So I was watching Townsend’s making a wood burning beehive oven, and I got to wondering, he makes cob with hay/straw as the fiber fill in the mix. Could one use lawn clippings? I would think one could, but was hoping someone here might know the answer.
As you can tell, I really want a beehive oven of my own to play with =)
I don’t know if grass would work in place of straw. It might, but there would likely be less tensile strength in the brick but that might not be an issue.
Also, if it was a Townsend video, you can alway add some nutmeg with no penalty…
snicker I might for the heck of it scrape a nutmeg into the cob =)
I can get straw or hay easily enough, I do live in farm country and frequently buy a bale to rebed the chicken house we keep around for the feral cats to shelter in the winter in. Just was wondering if I needed to get a bale or I could just have mrAru save clippings =)
Only if you dry them first Otherwise they’ll decompose in the cob and render it weaker, not stronger.
Since you live in farm country - get some cowpats, those make excellent cob.
I know about the cow flop =)
And I will probably just get a bale or two =) Agway is just down the road =)
The advantage of straw is that it’s pretty long and stiff, so it can be somewhat oriented in the direction it needs to be, or at least it creates a big enough web of reinforcing to hold everything together. Shorter more flexible grass or hay isn’t going to be as effective. It’s the same reason plastic fibers haven’t panned out for concrete reinforcing, it’s just too weak on its own and difficult to get the fibers oriented properly. They don’t have enough length to really tie everything together either. Also it makes the surface difficult to finish. If you add some nutmeg it all comes together perfectly, of course.
LOL and smell nice =)
Wonder if they tried spun kevlar for reinforcing concrete.
We also have to settle on the size we want. Townsend’s oven by the cabin, the first one he made at least I think is too small - I was thinking of an opening able to handle the largest turkey roasting pan size, I can burn a nice ceramic baking dish that size in my kiln, I don’t think the thin stainless steel baking goods would be great in the oven, bottom scorching issues even with a trivet. I also have to ask my roomie to forge me one of those funky hoe looking scrapers to shift the coals around inside, and some trivets. Having a farrier on tap is handy occasionally =)
It should work if you let the grass grow tall and go to seed before cutting it. Regular lawn mower won’t work, maybe a brush cutter will do, or you can just use your scythe. Then you’ll have to thresh it and dry it also. Beats paying nearly $20 to buy a bale of hay ready to use right?
Eh, need hay to re-bed the outside kitty shelter for the winter anyways =)