I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.

So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!

"Mike" wrote in message
...
I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.

So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!

What I might try is temporarily securing the bracket to the column with
tape or baling wire or whatever and then using the holes in the bracket as
the drilling guide.


Charlie

On Aug 27, 7:03*pm, "Charlie" wrote:
"Mike" wrote in message

...

I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. *The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. *For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. *I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.

So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. *Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!

What I might try is *temporarily securing the bracket to the column with
tape or baling wire or whatever and then using the holes in the bracket as
the drilling guide.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, but locating the holes on the outside of the column
isn't really the problem. The concern is that I'd be drilling into a
round pipe in the middle of the column (after penetrating ~1" of
foam). Drilling a hole in a round pipe without starting with a punch
is hard enough when you can *see* the hole location, let alone when
you can't. Another concern is that tightening the screws down
(assuming the holes got drilled correctly) would distort and stress
the vinyl skin, and eventually cause it to crack.

Mike

On Aug 27, 6:15*pm, Mike wrote:
I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. *The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. *For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. *I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.

So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. *Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!

Home Depot, or maybe it was Lowes, has what I thought were some nice
structural fiberglass posts. The ones they usually stock are round/
tapered, but I think square ones are available through special order.

Mike wrote:
On Aug 27, 7:03 pm, "Charlie" wrote:
"Mike" wrote in message

...

I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.
So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!
What I might try is temporarily securing the bracket to the column with
tape or baling wire or whatever and then using the holes in the bracket as
the drilling guide.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, but locating the holes on the outside of the column
isn't really the problem. The concern is that I'd be drilling into a
round pipe in the middle of the column (after penetrating ~1" of
foam). Drilling a hole in a round pipe without starting with a punch
is hard enough when you can *see* the hole location, let alone when
you can't. Another concern is that tightening the screws down
(assuming the holes got drilled correctly) would distort and stress
the vinyl skin, and eventually cause it to crack.

Mike

On fiberglass streetlight and traffic signal poles, they usually use
external wrap-around clamps, sometimes even just a couple of the
extra-huge hose clamps tied together. Too ugly, obviously. Perhaps you
can find a wrap-around flagpole bracket online, or in one of the fancy
shops? Does the flagpole have to mount to the column? Is there another
plausible place on the front of your house to put it? Perhaps a
decorative block fastened to the porch rail, maybe also including the
address number? If there are wooden newel posts in the runs of porch
railing, you could make one a few inches taller, and put one of those
decorative pointy caps on it, with the flagpole socket on the front.
Hard to say without seeing your existing porch and/or any design changes
you plan to make. There is always a way.

--
aem sends...

On Aug 27, 10:36*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Mike wrote:
On Aug 27, 7:03 pm, "Charlie" wrote:
"Mike" wrote in message

....

I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. *The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. *For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. *I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.
So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. *Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!
What I might try is *temporarily securing the bracket to the column with
tape or baling wire or whatever and then using the holes in the bracket as
the drilling guide.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, but locating the holes on the outside of the column
isn't really the problem. *The concern is that I'd be drilling into a
round pipe in the middle of the column (after penetrating ~1" of
foam). *Drilling a hole in a round pipe without starting with a punch
is hard enough when you can *see* the hole location, let alone when
you can't. *Another concern is that tightening the screws down
(assuming the holes got drilled correctly) would distort and stress
the vinyl skin, and eventually cause it to crack.

Mike

On fiberglass streetlight and traffic signal poles, they usually use
external wrap-around clamps, sometimes even just a couple of the
extra-huge hose clamps tied together. Too ugly, obviously. Perhaps you
can find a wrap-around flagpole bracket online, or in one of the fancy
shops? Does the flagpole have to mount to the column? Is there another
plausible place on the front of your house to put it? Perhaps a
decorative block fastened to the porch rail, maybe also including the
address number? If there are wooden newel posts in the runs of porch
railing, you could make one a few inches taller, and put one of those
decorative pointy caps on it, with the flagpole socket on the front.
Hard to say without seeing your existing porch and/or any design changes
you plan to make. There is always a way.

--
aem sends...

Unfortunately the design of the front of this house doesn't allow for
many flag mounting options; the porch column *was* the last
resort :-). However - I hadn't considered some sort of wraparound
affair, so I'll see what I can find or make on that front. Thanks for
the ideas, if anyone has more I'd love to hear them!

On Aug 27, 10:36*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Mike wrote:
On Aug 27, 7:03 pm, "Charlie" wrote:
"Mike" wrote in message

....

I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. *The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. *For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. *I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.
So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. *Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!
What I might try is *temporarily securing the bracket to the column with
tape or baling wire or whatever and then using the holes in the bracket as
the drilling guide.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, but locating the holes on the outside of the column
isn't really the problem. *The concern is that I'd be drilling into a
round pipe in the middle of the column (after penetrating ~1" of
foam). *Drilling a hole in a round pipe without starting with a punch
is hard enough when you can *see* the hole location, let alone when
you can't. *Another concern is that tightening the screws down
(assuming the holes got drilled correctly) would distort and stress
the vinyl skin, and eventually cause it to crack.

Mike

On fiberglass streetlight and traffic signal poles, they usually use
external wrap-around clamps, sometimes even just a couple of the
extra-huge hose clamps tied together. Too ugly, obviously. Perhaps you
can find a wrap-around flagpole bracket online, or in one of the fancy
shops? Does the flagpole have to mount to the column? Is there another
plausible place on the front of your house to put it? Perhaps a
decorative block fastened to the porch rail, maybe also including the
address number? If there are wooden newel posts in the runs of porch
railing, you could make one a few inches taller, and put one of those
decorative pointy caps on it, with the flagpole socket on the front.
Hard to say without seeing your existing porch and/or any design changes
you plan to make. There is always a way.

--
aem sends...

Unfortunately the design of the front of this house doesn't allow for
many flag mounting options; the porch column *was* the last
resort :-). However - I hadn't considered some sort of wraparound
affair, so I'll see what I can find or make on that front. Thanks for
the ideas, if anyone has more I'd love to hear them!

You might look under columns at
http://www.ou****ercatalogs.com/

We have been very happy with their fiberglass columns, and they have a
good variety of designs.

I just made a combination trellis/rail out of redwood, since we have
climbing flowers around the porch.

Mike wrote:
I'm getting ready to replace the columns & railings on my front
porch. The originals are wood, 16 years old, and beginning to come
apart at the finger joints, etc. For a maintenance-free solution I
like the vinyl-over-pipe columns such as the HB&G PermaPost units, but
they have a bit of a sterile look to them (for lack of a better word)
and, I don't see any good way to attach a flag pole bracket. I could
drill through into the pipe, but it seems there would be some risk of
goobering up the column trying to drill blind into a round pipe
without being able to center punch it first.

So, I'm wondering about low- or no-maintenance solutions that are of
some other sort of composite material, resin-wood combination, or the
like, but am not having much luck searching the Net. Any advice or
experience here would be greatly appreciated!