[Cob] Slipstraw addendum (Mike)

[Monica Proulx]

> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Slipstraw addendum (Mike)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Mike,
>

Good question on the racking, glad you brought this up, I never thought of
this.

Doesn't metal in something like cob (or slip straw) = sweating? (as in not
good with the clay/soil. I've no experience with metal in cob, just going
by what I've read on this). Wood sounds better.

Maybe you could use "let-in" corner bracing (less wood), instead of larger
diagonal braces or Xed metal straps (image-google "let-in corner
bracing").  For that you could use smaller plywood triangles (on the face,
or do inside the framing with 2 by 4s).  If you're wood to wood with the
screws, no sweat! (literally).  One would wonder if the dried light clay
straw wouldn't provide the rest of the strength you'd need.



> One more thing:
>
> A member of the list wrote and asked, given I'm not going to have any
> sort of paneling, what I'd be doing for tension.  If I understood
> correctly, the concern was that with NOT using structural cob, the
> framing would be on its own.  As I understand the question: usually,
> sheets (like plywood) do a fantastic job at stopping rack.  But in
> this case, because I want to plaster, I'd use diagonal bracing or X'ed
> metal straps to keep the walls from racking.  Thoughts welcome on
> that, too.
>
>