Kyle Isacksen and Katy Chandler from Cobitat are coming to SJI to teach a two-day cob pizza oven workshop at Alchemy! Learn more and register over at their website.
Building an oven with a group is really fun for us: not only do we get to create a one-of-a-kind sculptural piece while sharing all the basics of natural building, but we also get to teach how to use it at our class pizza party at the end of the second day.
Building an oven is a great project for the beginning natural builder or if you need a refresher. In building an oven we use so many of the basic techniques from cob to slip-straw to plasters. On the first day we’ll go into depth about the materials used for natural building, build the base and leveling layer, lay the fire bricks and floor insulation, build the sand dome, and shape the oven cob layer.
While we’re building the oven, we’ll also teach other natural building techniques throughout the two days. This might include how a rubble trench works, basics of earth bags, adobe brick making, and infill techniques like cordwood cob, light straw clay (slip-straw), and bale-cob. We’ll demonstrate and take time for plastering from base coats to finishes, play with clay paints, and try some carving and sculpting.
On the second day we’ll build the entrance tunnel (maybe a chimney, if we decide on that), cut open the doorway and remove the sand. We’ll build an attractive wooden oven door and cover the cob layer with slip-straw for insulation. Last, we’ll mix up a basecoat (or “fix-all”) to cover the slip-straw. At the end of the day we’ll fire it up for a pizza party so students get hands-on experience using a cob oven.
If you’re curious about natural and earthen building and want to test the waters before taking a longer course, this is the opportunity for you.
Each participant will receive Kyle’s book, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” in the mail prior to the course.
The Schedule
9:00-12:00: Instruction and Building Session 1
12:00-12:30: Lunch (students are responsible for their own food and drink)
12:30: Discussion and Q and A
1:00-4:30 Building Session 2
On Sunday, June 22nd, we’ll have a pizza dinner at 6:30.