Pre-workshop

Saturday was a very productive day. First of all, we got up in the morning and our tent cover was still standing after a terrible thunderstorm last night! I hope it stays that way until we finish the workshop.

Max and Olaf arrived form Germany at 06.00 in the morning, loaded with the cutting machine for the strawbales. Before lunch they assembled the machine,

From Strawbale Dome Minke

and after lunch we could make our first cut strawbales. Because of the well pressed strawbales, the machine did not work as expected, the blades were pressed outwards and first after setting the blades at an angle did the cutting work as expected.

From Strawbale Dome Minke

These are how bales should look!

From Strawbale Dome Minke

Very strong and even. I have no doubt the load bearing dome will hold up!

From Strawbale Dome Minke

Another group started with the clay floor - we need to prepare a good floor for the workshop, foam glass is not very easy to walk on.

From Strawbale Dome Minke

A mixture of fairly dry clay, sand and gravel did the job. A layer of 4-5cm was stamped by hand.

From Strawbale Dome Minke

After it dries it will become a very hard preliminary surface - at the end of the workshop a 2cm liquid clay floor is going to be poured as a final layer.

From Strawbale Dome Minke

The clay settles well in between the REFAGLASS foam glass:

From Strawbale Dome Minke

About 20m2 of floor were finished at the end of the day. 40m2 left for tomorrow.

From Strawbale Dome Minke

Tomorrow some changes to the cutting machine will be needed, new angles of the blades need some fixtures to be welded on. But great relief the cutting machine produces the needed quality. Tomorrow the participants arrive....

Dinner - everybody happy with their food, especially Catarina from Portugal, getting melted chocolate for her vafles... :-)

From Strawbale Dome Minke