Rob Morley wrote:
In article , "AlexW"
says...

I need to compact several small areas of ground/chippings before laying
Indian stone slabs for light foot traffic. In the past I have rented a
plate compactor for this purpose.

For various reasons this is not going logistically easy or cost
effective this time though.

I was thinking of improvising a manual compactor with a big plug (say
30KG) of concrete with a 2x4 set in to it with through handles to lift
drop a few inches each time I pound.

ASCII diag:

||
==||== --- handles
||------ 2x4
||
##||##
#-||-# --- concrete plug, with screws/bolts to secure
######

Has anyone tried something similar? Did it work? Can anyone offer any
advice?


That sounds rather heavy to me - here's one you can buy

http://www.toolstation.com/?r=f&feature=77668

I saw one with a wooden handle in Wickes the other day but didn't
notice the price.

Yeah, IIRC these are about £20 from wickes, my concern here is that
these are quite light approx 5 kilos I think ... will this give me
enough compaction?

I am also a bit worried that I might struggle with this type as the head
is about 10cm square and it might push the chippings around the sides
rather than down to a degree, where as with a wider plug this effect
will be lessened?

I know there will be a trade off between the weight and velocity of the
pound due to my physical ability lift and pound the heavier device.

Cheers,

Alex.