We considered an arch and the wife decided against it. Everyone's got an
arch on our street I guess. I was originally planning to do a full arch
with only adobe but then this idea came up. I probably won't post to the
home.repair group as I'm doing the work today. Just thought I'd ping the
wood experts around here as to how to minimize the effects of
shrinkage/expansion in this application.
Cheers,
cc

"nospambob" wrote in message
...
Considered an arch instead of a flat surface? Post to alt.home.repair
also.

On Sat, 6 Aug 2005 08:36:31 -0600, "James \"Cubby\" Culbertson"
wrote:

Hiya Folks,
Working now on a project that isn't quite "Fine Woodworking". Building
an
adobe (heavy bricks made from mud) wall. Over the gate portion, I intend
to set two or three 6"x10"x6 ft. ponderosa pine beams horizontally. On
top
of these, I'll put additional adobes. Ultimately, the entire structure
excluding the wood will be stucco'ed. I intend to leave a gap on the
sides
of these beams for expansion but am not entirely sure what to do for the
bricks sitting on top of it. I thought about putting a layer of asphalt
roofing material down allowing the wood to slide if you will, under the
weight of the bricks (maybe 200 lbs?) but am not sure if that will hold up
or even allow the wood to move. Would a thin sheet of plywood, masonite,
or ?? sitting on top of the beams be a better option? I'm used to
allowing
for expansion with table tops, not timbers! Any help is most
appreciated.
Cheers,
cc