[Cob] straw chopper

[Amanda Peck]

what kind of five gallon bucket are you using?

I was mixing clay slip the other day with a drill-mounted paint mixer, 
couldn't keep it away from the sides of the five-gallon plastic bucket which 
broke.

(if anyone's trying that, tipping the paint mixer so there is a nice hole in 
the slip works.   Holding it straight up and down does not.  We ended up 
using one of those magic pliable plastic tubs that you can hold the handles 
together to pour stuff out of--red, green, blue, orange as well as basic 
black--they're wonderful)

One of the books recommends a mulching leaf blower for chopping straw.  I 
don't currently own one, never tried it.  Since we only needed a small 
amount of longish straw for the last project we sat down beside our straw 
bales, turned on an audio book, had at it with pruning shears.  Which I 
rather quickly learned how to sharpen.  We'll need more short straw the next 
time, so I'll be glad to hear the results of the home-made chopper.

...................
Ray wrote:

so i made the straw chopper  .
five gallon bucket,  two pieces of wood, steel rod with steel string 
attached, drill.  like a string lawnmower
inside the bucket.  it's pretty effective.   i'm going to cut the bottom and 
put some chickenwire so it sifts directly.

i'll let you know how the final test goes tomorrow.

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