Cristobal Cristo

Rico Loma wrote:What is your wood of choice in NoCal?

I have eucalyptus wood chips that I produce myself, and mixed eucalyptus/oak/cottonwood that utility company drops for me once per year. I'm in Central California.

I have purchased a cheap IR thermometer with capability up to 1500 C so I will be able to measure steel temperature in my forge.
I just measured the temperatures - the firebox after two batches and soaked with heat from the coals for an hour reached 340-400 C.  We just baked hortopita from our own greens. It took only 7 minutes.
The oven on the outside has the air temperature, it can not be sensed that it's heated at all.

Two weeks ago I have fabricated a smoker insert. We have smoked a catfish and pieces of pork. Smoking process took 3 hours and around 20 l of wood chips that I was throwing over the coals once every 20 minutes.  Both smoked perfectly.

If you are turning it into a shop, you could consider to turn entire floor into a level and solid slab. Heavy machines will like it.

In theory you could pour concrete over the vappor barrier, but you do not know if the dirt under the barrier is compacted, if it gets moist and since the barrier is old, it could get damaged during slab construction and then seep moisture to the slab.
If the dirt is not compacted, entire heater can tilt or crack. It happened to Thomas here on permies.

The best would be:
- remove the barrier
-remove dirt under future slab down 4"
-compact it
-add 4" of base rock (or gravel/coarse sand) and compact it
-reinstall the barrier (if needed to cut, please make good overlaps of 12" and use proper vapor tape)
-pour slab over the barrier

I would do continuous slab under entire heater/bench. You will feel good building on it and the heater will feel good resting on it.
Please make sure that you add reinforcement, as slabs (especially longer ones) will crack if not reinforced. I would put continuous rebar #4 (0.5") on entire perimeter of the 4" slab and the same rebars in the middle to create 8x8" grid. For thicker slabs there should be two layers of rebars on top and bottom. It would require some bending, but it's worth. If you provide the shape with dimensions I can draw for you rebars with bends.
Alternatively some heavy duty remesh could be used - not the thin type from big box stores.

On the slab you can build an insulation layer using one of the techniques:
-pouring perlite/cement mix
-laying regural bricks as rowlock stretchers to create cavities to be filled with perlite or vermiculite or even broken glass
-laying insulating bricks
-laying insulating boards

You are not alone Sam. I never ever managed to grow a single carrot. I have planted thousands of seeds of various  types and at various times of the year and in various locations on my land.

I grind a lot: bricks, stone, metal and occasionally wood. I use angle grinder more than any other power tool. For over 12 years I have been using the same corded 4.5" Metabo, made in Germany. One time the switch got stuck, so I didassembled the machine and cleaned it and it keeps working. If I had to purchase a cordless grinder I would pick Makita, because they have a car battery charger that I could directly connect to my 24 V panels in my off-grid setup.

Manderly,

If you are already by the grade I would:
-trim the floor joist to create the opening for the RMH slab
-add some perpendicular boards to stabilize the cut boards
-compact the area under the slab
-add base rock or gravel and sand (2-4 inches) and compact well (it can go over the existing grade, or you could remove some dirt first)
-you can add a vapor barrier, if not then I would increase gravel thickness
-make a simple form, 4-8" high, set it, level it and stake it
-add rebar reinforcement
-pour concrete

This way after two days of work, you ill have a proper slab for your RMH.

Coleen,

Yes, avoiding wood in California is a good idea, but heavy timber structure encased in cob would work, but still I would avoid it due to fire and difficulty of erecting.
You could do this:
Pour a continuous foundation footing for the perimeter of the building with right rebars.
In the corners and around the door(s) build 16x16" columns from concrete blocks with rebars, grout them and you have seismic/fire/water/insect-proof frame. Then you can infill the walls with light straw for insulation. When they reach the top of the columns you would pour a bond beam with right reinforcement so you would have a nice frame. This is how houses are built in fire/seismic prone areas, except that they would use more solid infill material (bricks, structural bricks, concrete blocks, aerated concrete blocks) and instead of vertical CMU columns they would do cast in place . The walls can be plastered beautifully. It can be done cheaply as long as you do it yourself and it's easier than cutting, welding and solving material incompatibilities.
Being around 200 miles away from you, I could even come with some tools on a weekend to help or guide - for free and for fun of building.

I use all-thread galvanized 3/8" rods with large fender washers and nuts (regular, not locking) on both sides. They rest on the wall holding entire form. I place them usually every 32". Over the window openings I place 3 rods - two on each side and one in the middle.
On top of the form I add 2" wide plywood ribs screwed to the top of the form, so they keep the rectangular cross section and prevent bulging. I space them every 16".
After the concrete is poured and sets, so after a few days, I remove the nuts and washers, unscrew the ribs, remove the sides and then cut the all-thread rods flush with the wall, which will be plastered.

The image shows the formwork for 10" thick bond beam - the section around the chimney ducts and above the kitchen window.
I have used this system on two buildings. It's rigid enough as long as the rods are spaced 32" max. The part of formwork in the top right corner of the image has bulged out during the pour, because I had to place the rods 56" apart due to brick impost and 24" thick chimney.

M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:Anyone here have luck with Chinese chestnuts in the Pacific Northwest?

Pacific "Southwest" here, but my observation may be helpful. I have noticed that chestnuts do not want to get established in my area - I have tried 10 different hybrids/species. Chinese chestnut looked promising but was  destroyed by 2024 summer heat. The other ones usually were done by June. They were also sensitive to late frost that defoliated them and then they did not have enough energy to develop more leaves in the heat.
I was purchasing seedlings and quite large grafted/layered trees. They would need shading, more watering than my regular irrigation schedule and they prefer acidic soil, so not very permie in my case. From all chestnuts that I had only one survived: Layeroka (from Morse Nursery) - hybrid of European and Chinese chestnut. It's been over 2 years in the ground and is growing slowly, under 1 m tall, but with lots of branches.
If I ever tried another one, it would have to be in a different location on my property in half shade, flat terrain, lowest spot (more moisture).
After checking where chestnut plantations are successful - I'm not shocked that they would not stand aridity - especially Chinese one that originates from the wet and not too sunny eastern China.