A Child-built Cordwood Clubhouse

(Page 5 of 5)

May/June 1985
By Rob Roy 
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Dry-mix the ingredients in a wheelbarrow until the color is consistent. Add water, a little at a time, and beat the mix with a hoe. The mud should be stiff enough to hold its shape against an adjacent log-end, but not crumbly. A common tendency among firsttimers is to mix the mud too soupy, so it's a good idea to make the first batch or two small, in case additional dry ingredients are required for stiffening. I can't tell you exactly how much water to use, as this will vary with the moisture content of sand and sawdust.

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Note: The sawdust in this recipe slows the set of the mortar, eliminating shrinkage cracks. We use sawdust from cutting firewood or from a sawmill. In either case, it should be passed through a 1/2" screen to remove large particles and strips of bark, then soaked overnight in a wheelbarrow or children's plastic wading pool.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Author Rob Roy has written five books on cordwood and earth-sheltered building systems, including Cordwood Masonry Houses (Sterling, 1980) and Earthwood (Sterling, 1984). He can be contacted at his Earthwood Building School, RR 1, Box 105, West Chazy, NY 12992.

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