractor trailer tire in the middle, to substitute for a deadman.  some of 
this is of course different because I'm talking about a retaining wall, not 
a building.

Myra Bonhage-Hale wrote--I snipped.
Anyway, I had four small tires.  The young man dug a trench to the top of 
each tire - 4 tires long, lined the trench with black plastic garbage bags 
and proceeded to fill the tires - the site yielded a great quantity of clay 
- and each batch was put in the tire, watered, tamped with feet (he is 6'4" 
and strong) then done again making sure the insides of the tire were filled. 
  Then the area around the tires was covered with rubble, stone, dirt 
mixture and the tires were covered on top with the same mixture.  Well, you 
could see where the tops of the tires were after all this - the ground 
yielded.  I guess the machine Amanda spoke of which takes off the top of the 
sidewalls would alleviate this problem.  And I guess some heavy duty tamping 
equipment is called for.  We further covered the area with dry wall made on 
3 tiers with stones from the creek near by.  This now seems solid enough to 
put the cob bench on.
I 'm not sure where this leaves the decision for the foundation of the 
apprentice house - I could get lots of tires and fill them with dirt from 
the foundation - but don't know about the yielding.  If I decide to make the 
foundation with stone, the rocks will be a little harder to gather in great 
quantities although there are some rock piles left on the property which 
could be hauled into the site.

I mixed some cob from the clay with straw and it formed a tight round ball 
easily.  However, I think I will have to buy some sand as the sand in the 
creek is full of stones and mud.  I next hope to combine the clay, sand, mud 
and straw in various formulas to make bricks - ala The Hand Sculptured Home 
instructions.  That will be done later this week so the sample cob bricks, 
and the site preparation (4 8 x 10 tarps, buckets, sand, clay, dirt and 
straw) will be ready for the group coming on Oct. 5th to make the bench.  
Next week I hope to have a roof up over the foundation - make of 6 x 6's (4) 
and steel roofing left over in a shed.  Any more useful advice?  Visit me on 
the web at www.lapaixherbaljourney.com
and www.sustainabledevelopmentforwv.com




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