*2.3. Preparation of Test Specimens*

After mixing in a mortar mixer (HOBART A-120, Hobart Canada Inc, Don Mills, ON, Canada), each wood-cement-ash-water mixture was cast into a 450 × 330 × 15 mm wooden mold. After pouring the mixture, the mold was closed with a lid held in place by C-clamps. This set-up allowed to pour material up to a thickness of 15 mm. The wet mixture was poured into the mold, the surface was levelled off with a wood screed and the lid was finally secured in place. From the pressure of the lid, the panel thickness was reduced to 14 mm. The hardened panels were stripped from the mold at the age of 3 days and then stored in a conditioning chamber at 23 ◦C and 60% relative humidity. The various test specimens were cut from the panels (3 panels per mixture) on the day of testing.
