Cob: Wood stove in cob wall?

[Waiting4 TheDay]

YES, finally broke ground today, and probably would have had the ring dug 
for the rubble trench if the wheelbarrow tire hadn't gone flat.  Thinking of 
buying a case of fix-a-flat LOL.  Afterwards I was sitting in the (little) 
20' diameter circle, thinking about how small it seemed, thinking about 
others who at this same point decided to increase the size of the project, 
thinking about how I'm doing this by myself without power tools (aesthetic 
choice).

The one real concern that popped out during this meditation was using a wood 
burner in such close confines (each "room" will at its widest be only 9').  
Then the epiphany: integrate the woodburner into the 18" interior cob wall.  
Is this possible?  Given the right proportions of material (less straw, more 
sand) it seems as if it might work.  Plus there's the added benefit of 
heating both rooms of the house.  The woodburner is a Baron, a no-frills box 
made of steel plate and weighing in at roughly 300 lbs.  Measurements show 
that about an inch of the front would stick out from one side of the wall, 
and on the other side there would be an inch of play between the wall and 
the pipe.

Comments, ideas, speculation?

Chuck

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