What is a good beginner cob project for a total n00b?

I think I might have made a lopsided ashtray in pottery class about 40 years ago. Fooling with rocket stoves and thinking pretty hard about putting an RMH in the retirement cottage my wife and I are planning.

What is a small easy thing I can make out of cob? I was thinking chimenae for a couple days, but that is going too be heavy to bring upstairs and put on the deck I think.

How about a garlic roaster if I leave out the straw? Maybe?

I thought about a scale model RMH, but I read those don't work great when the j stove tubing gets under 4".

I have a co-worker who raises bees, but hitting dimensions so she can use her existing hive frames might not be encouraging.

Doesn't have to be something I need or use if it is something I can reasonably expect to give away, I just want the experience.

Hi Michael,

If you haven't already, the first thing you need to make, or should make. is a few bricks. You must go through the processes of not only "learning your clay" but determining if your really have any and what it is like. I find that most folks jump into "cob" before really understand "it" as a medium, and seldom ever spend any great time learning about what there personal cob is like. So make bricks. then break them, ad "stuff" to them and break them some more. Put them in a fire and see what the do. Put them in a bucket of water and see what the do. Put them in a fire, and then directly into a bucket of water (be careful!!!) and see what they do. After that, and what you learn, then make something you want.

Hope that helps.

j

And the second project after the bricks should be a cob oven. It is a good weekend(s) project but gives you an idea for the scope of work making cob really is.

Cob ovens are good, do keep your first project (learning experience) small.

Some ideas for a first builds are:

Outdoor Oven
Bench (with cover if your in a wet area) next to a roof overhang or add your own roof if necessary
Dog, Duck or other small critter house (with removable roof for cleaning)
Small garden wall or dividing wall
Outdoor fireplace/pit

Have fun, that's important too!

Thanks for the ideas.