What a machine!
 

Have you guys seen this?

http://www.terrabuilt.com/index.asp

Re: What a machine!
 

interesting...

http://www.terrabuilt.com/ak47_1.jpghttp://www.terrabuilt.com/ak47_2.jpg

AK47 Slugs after Hitting TERRABRICK at 25 Yards


guess they couldn't find a .50 cal?:dontknow:



cool machine. I just know some one's gonna post up a price tag..:yes:

Re: What a machine!
 

Cool. Why can't they tell us where to get one?

Re: What a machine!
 

I think Menard's has them on sale.:emotions16:

I don't think the .50 is quite considered a common small arm.

Re: What a machine!
 

TerraBuilt Corporation International
Box 2153, Middleburg, Virginia, USA 20118
Phone: 540/687-4211 Fax: 540/687-4175
Email: Info@TerraBuilt.com

Re: What a machine!
 

I e-mailed them for more information. This might be the route I'll take when building my "Walden Manor" next year.

(Doh! My e-mail got returned because their mailbox is full... not a good sign.)

I wonder how those bricks do in basement walls. I'm sure sepage would be a problem. Also, how do they define "subsoil"? How deep is that? I'd imagine it would be possible to get enough "subsoil" from digging a basement.

Very interesting... GIM is the best! (thanks, Codger!)

Re: What a machine!
 

Here is a hand powered version. The Cinva Ram has been around for about 50 years or so.

Re: What a machine!
 

Yeah, but I bet you don't get 2,200 psi of compression from it...

Re: What a machine!
 

Very cool. Mortar-free 8-inch thick walls made from local subsoil and a little cement. Great idea. Too bad the video didn't show more about the details of actually using it....

Re: What a machine!
 

The website is information poor. I'd like to see more information about pricing and delivery schedule.

Re: What a machine!
 

Re: What a machine!
 

Unless you get a high psi out of the hand made ones, they will be useless as load bearing walls and better used as cladding.

Re: What a machine!
 

yes that is very cool.
I was thinking just the other day "I wish I could afford to build a Block wall around our Land....

Still can't afford it though.:s10:

Re: What a machine!
 

anyone here have experience actually using them and would recommend them?

to me they seem like glorified mud bricks and I've got a bad bias against mud bricks since the quakes in Pakistan and Iran

Re: What a machine!
 

I think they would be fine for a "Zombie wall" though.
That and and High voltage wire on top...

Re: What a machine!
 

Just a quick post I found on them.

http://www.freesteader.com/forums/in...showtopic=1361

Re: What a machine!
 

A recent blog with a good video and pictures

http://hartnetthouse.blogspot.com/20...y-in-life.html

Re: What a machine!
 

This is from a guy named Andy at freesteader:
So, I talked to the guy. Turns out he was just busy, he seems like a nice enough guy. He was very knowledgeable, and helpful. He's sending me some more specific info by email. Specs on the blocks and machine, price list, etc. He said that by adjusting the mixture, you could make the blocks for just about any purpose you need them. Including underground, and up to two stories high. They're supposed to withstand a 200mph wind, and a mild earthquake.
The bad news is, you aren't gonna keep this thing fed with out some heavy equipment. You have to have a open top mixer that can be machine fed, a crusher if you have rocks, and a minimum of 6 men to operate it (8 would be better).

He said the one that makes 8x4x12" blocks, in gas or diesel, is about $38,000.
You have to attend some training to learn how to operate it properly, and probably about $70,000 for equipment (including their machine) to get started.

I think it's very interesting, and I can see a lot of applications for it in a place where everyone's standing around looking for something to do (i.e. cheap labor).
But unless you live in an area that is interested in alternative construction, and plan on running a construction company, I can't see getting your money out of it.
I kind of wish they would make a slower model that could be used by a couple guys, in a more residential application. I think they could sell them.
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Re: What a machine!
 

Well, forget that idea. I agree with the analysis that greed often ruins great ideas. He wants to pitch this to commercial builders rather than homesteaders. There is no way that piece of machinery should be priced more than $15k and still make him a good profit.

Re: What a machine!
 

It's not greedy to make a profit. Like I said, he could sell it for $15k and probably build it for half that. He is going to kill his own product by pricing a lot of people out of the market.

Re: What a machine!
 

Re: What a machine!
 

If you're just interested in building your own home, you would clearly want to rent this equipment, rather than own it. $38K for the Green Machine plus $32K for the other equipment to keep it going for $70K total (looked like a mini-tractor/backhoe and a mixer to blend the dirt with some cement and a little water). So you rent the setup instead for maybe $2K per day, and at 800 blocks per day, 3 blocks per square foot, you can make enough blocks for a 40 x 80 x 10 foot home in about 9 days -- so maybe $18K plus fuel, labor and cement. The advantage compared to brick is less labor on the assembly side, along with better insulation.

I think I would be tempted to use concrete instead (I'm not a fan of wood for home construction; I built my last home with steel framing; no wood anywhere except the interior doors). The same size/thickness walls would be about 60 yards of concrete. I haven't priced for many years now, but at $300 per yard including rebar, it would be the same cost as the earth bricks above, and a helluva lot stronger.

Re: What a machine!
 

tilt up concrete is also the rage. You either pour into forms on-site and then lift them up or you order pre-fab panels and then lift them up on site. Usually laid out like a barn is. Basically its a barn raising type of thing. Good thermal properties, long life etc.

Steel frame has a lot going for it and I always wondered why it wasn't used in the US, especially in tornado or hurricane zones. In Australias north steel framed cyclone proof houses are required. All homes are anchored to seriously large concrete footings. Many homes also have what is euphemistically called a "bomb shelter". Usually it is the bathroom which is lined with plate steel. The thickness varies but it is usually only a couple of millimeters. The bathrooms walls are more securely anchored and the door is steel with a more robust jamb. All of the windows have storm shutters but the bomb shelter works very well for those cyclones that are a bit on the windy side.

Re: What a machine!
 

I talked with the company yesterday. I was told that they are scheduled way out in the US market because of large government orders for rebuilding in Afghanistan as well as continuing work in the Tunami region. He said that the US government has allocated $200,000,000 to rebuilding homes in Afghanistan.

Re: What a machine!
 

Actually, I believe that is the PSI rating of a cured block produced by this machine, not so much the compression used to make the block.

I am already discussing the feasibility of making a "poor man's" version of this with a geotechnical engineer friend of mine. We have access to load testing equipment and other lab gear, so we will attempt to reproduce their results.

According to the website they are using an 8% portland to 92% subsoil mixture to achive the ratings they claim. If that is the case then with a little sheet metal you should be able to construct a form similiar to the block they produce. If you spend the proper time making a good form then you should be able to produce a dry stackable locking block like theirs.

I think the real magic occurs with how well your portland and soil mixture is integrated and the proper moisture levels for it to cure.


Dave

Re: What a machine!
 

I frame every day with steel studs (mostly 18 and 16 gauge)
But Steel prices are Insane lately...Im guessing the cost would be about 5 times (or more) than that of wood to build a home.

The Pour in place concrete looks and sounds like a great way to go.

But im not sure what the price comparison is

wood is Dirt cheap right now

Re: What a machine!
 

It wasn't the mud bricks in Pakistan, it was the heavy beams on the roofs that killed people. The walls were big stones not mud bricks. Bricks were used to a lesser degree. I worked 3 days following the earthquake up until A year and a half later. See the big beams in this picture I took in NWFP. When I went to Kashmir, same thing. Heavy beams, and big stones, mud brick wasn't the problem.