Cob: cubic feet per day and drying times

[Kim West]

Thanks for writing Shannon. I am wondering--if it is possible to mix and
apply this amount of cob per day, does that mean that it can be done each
and every day until finished, or does one have to wait periods of time for
each day's work to dry? Will a home containing 60 yards of cob be built in
60 days or will it take many, many months longer due to drying time?

It seems from reading about Oregon cob that work can generally proceed
onward day to day--but when reading about ancient cob building, weeks
between lifts must be allowed for drying time. Is this due to the difference
in moisture content along with the larger proportion of sand and straw in
Oregon cob? Or am I misunderstanding something in thinking that Oregon cob
does not have to have weeks of drying time in between lifts?

It just hit me to ask this because if Oregon cob does require weeks drying
time for each 1.5 feet in height of cob like is reportedly the case in the
ancient methods, then it would take a very long time to finish a structure
as compared to being able to work and add cob every day. If a yard of cob
can be produced and added per day, then in one scenario a home requiring 60
yards material can be built in 2 months; while in the other scenario it
would take considerably longer--over 6 months.

Thanks for all the help and keep up the good work.

Kim

PS: How is the $0 per square foot house coming along? It was by a
happenstance stumbling upon your site of it being built that I was first
introduced to cob in the first place.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shannon C. Dealy" <dealy at deatech.com>
To: "Kim West" <kwest at arkansas.net>
Cc: "Cob List" <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2003 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Cob: Cubic Feet of Cob Per Day


> On Sat, 26 Jul 2003, Kim West wrote:
>
> > BlankIn Ianto's new book it is said that an experienced cobber can
expect to
> > produce 15 to 25 cubic feet of cob per day and that an inexperienced
cobber
> > can expect about half as much, especially if not in shape [not an exact
> > quote]. Does anyone here agree or disagree with this "formula"?
>
> Yes, this is about right.  In my experience, working a solid eight hours I
> could (in theory) mix and apply close to 25 cubic feet, unfortunately, due
> severe back problems, I've never been able to put in a solid eight hour
> day of cobbing, so I generally limit myself to two to four hours a day of
> cob, but of course there are some other things that have to be done
> when building a house, so often some of the day can be filled with
> carpentry, design/planning, or good old fashioned loafing :-)
>
>
> Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
> dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
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>