Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 539
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, and
the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.

The rebar was so-so -- too thin, really, to be stable in dirt, but wow, the
plumbing pipe is pretty strong and easy to bang in, and the 2x2 tubing just
*slices* its way in, and seems VERY strong!

Fence installing made easy!?
Has anyone done this? pro's/con's??

Now the Q is: how deep should I pound this 2x2 tubing into the dirt? I
read somewhere recently that posts should be buried a depth = to the fence
height?? That seems extreme.....
Altho pounding 2x2x16 ga tubing 6 feet, extrapolating from the approx 2 feet
I did, doesn't seem like it will be a biggie, assuming I don't hit rocks,
etc.

I've also read depths of mebbe two feet with concrete, but that seems like
there would be a crowbar effect, esp.in a good wind.

I'm debating various sizes: 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and materials, alum vs. steel.
The alum will be 1/8 wall, ergo more pounding to bury it, but still proly
workable. And of course much more resistant to corrosion.

I've got a fair amount of 2x2x16 ga SS tubing, that I'll proly never use,
but using it for fence posts would proly leave me unable to sleep at night,
AND it will be a bitch to attach brackets to, etc, -- one of the advantages
of alum.

Opinions, idears, experiences??

--
EA


  #2   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,984
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

On Apr 18, 1:04*pm, "Existential Angst"
wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, *and
the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.

The rebar was so-so -- too thin, really, to be stable in dirt, but wow, *the
plumbing pipe is pretty strong and easy to bang in, and the 2x2 tubing just
*slices* its way in, and seems VERY strong!

Fence installing made easy!?
Has anyone done this? *pro's/con's??

Now the Q is: *how deep should I pound this 2x2 tubing into the dirt? *I
read somewhere recently that posts should be buried a depth = to the fence
height?? *That seems extreme.....
Altho pounding 2x2x16 ga tubing 6 feet, extrapolating from the approx 2 feet
I did, doesn't seem like it will be a biggie, assuming I don't hit rocks,
etc.

I've also read depths of mebbe two feet with concrete, but that seems like
there would be a crowbar effect, esp.in a good wind.

I'm debating various sizes: *2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and materials, alum vs. steel.
The alum will be 1/8 wall, ergo more pounding to bury it, but still proly
workable. *And of course much more resistant to corrosion.

I've got a fair amount of 2x2x16 ga SS tubing, that I'll proly never use,
but using it for fence posts would proly leave me unable to sleep at night,
AND it will be a bitch to attach brackets to, etc, -- one of the advantages
of alum.

Opinions, idears, experiences??

--
EA


The Outdoor Advertising Association used to print a nice guide on
installing bill boards. I just tried to find it and failed, but you
might have better luck. Anyway the problem is much the same. WInd
loads on bill boards can be considerable and the best engineering is
of course the least expensive.

What the OAA said was that resistance the ground presented to sideways
force varies with the depth. So if you pound something into the
ground and apply a sideways force, the bottom will stay pretty well
fixed but the pant near the top will shove over. So they recommend
collars of concrete from the ground level down a ways but not all the
way to the bottom. Say you dig a hole three feet deep for a 4 inch
diameter pole. The bottom 18 inches ought to be 4 inches in diameter
and the top 18 inches maybe 7 inches in diameter. You put the pole in
and add concrete. The concrete makes a collar around the top 18
inches of the pole and you are just as good for sideways stress as if
you had dug the hole 7 inches in diameter all the way down and used
twice as much concrete.

Now instead of adding a collar, you could add a plate that would
greatly increase the resistance sideways. The plate should be
obviously below ground but not too deep. So take a look at metal
fence posts. See the plate.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100000208

You do not need to drive the post as deep as the fence is high. You
just need to drive it deep enough that it bends at ground level when
pushed sideways. Actual depths depend on the soil. But I would think
that 30 to 36 inches would be plenty for a six foot high fence if the
fence posts have a plate attached.

Dan
  #3   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,705
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, and
the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.

The rebar was so-so -- too thin, really, to be stable in dirt, but wow, the
plumbing pipe is pretty strong and easy to bang in, and the 2x2 tubing just
*slices* its way in, and seems VERY strong!

Fence installing made easy!?
Has anyone done this? pro's/con's??

Now the Q is: how deep should I pound this 2x2 tubing into the dirt? I
read somewhere recently that posts should be buried a depth = to the fence
height?? That seems extreme.....
Altho pounding 2x2x16 ga tubing 6 feet, extrapolating from the approx 2 feet
I did, doesn't seem like it will be a biggie, assuming I don't hit rocks,
etc.

I've also read depths of mebbe two feet with concrete, but that seems like
there would be a crowbar effect, esp.in a good wind.

I'm debating various sizes: 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and materials, alum vs. steel.
The alum will be 1/8 wall, ergo more pounding to bury it, but still proly
workable. And of course much more resistant to corrosion.

I've got a fair amount of 2x2x16 ga SS tubing, that I'll proly never use,
but using it for fence posts would proly leave me unable to sleep at night,
AND it will be a bitch to attach brackets to, etc, -- one of the advantages
of alum.

Opinions, idears, experiences??


6' stockade fencing is common stuff. The normal way to install is a post
between each 8' section. The posts are normally simple 4X4 treated posts
dug in or driven in at least 4'. The reason for the deeper posts is the
wind load. Those panels can generate a lot of force in a good wind.

I doubt I would use plain steel as it has a nasty rusting problem.
Aluminum wouldn't be my choice because of cost and strength.

As for the digging go out and lay out where your posts will be. Then
rent a post hole digger and dig them all and drop the posts in. Get a
pal to help and you can do a LOT of holes fast. Will last longer and
stay straight and require less work in the long run.

--
Steve W.
(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
  #4   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
dan dan is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 354
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

What's that Lassie? You say that Existential Angst fell down the old
rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue
by Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:04:04 -0400:

Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, and
the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:


2x2 tubing just
*slices* its way in, and seems VERY strong!

Fence installing made easy!?
Has anyone done this? pro's/con's??

Now the Q is: how deep should I pound this 2x2 tubing into the dirt?
AND it will be a bitch to attach brackets to, etc, -- one of the advantages
of alum.

Opinions, idears, experiences??


I helped a friend put up some steel fencing out in Arizona.

We used drill pipe. The kind that has a male thread on one end and
female on the other, about 30' long.

We cut up the 30' to fence height +3', then pounded them into the
ground with a front end loader.

A top rail was added later and wire fencing stretched along the
outside.

The 'dirt' was like hard packed silt out there, I think they call it
calieche.


If your dirt is softer, weld some "fins" to your tubing to grab more
dirt just below the surface. Look at "T" posts for what the fins
might look like.
--

Dan H.
northshore MA.
  #5   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 756
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, and
the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.


About 15 years ago I was getting ready to sell
my house. The property had a redwood fence on
the south side. The posts were set in the dirt
with no protection and had rotted off even with
the ground. Wanting some kind of quick fix, I
pounded plain old chain-link fence posts into the
ground next to the redwood posts and strapped
the two together with chain-link hardware and
lag bolts. I visited the property last year and
the fence was still holding up fine.

I used an off-the-shelf post driver and I think
I went down about 2 feet.


  #6   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 539
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete,
and the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.


About 15 years ago I was getting ready to sell
my house. The property had a redwood fence on
the south side. The posts were set in the dirt
with no protection and had rotted off even with
the ground. Wanting some kind of quick fix, I
pounded plain old chain-link fence posts into the
ground next to the redwood posts and strapped
the two together with chain-link hardware and
lag bolts. I visited the property last year and
the fence was still holding up fine.

I used an off-the-shelf post driver and I think
I went down about 2 feet.


A post driver? Inneresting... some nice air-powered drivers:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...ed=0CB4QzAMwAA

I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.

As I mentioned, 16 ga 2x2 really slices nicely into the ground, rocks
notwithstanding.

--
EA


  #7   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 756
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

Existential Angst wrote:
"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete,
and the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.

About 15 years ago I was getting ready to sell
my house. The property had a redwood fence on
the south side. The posts were set in the dirt
with no protection and had rotted off even with
the ground. Wanting some kind of quick fix, I
pounded plain old chain-link fence posts into the
ground next to the redwood posts and strapped
the two together with chain-link hardware and
lag bolts. I visited the property last year and
the fence was still holding up fine.

I used an off-the-shelf post driver and I think
I went down about 2 feet.


A post driver? Inneresting... some nice air-powered drivers:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...ed=0CB4QzAMwAA

I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.


This is all you need. Works great and isn't that
expensive...

http://www.maximmfg.com/NewFiles/fence-post-driver.html
  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
dan dan is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 354
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

What's that Lassie? You say that Existential Angst fell down the old
rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue
by Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:54:38 -0400:


As I mentioned, 16 ga 2x2 really slices nicely into the ground, rocks
notwithstanding.


Grab a length of rebar and probe your post locations for rocks.
If you can change the locations of the posts you might find enough
places to hit no rocks at all. If you flatten the end of the tubing,
it will miss more rocks and compress the dirt as it goes in. Will be
harder to drive though.

--

Dan H.
northshore MA.
  #9   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,138
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:35:29 -0700, Jim Stewart
wrote:

Existential Angst wrote:
"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --

So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete,
and the drama.

So's I made somewhat of a discovery:

I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.
About 15 years ago I was getting ready to sell
my house. The property had a redwood fence on
the south side. The posts were set in the dirt
with no protection and had rotted off even with
the ground. Wanting some kind of quick fix, I
pounded plain old chain-link fence posts into the
ground next to the redwood posts and strapped
the two together with chain-link hardware and
lag bolts. I visited the property last year and
the fence was still holding up fine.

I used an off-the-shelf post driver and I think
I went down about 2 feet.


A post driver? Inneresting... some nice air-powered drivers:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...ed=0CB4QzAMwAA

I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.


This is all you need. Works great and isn't that
expensive...

http://www.maximmfg.com/NewFiles/fence-post-driver.html


Yes! This purely beats a sledge and it's easy to make if you can
weld.

The professional approach would be to rent an auger post hole digger,
drill holes, insert sonotube, plant posts, backfill with concrete. The
holes need to go below frost line. That'd be 4 feet here, don't know
about Yonkers.
  #10   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 120
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

On Apr 19, 1:35*pm, Jim Stewart wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:
Awl --


So ahm lookin to put up 6' stockade fencing between me'n'my brain damaged
neighbors, but I sure could do without the post digging, the concrete, *and
the drama.


So's I made somewhat of a discovery:


I started pounding various cross sections of metal into the dirt -- first
rebar, then a 1 1/4 plumbing pipe, then 2x2x16 ga sq tubing.


About 15 years ago I was getting ready to sell
my house. *The property had a redwood fence on
the south side. *The posts were set in the dirt
with no protection and had rotted off even with
the ground. *Wanting some kind of quick fix, I
pounded plain old chain-link fence posts into the
ground next to the redwood posts and strapped
the two together with chain-link hardware and
lag bolts. I visited the property last year and
the fence was still holding up fine.

I used an off-the-shelf post driver and I think
I went down about 2 feet.


I was going to recommend this too. Some of the stockade panels are
made for use with brackets with the crossbars cut flush with the ends
of the panels, and don't have the extra ends to go into the holes,
though if that's what you can find you can just cut the ends off, then
bolt the panels to the posts adjacent to each other. It's a different
look than with the posts between the panels, but still works. Also
works for reusing used panels that other people can't use due to
missing post ends.

I'd use the "corner" chainlink posts rather than the "line" posts,
bigger/stiffer and because that's what size the brackets are premade
for. Get the little diecast caps to keep the yellowjackets out of the
poles, but don't use them to drive the poles, they'll shatter. Use a
post driver or a sledge though you may have to trim off the top inch
or two of pounded over pole to get the cap on. If you hit a large
rock, you can put a post on either side of it, then make another
simple brace/bracket to tie the panels together there instead, I'd not
get to worried about getting the post spacing exact. Extra posts at
likely stress points are simple to add, too.

You can cut down larger panels easily to fit odd spaces, or to make
gates (add diagonals, or they'll sag) though you made need a 4x4 post
to mount hinges, or figure out a way to make the chainlink hinges work
with a wooden panel (might just be able to bolt them to the
crossbraces, been meaning to try). Also, you can change the look of
panels with additional boards (like if you salvage a bunch of panels
with damaged tops/bottoms you could cut off the damage and add a 1x4
trim piece instead) which might also give you an additional way to tie
the panels together, too.

I put up about 200' of chainlink in a weekend with just me and my dad,
a sledgehammer, a come-along, and a strategically placed pickup. This
was a "modified" chain style, using the usual bottom wire as a top
wire instead of the nicer toprail, though we used pieces of it to
brace the corner posts. Once you get the basic fabric up (link or
panels) then you can fuss with the details here and there until you're
happy.
--Glenn Lyford


  #11   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 475
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...

-snip-


I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.


This is all you need. Works great and isn't that
expensive...

http://www.maximmfg.com/NewFiles/fence-post-driver.html


Yes! This purely beats a sledge and it's easy to make if you can
weld.

The professional approach would be to rent an auger post hole digger,
drill holes, insert sonotube, plant posts, backfill with concrete. The
holes need to go below frost line. That'd be 4 feet here, don't know
about Yonkers.



jeez, yonkers, i wonder if you'd have to call that "buried utilities"
number.

i always remember this story from fine homebuilding magazine, their funny
back-pages "great moments in building history" column.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/depa...?nterms=106878

i was going to scan the article but thank goodness they've now got a free
online archive of "great moments in building history" articles very funny
stuff (and thank goodness they had the "fire in the hole" article).

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/How-...channel=3&cp=0

i scanned the illustration that went with the article though (it's not
present in their online archive, the illustration adds a nice touch to the
article.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~wwixon/fhfebmar1993.jpg

(exactly how i picture "existential angst" in my mind's eye.)

b.w.



Fire In the Hole
Great moments in building history: Digging usually never leads to fire
by Michael Brubaker
Among the many skills that must be mastered by a jack-of-all-trades, digging
a hole would seem to pose the fewest problems. But life's challenges are not
always found in difficult jobs. As I have learned, they will sometimes
spring up in the most innocent of tasks.

A few years ago I fashioned my career as a musician around various odd jobs,
many of which were offered to me by my friend Jeff, a real-estate broker.
Jeff always seemed to have a small job that fit both my schedule and his
desire for cheap and quick labor.

Some of these jobs required inventiveness, like the time I painted the
inside of one of his houses where the tenants had moved, but their dog's
fleas remained. Plastic garbage bags slipped over my feet and taped above my
knees worked reasonably well as a defense against the fleas, given the
limited leaping ability of the tiny critters. But I ran out of ideas when
confronted with painting the baseboards, and I had to resort to chemical
weapons. Always ask about animals when taking a job.

When I delivered a new refrigerator to one of Jeff's rental houses, I
introduced a new rule for my truck: always tie things down. I instituted
this rule halfway in the delivery trip when in my rear-view mirror I watched
a full-size fridge execute a perfect back-flip dive.

But perhaps the biggest challenge I've encountered was digging some holes
for a fence I was building at Jeff's house. He had tired of tracking down
his dog, a Samoyed of great wanderlust, and asked if I would build a fence
around his waterfront home. The project seemed well suited to my tools and
abilities at the time, so I agreed to start the next day. My survey, layout
and construction progressed smoothly, though the sandy soil slipping through
the post-hole digger presented a small challenge. Soon I had all the posts
and the rails planted. Next came the gatepost, which I planned to install
next to the house.

I began to dig, but after I got down maybe 2 ft., I was startled by a
sudden, loud pop as a small flame sparked from the bottom of the hole.
Having already dug two dozen holes that day, I recognized this as being
abnormal hole activity. I saw nothing in the hole, so I continued and
plunged the digger into it one more time. Again a loud pop with smoke and
flame. This my poor brain was unable to digest, so I decided to get a second
opinion.

My friend Kim, another musician-cum-handyman, was doing some interior
painting that day. So I went inside to fetch him to witness this strange
affair. I directed him to stand over the hole as I thrust the digger down.
Again the hole spit fire and smoke. "I don't know what it is, Mike," he said
as he jumped back. "But I sure wouldn't dig a hole there if I were you." As
I stood there scratching my head wondering how to move a hole, Kim went
inside. He returned a moment later and said his power tools and the
household appliances no longer worked, which meant I had probably found...

Electricity, at least in my experience to that date, had always entered a
house from overhead; buried lines seemed somehow unsafe. Suppose it rained,
and the roads flooded? Kim and I went inside to scan the phone directory
under Electricians, Goofball Repairs A Specialty, where we also discovered a
free service for locating buried lines called, oddly enough, Mis Quik. So,
good construction engineer that I was, I made a belated call to them and
then knocked off for the day, leaving Jeff to cope with the electricity
problem.

Jeff called the electric company that afternoon, but the repair crew did not
arrive until 1 a.m. As Jeff showed the workers the hole and explained my
problem with the gatepost, they obliged by putting a neat loop in the
service wire around where the post should go and then filled in the hole.
But they asked what had happened to the fellow that dug this; he severed a
220v service entrance line, and the humidity should have been just enough to
make a good connection. Did he survive?

I still have the post-hole digger, with three quarter-sized bites taken off
one blade. But the real shock that day wasn't where I was digging, but how.
You see, to bind the loose, sandy soil as I dug, I had used the garden hose
to water down the dirt in the holes. But at least I knew that when standing
in soggy mud, if something strange spits fire at you from a hole in the
ground, you don't reach in with a hand but poke it with a sharp stick
instead.

-Michael Brubaker, Savannah, Ga.

From Fine Homebuilding 79, pp. 130


  #12   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 539
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!

"William Wixon" wrote in message
...

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...

-snip-


I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.

This is all you need. Works great and isn't that
expensive...

http://www.maximmfg.com/NewFiles/fence-post-driver.html


Yes! This purely beats a sledge and it's easy to make if you can
weld.

The professional approach would be to rent an auger post hole digger,
drill holes, insert sonotube, plant posts, backfill with concrete. The
holes need to go below frost line. That'd be 4 feet here, don't know
about Yonkers.



jeez, yonkers, i wonder if you'd have to call that "buried utilities"
number.

i always remember this story from fine homebuilding magazine, their funny
back-pages "great moments in building history" column.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/depa...?nterms=106878

i was going to scan the article but thank goodness they've now got a free
online archive of "great moments in building history" articles very funny
stuff (and thank goodness they had the "fire in the hole" article).

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/How-...channel=3&cp=0

i scanned the illustration that went with the article though (it's not
present in their online archive, the illustration adds a nice touch to the
article.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~wwixon/fhfebmar1993.jpg

(exactly how i picture "existential angst" in my mind's eye.)


Heh, mebbe the urban version...

Or, mebbe the urbane version??
With less pointy elbows.
And an ornery territorial cat instead of the cute dog.

NYC has instituted big fines for contractors that damage infrastucture.
Hopefully, there's not a lot a stuff going on, underground. Electrics are
overhead, and gas and water are elsewhere, so I should be OK.

I think our frost line is 36-42", altho I'm not really too worried about
that.
Esp. with gorebal warming.
--
EA






b.w.



Fire In the Hole
Great moments in building history: Digging usually never leads to fire
by Michael Brubaker
Among the many skills that must be mastered by a jack-of-all-trades,
digging a hole would seem to pose the fewest problems. But life's
challenges are not always found in difficult jobs. As I have learned, they
will sometimes spring up in the most innocent of tasks.

A few years ago I fashioned my career as a musician around various odd
jobs, many of which were offered to me by my friend Jeff, a real-estate
broker. Jeff always seemed to have a small job that fit both my schedule
and his desire for cheap and quick labor.

Some of these jobs required inventiveness, like the time I painted the
inside of one of his houses where the tenants had moved, but their dog's
fleas remained. Plastic garbage bags slipped over my feet and taped above
my knees worked reasonably well as a defense against the fleas, given the
limited leaping ability of the tiny critters. But I ran out of ideas when
confronted with painting the baseboards, and I had to resort to chemical
weapons. Always ask about animals when taking a job.

When I delivered a new refrigerator to one of Jeff's rental houses, I
introduced a new rule for my truck: always tie things down. I instituted
this rule halfway in the delivery trip when in my rear-view mirror I
watched a full-size fridge execute a perfect back-flip dive.

But perhaps the biggest challenge I've encountered was digging some holes
for a fence I was building at Jeff's house. He had tired of tracking down
his dog, a Samoyed of great wanderlust, and asked if I would build a
fence around his waterfront home. The project seemed well suited to my
tools and abilities at the time, so I agreed to start the next day. My
survey, layout and construction progressed smoothly, though the sandy soil
slipping through the post-hole digger presented a small challenge. Soon I
had all the posts and the rails planted. Next came the gatepost, which I
planned to install next to the house.

I began to dig, but after I got down maybe 2 ft., I was startled by a
sudden, loud pop as a small flame sparked from the bottom of the hole.
Having already dug two dozen holes that day, I recognized this as being
abnormal hole activity. I saw nothing in the hole, so I continued and
plunged the digger into it one more time. Again a loud pop with smoke and
flame. This my poor brain was unable to digest, so I decided to get a
second opinion.

My friend Kim, another musician-cum-handyman, was doing some interior
painting that day. So I went inside to fetch him to witness this strange
affair. I directed him to stand over the hole as I thrust the digger down.
Again the hole spit fire and smoke. "I don't know what it is, Mike," he
said as he jumped back. "But I sure wouldn't dig a hole there if I were
you." As I stood there scratching my head wondering how to move a hole,
Kim went inside. He returned a moment later and said his power tools and
the household appliances no longer worked, which meant I had probably
found...

Electricity, at least in my experience to that date, had always entered a
house from overhead; buried lines seemed somehow unsafe. Suppose it
rained, and the roads flooded? Kim and I went inside to scan the phone
directory under Electricians, Goofball Repairs A Specialty, where we also
discovered a free service for locating buried lines called, oddly enough,
Mis Quik. So, good construction engineer that I was, I made a belated call
to them and then knocked off for the day, leaving Jeff to cope with the
electricity problem.

Jeff called the electric company that afternoon, but the repair crew did
not arrive until 1 a.m. As Jeff showed the workers the hole and explained
my problem with the gatepost, they obliged by putting a neat loop in the
service wire around where the post should go and then filled in the hole.
But they asked what had happened to the fellow that dug this; he severed a
220v service entrance line, and the humidity should have been just enough
to make a good connection. Did he survive?

I still have the post-hole digger, with three quarter-sized bites taken
off one blade. But the real shock that day wasn't where I was digging, but
how. You see, to bind the loose, sandy soil as I dug, I had used the
garden hose to water down the dirt in the holes. But at least I knew that
when standing in soggy mud, if something strange spits fire at you from a
hole in the ground, you don't reach in with a hand but poke it with a
sharp stick instead.

-Michael Brubaker, Savannah, Ga.

From Fine Homebuilding 79, pp. 130




  #13   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 12,924
Default Stockade fence posts -- metal content indeed!


William Wixon wrote:

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...

-snip-

I myself will proly just use an 8# sledge, some wood on the top, and an
extree pair of hands to hold/level/guide the post as I bang away.

This is all you need. Works great and isn't that
expensive...

http://www.maximmfg.com/NewFiles/fence-post-driver.html


Yes! This purely beats a sledge and it's easy to make if you can
weld.

The professional approach would be to rent an auger post hole digger,
drill holes, insert sonotube, plant posts, backfill with concrete. The
holes need to go below frost line. That'd be 4 feet here, don't know
about Yonkers.


jeez, yonkers, i wonder if you'd have to call that "buried utilities"
number.

i always remember this story from fine homebuilding magazine, their funny
back-pages "great moments in building history" column.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/depa...?nterms=106878



http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/departments/great-moments/my-14000-lamp.aspx?nterms=106878
is a better fit to this group. ;-)


--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Metal vs. wood fence posts Zz Yzx Home Repair 22 November 8th 18 04:36 AM
Stockade fence, boards shrinking? mm Home Repair 16 September 1st 09 05:30 AM
Metal fence posts: Critique HeyBub[_3_] Home Repair 17 October 6th 08 12:19 AM
Fence posts with metal pipe last longer? peter Home Repair 20 March 9th 08 08:59 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:50 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"