I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

On 09/10/2014 9:12 AM, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because
I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder,
and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

I'd suggest if can't find a loaner from a friend/neighbor/acquaintance
to just buy one of the cheapies from HF or the like and plan on
reselling it when you're done (if you don't find it useful enough to
just keep)

--

"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a
cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I
cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting
to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also
have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

=================

My father made quite a bit of concrete in a large wheelbarrow with a
shovel. IIRC he mixed the dry ingrediants fairly well before adding
water.

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:15:16 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a
cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I
cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting
to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also
have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

=================

My father made quite a bit of concrete in a large wheelbarrow with a
shovel. IIRC he mixed the dry ingrediants fairly well before adding
water.

I built a concrete patio that way when I was 14. It was 10 feet by 16
feet, and (nominally) 4 inches thick. It took me four days, if I
recall correctly.

I do not recommend it for anything that large. To stabilize a
basketball net or to make a base for rocks around a garden, it's OK --
I still do it that way. I've used the same method for my ferrocement
experiments.

But for anything large, it's backbreaking.

BTW, a big mortar box is better, because the wheelbarrow is too high.

--
Ed Huntress

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 09:14:48 -0500, dpb wrote:

On 09/10/2014 9:12 AM, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a
cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I
cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting
to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also
have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

I'd suggest if can't find a loaner from a friend/neighbor/acquaintance
to just buy one of the cheapies from HF or the like and plan on
reselling it when you're done (if you don't find it useful enough to
just keep)

Or look on Craigslist for someone who's just done that.

I don't know if it's just a Hawaii thing, but in one "This Old House"
episode they bought concrete where you picked it up at the plant in a
mixer-trailer, then brought the trailer back when you were done.

If it's a BIG job, it may be cheapest to just have a concrete truck come
out.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:15:16 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a
cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I
cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting
to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I
also
have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

=================

My father made quite a bit of concrete in a large wheelbarrow with a
shovel. IIRC he mixed the dry ingrediants fairly well before adding
water.

I built a concrete patio that way when I was 14. It was 10 feet by
16
feet, and (nominally) 4 inches thick. It took me four days, if I
recall correctly.

I do not recommend it for anything that large. To stabilize a
basketball net or to make a base for rocks around a garden, it's
OK --
I still do it that way. I've used the same method for my ferrocement
experiments.

But for anything large, it's backbreaking.

BTW, a big mortar box is better, because the wheelbarrow is too
high.

--
Ed Huntress

I've heard that in some parts of New Jersey you can see cement mixers
used as contractor-chic lawn ornaments.
-jsw

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:49:58 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:15:16 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a
cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I
cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting
to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I
also
have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

=================

My father made quite a bit of concrete in a large wheelbarrow with a
shovel. IIRC he mixed the dry ingrediants fairly well before adding
water.

I built a concrete patio that way when I was 14. It was 10 feet by
16
feet, and (nominally) 4 inches thick. It took me four days, if I
recall correctly.

I do not recommend it for anything that large. To stabilize a
basketball net or to make a base for rocks around a garden, it's
OK --
I still do it that way. I've used the same method for my ferrocement
experiments.

But for anything large, it's backbreaking.

BTW, a big mortar box is better, because the wheelbarrow is too
high.

--
Ed Huntress

I've heard that in some parts of New Jersey you can see cement mixers
used as contractor-chic lawn ornaments.
-jsw

It's confined mostly to people who are connected. If you see a pair of
rubber molds alongside of the mixer, shaped like huge boots, that's
what it is.

--
Ed Huntress

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:49:58 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:



I've heard that in some parts of New Jersey you can see cement mixers
used as contractor-chic lawn ornaments.
-jsw


Just last week I tried to convince my wife that we needed a cement
mixer and that this one would be a nice lawn ornament when not in use.
She's skeptical.
http://maine.craigslist.org/tls/4642527190.html

--
Ned Simmons

stryped fired this volley in
:

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

What's the matter with doing it the way 'short jobs' were done for many
decades? Use a mortar box (which you can build with plywood and some
2x6s, and a mixing hoe (A LARGE hoe with two holes in the blade to aid in
mixing the mud).

I still do 1/4-1/2 yard jobs that way, and I'm "an old guy". You won't
find me mixing a full yard with a hoe; too much work. We have a local
'small job' company that sports a 3-1/2 yard mixer truck.

Lloyd

stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because
I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder,
and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

by the time you come up with a way to mix it thoroughly and handle/dump
it, you could easily buy a small used one or even a new one from HF
Item #67536 3 cu ft $199.99 Grab a 20-25% off coupon and take it home
for 150+tax.
Will make mixing MUCH easier. Clean it well after each use, grease it
good and toss a tarp over it when not in use and you can expect it to be
there as long as you need it.

--
Steve W.

Either a box and a mason's hoe, or buy a mixer. I got a decent used one
for $50 and $10 or so in gas money via craigslist - otherwise the
new/plastic jobbies are pretty cheap new (and pretty cheap, in the "not
to be confused with inexpensive" sense, but probably more reliable than
whatever silliness you are contemplating with a 55 gallon drum.)

The box and hoe can be quite effective if you learn to use them
correctly.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a
fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement
mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all
these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer
along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete
edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would
be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer
would work?

Any help is appreciated!

Contractor's wheelbarrow, and a mixing hoe. I've mix a lot of small batches
in one.

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 2:14:11 PM UTC-5, Ecnerwal wrote:
Either a box and a mason's hoe, or buy a mixer. I got a decent used one

for $50 and $10 or so in gas money via craigslist - otherwise the

new/plastic jobbies are pretty cheap new (and pretty cheap, in the "not

to be confused with inexpensive" sense, but probably more reliable than

whatever silliness you are contemplating with a 55 gallon drum.)



The box and hoe can be quite effective if you learn to use them

correctly.



--

Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

I did not realize there was a certain way to mix it in a box. I assumed you just turned everything over with a shovel until it looked consistant. Sort of like you do with pre mix.

http://www.amazon.com/Scepter-04239-.../dp/B000BPK766

stryped fired this volley in news:080e95b2-6268-
:

Sort of like you do with pre mix.


That's not how you do it with pre-mix, either. You use a wheelbarrow or
mortar box and a mixing hoe. In a box, it takes little time to mix two
80-lb bags of Portland and aggs that way. You'd never fit more than two
80s of pre-mix in a wheelbarrow, and still get it mixed properly.

Despite the nay-sayers, it's still good practice to follow 6-6-6-6. Six
bags (80s) of Portland per yard, six gallons water per bag, six percent
entrained air (by proper mixing), and six days wet cure. You'll get
3000psi mud that way, every time. Past six days of wet curing will
improve the early strength, but not enough to notice for hand-jobs.


Lloyd

fired this volley in news:c9907210-27e5-4d9c-a6e1-
:

http://www.amazon.com/Scepter-04239-.../dp/B000BPK766

Nice toy. I have one for mixing pyrotechic compositions, but it's nigh-on
to useless for any concrete job. Seven gallons is just a shade less than a
cubic foot of mud, and you can't fill the OddJob mixer full, or it doesn't
mix.

Lloyd

On 10/09/14 20:08, Steve W. wrote:
stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because
I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder,
and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

by the time you come up with a way to mix it thoroughly and
handle/dump it, you could easily buy a small used one or even a new
one from HF
Item #67536 3 cu ft $199.99 Grab a 20-25% off coupon and take it home
for 150+tax.
Will make mixing MUCH easier. Clean it well after each use, grease it
good and toss a tarp over it when not in use and you can expect it to
be there as long as you need it.

I'd go with buy the mixer and sell when done with. It won't take a big
pour and the materials would cost more than a new mixer, at least here
in the UK and they're available quite cheaply these days, so I guess you
really need to work out the volumes of concrete you need to mix and the
materials cost before you start and see if you want to hand mix or use a
mixer. Having a mixer takes the hard work of mixing out and the largest
I've done was 8' x 8' and about 3" thick for a shed base, moving the
material into position was more work than loading the mixer, which did
the hard work, which was then poured out and my neighbour gave a hand
raking it into position between pours and final tamping to level. I
would ask friends and relatives if they have one to borrow as I now have
2 concrete mixers which were given to me free and I wasn't even looking
for one. One I changed the belt on and the other needs the belt
tightened but other than that haven't cost me more than a belt, both
are currently out on loan doing work for a friend and a neighbour. both
are UK made Belle mixers so decent kit used by most small builders here
and spares readily available if ever needed.

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:49:58 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:



I've heard that in some parts of New Jersey you can see cement
mixers
used as contractor-chic lawn ornaments.
-jsw


Just last week I tried to convince my wife that we needed a cement
mixer and that this one would be a nice lawn ornament when not in
use.
She's skeptical.
http://maine.craigslist.org/tls/4642527190.html

--
Ned Simmons

Oooh, who could resist that? It cries out for a hit-and-miss engine to
run it.

Doesn't she appreciate that the uncompromisingly functional designs of
the 1930's are recognized as legitimate ART?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieselpunk

Around here the status lawn toy is a backhoe or loader.

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:12:21 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

You can mix concrete with a hoe or shovel in a bath tub, or other
receptacle. People did it for years and are still doing it. Use your
shovel as a measuring device and shovel in the required shovel full's
of cement, sand and gravel and add a little water and start mixing.
Strive for the least water you can use to get a mix that is as strong
as possible.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2014 07:10:20 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:12:21 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

You can mix concrete with a hoe or shovel in a bath tub, or other
receptacle. People did it for years and are still doing it. Use your
shovel as a measuring device and shovel in the required shovel full's
of cement, sand and gravel and add a little water and start mixing.
Strive for the least water you can use to get a mix that is as strong
as possible.
I've mixed many a yard (or meter) of concrete in a wheel barrow for
jobs that didn't warrant getting the 3 point hitch mixer mounted on
the tractor, as well as for jobs after I left the farm.t's good
exercise!!!

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:06:47 +0100, David Billington
wrote:

On 10/09/14 20:08, Steve W. wrote:
stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because
I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder,
and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

by the time you come up with a way to mix it thoroughly and
handle/dump it, you could easily buy a small used one or even a new
one from HF
Item #67536 3 cu ft $199.99 Grab a 20-25% off coupon and take it home
for 150+tax.
Will make mixing MUCH easier. Clean it well after each use, grease it
good and toss a tarp over it when not in use and you can expect it to
be there as long as you need it.

I'd go with buy the mixer and sell when done with. It won't take a big
pour and the materials would cost more than a new mixer, at least here
in the UK and they're available quite cheaply these days, so I guess you
really need to work out the volumes of concrete you need to mix and the
materials cost before you start and see if you want to hand mix or use a
mixer. Having a mixer takes the hard work of mixing out and the largest
I've done was 8' x 8' and about 3" thick for a shed base, moving the
material into position was more work than loading the mixer, which did
the hard work, which was then poured out and my neighbour gave a hand
raking it into position between pours and final tamping to level. I
would ask friends and relatives if they have one to borrow as I now have
2 concrete mixers which were given to me free and I wasn't even looking
for one. One I changed the belt on and the other needs the belt
tightened but other than that haven't cost me more than a belt, both
are currently out on loan doing work for a friend and a neighbour. both
are UK made Belle mixers so decent kit used by most small builders here
and spares readily available if ever needed.
There is a "small batch"
mixer that you just roll around on the ground - looks like a 15
gallon barrel

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:24:10 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:06:47 +0100, David Billington
wrote:

On 10/09/14 20:08, Steve W. wrote:
stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own
concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I
need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have
a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because
I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am
wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder,
and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that
would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a
mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

by the time you come up with a way to mix it thoroughly and
handle/dump it, you could easily buy a small used one or even a new
one from HF
Item #67536 3 cu ft $199.99 Grab a 20-25% off coupon and take it home
for 150+tax.
Will make mixing MUCH easier. Clean it well after each use, grease it
good and toss a tarp over it when not in use and you can expect it to
be there as long as you need it.

I'd go with buy the mixer and sell when done with. It won't take a big
pour and the materials would cost more than a new mixer, at least here
in the UK and they're available quite cheaply these days, so I guess you
really need to work out the volumes of concrete you need to mix and the
materials cost before you start and see if you want to hand mix or use a
mixer. Having a mixer takes the hard work of mixing out and the largest
I've done was 8' x 8' and about 3" thick for a shed base, moving the
material into position was more work than loading the mixer, which did
the hard work, which was then poured out and my neighbour gave a hand
raking it into position between pours and final tamping to level. I
would ask friends and relatives if they have one to borrow as I now have
2 concrete mixers which were given to me free and I wasn't even looking
for one. One I changed the belt on and the other needs the belt
tightened but other than that haven't cost me more than a belt, both
are currently out on loan doing work for a friend and a neighbour. both
are UK made Belle mixers so decent kit used by most small builders here
and spares readily available if ever needed.
There is a "small batch"
mixer that you just roll around on the ground - looks like a 15
gallon barrel

They're a PITA, too. I made a mortar hoe with a Greenlee punch and
found that it was still too much effort to use. I now use a simple
soil cultivator (3-tine pointy-toothed rake) and it slides through the
dry and wet concrete very easily. The helper I hired for the 135' of
fencing I put up last week was very happy with how easy it was to stir
the mix with that thing. (Amazon 4-tooth version)
http://tinyurl.com/o7g9nvs I use those in the large black tubs, which
are getting too hard to find. Most are extruded, and all the corners
are super thin lately. (HD tub) http://tinyurl.com/p37jaes

--
Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and
wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.
-- Henry George

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 09:14:48 -0500, dpb wrote:

I'd suggest if can't find a loaner from a friend/neighbor/acquaintance
to just buy one of the cheapies from HF or the like and plan on
reselling it when you're done (if you don't find it useful enough to
just keep)

Second this! Borrow, buy used or buy cheap. I bought a used one nearly
30 years ago that still runs fine as of last year. Wheelbarrow and a hoe
are too much work!

Unless you have a young and strong helper, pay the few extra cents for
60 LB bags. Much easer to lift and pore in the mixer than 80 LB. Home
Depots near me keep 60 LB inside and the 80 out front. Explained that
too many people would buy the 60 then load the 'wrong' one
intentionally.
--
William

On 9/10/2014 11:15 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...




My father made quite a bit of concrete in a large wheelbarrow with a
shovel. IIRC he mixed the dry ingredients fairly well before adding
water.

I recently poured a 3ft x 6 ft slab. I mixed 3 or 4 batches in a wheel
barrel and dumped them into the form. On the last batch I didn't need
to much so I only used 1/2 of a bag. I had trouble in the area of that
last pour. I could not get it to float, I had stones at the surface
where I made the last dump. It could have been me, but I have done
several jobs and am especially proud of the last ramp I made, no stones,
I broomed the surface, and use it daily, looks great.
When you mentioned mixing the "dry ingredients fairly well" It added
to my thought that maybe the 1/2 bag was more stone than cement and
that's why I couldn't get it to float.
Anyway, next time I will throw away a 1/2 bag of concrete I added
water to, instead of a 1/2 bag that hardened in the bag :-)

Mikek

Use a shovel, it works great and it a great exercise.

i

On 9/10/2014 9:12 AM, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

Just go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap mixer. When done, scrap the
metal and keep the motor. Some of those last if kept painted on the
outsides.

55 gallon drum of concrete - 1/2 rock and 1/2 sand and cement is to
heavy to move about. Most people can't handle a wheelbarrow.

Consider if not a cheap mixer, then a 1/2 bag roll-a-round plastic
bottle that has fins in side...

Martin

On 9/10/2014 3:03 PM, wrote:
http://www.amazon.com/Scepter-04239-.../dp/B000BPK766

I wish I had a hill with all down slopes... Never have to carry it up
to roll down to mix.

I think after a while this could be a bear and maybe a bad back pushing
it around.

Martin

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:12:21 AM UTC-5, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.



Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?



I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?



Any help is appreciated!

Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? Maybe using a 4x8 plywood sheet and 2x6's for the sides making a box to mix everything?

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:46:01 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:12:21 AM UTC-5, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.



Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?



I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?



Any help is appreciated!

Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? Maybe using a 4x8 plywood sheet and 2x6's for the sides making a box to mix everything?

A plywood sheet with 2 x 4s to frame it is a very common kind of
homemade mortar box. The last couple of jobs I did used that setup,
with a shee of plywood that was 4 feet square.

Whatever you use, get it down low enough that you can work it with a
hoe and/or shovel (I use both, alternately) without reaching up to get
at the mix.

I hoe the ingredients together; flip the pile over with a shovel; and
then hoe again. Once everything is mixed dry, further hoeing will only
tend to separate it.

I add water slowly, working it with both hoe and shovel, making sure
it's absorbed all of the water before adding more. When it's 100%
mixed, with no dry cement or aggregate visible, you're done. Adding
more water at this point with only make for weak concrete.

--
Ed Huntress

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:46:01 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:12:21 AM UTC-5, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.



Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?



I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?



Any help is appreciated!

Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? Maybe using a 4x8 plywood sheet and 2x6's for the sides making a box to mix everything?
7 cubic feet is a lot of concrete to hand mix in one batch and get it
consistent. And you would have about 3 inches of concrete in a tray
that big with all the moisture being sucked out by the plywood.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:16:52 -0400, Ed Huntress
wrote:

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:46:01 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:12:21 AM UTC-5, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.



Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?



I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?



Any help is appreciated!

Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? Maybe using a 4x8 plywood sheet and 2x6's for the sides making a box to mix everything?

A plywood sheet with 2 x 4s to frame it is a very common kind of
homemade mortar box. The last couple of jobs I did used that setup,
with a shee of plywood that was 4 feet square.

Whatever you use, get it down low enough that you can work it with a
hoe and/or shovel (I use both, alternately) without reaching up to get
at the mix.

I hoe the ingredients together; flip the pile over with a shovel; and
then hoe again. Once everything is mixed dry, further hoeing will only
tend to separate it.

I add water slowly, working it with both hoe and shovel, making sure
it's absorbed all of the water before adding more. When it's 100%
mixed, with no dry cement or aggregate visible, you're done. Adding
more water at this point with only make for weak concrete.
And it is a lot easier to do it in a 4X4 square 6 inches deep than a
4X8 3 inches deep. In the big steel wheelbarrow I think we did pretty
close to 1/4 yard when we were mixing "in situ" where we didn't need
to wheel it too far.
1 big bag (94 lb - 1 cu ft) in a 1-2-3 mix makes just under 1/4 yard
(6 cu ft) of concrete and we did 1 bag batches.

On 9/12/2014 12:46 PM, stryped wrote:
Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? ...

That seems like a pretty big batch to me. 1/4 yd is about 7 cu ft and
that would weigh 1000 lb. I'd start MUCH smaller, to get the feel of
it, before trying to do 1/4 yd.

Bob

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:25:09 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

On 9/12/2014 12:46 PM, stryped wrote:
Is it possible to mix say 1/4 a yard of concrete that way at a time? ...

That seems like a pretty big batch to me. 1/4 yd is about 7 cu ft and
that would weigh 1000 lb. I'd start MUCH smaller, to get the feel of
it, before trying to do 1/4 yd.

Bob
standard strength is about 3300 lbs per yard - so about 820 lbs. But
yes - it IS a pretty good sized batch - about 8 feet of 40" sidewalk
3" thick - or about 6 feet of gutter in the dairy barn when we were
putting in the stable cleaner.

We used the mixer for that job - and I shovelled all the gravel twice
- once out of the pit into the trailer, and once into the mixer. The
next summer it was the hog stable floor and about 1500 square feet of
manure yard. The summer I turned 14 I knocked out all the box stalls
with a sledge hammer and the gutters in the dairy stable, then mixed
the concrete and filled the cribbing the boss hab built.
The next summer it was the manure yard and the hog stable floor, and
replacing half a dozen or more beams under the hay-loft - over the
stable (big old bank barn - about 100 years old) with 12" square
elm-about 14 feet long IIRC. (Dutch elm disease was killing all the
big elms in the woodlot - and we had some BIG ones) Winter weekends
were spent cutting the limbwood with the 40" circular saw belted to
the old 44 Massey and splitting it with an axe. Gotta be well below
freezing to split rock elm or the axe either bounces or sticks.!!!

Wow - Those Harbor freight ones are more robust than the 40 year old
sears one I got third hand Dad to little brother to oldest brother - aka
me. I saved it from rusting to death and checked the motor and such.
Now for it to really work. Projects planned. I painted it
with Steel grade paint. Might last.

Martin


On 9/14/2014 10:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:12:21 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

Sure...Ill give you the best help you are going to get.

http://www.harborfreight.com/http-ww...7536-html.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-1-4-q...xer-91907.html


When you are done..sell em on Craigslist for $125-150

Its far far cheaper and easier than anything you are going to brew up.


Or go right to the source....

http://www.searchtempest.com/

Enter your zip code, "cement mixer": and how far you are willing to
drive.

(examples only )

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/tls/4666657237.html

Cement mixer - $100 (SB Mesa)
image 1
image 1image 2
Looks ugly but runs great. We just used it to mix 80 bags of mortar
with no trouble. The blue tape is just to keep it from rattling. You
can see the patio in the background we used it for. You will need a
truck to get it home.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...662580798.html

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/4666318613.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/for/4662456829.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/4666325631.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/for/4665507208.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/4664010686.html

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/tls/4666901395.html

etc etc etc....

Or...gasp...you could...could...RENT one!!

Gunner

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child,
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
PJ O'Rourke

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:12:21 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

Sure...Ill give you the best help you are going to get.

http://www.harborfreight.com/http-ww...7536-html.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-1-4-q...xer-91907.html


When you are done..sell em on Craigslist for $125-150

Its far far cheaper and easier than anything you are going to brew up.


Or go right to the source....

http://www.searchtempest.com/

Enter your zip code, "cement mixer": and how far you are willing to
drive.

(examples only )

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/tls/4666657237.html

Cement mixer - $100 (SB Mesa)
image 1
image 1image 2
Looks ugly but runs great. We just used it to mix 80 bags of mortar
with no trouble. The blue tape is just to keep it from rattling. You
can see the patio in the background we used it for. You will need a
truck to get it home.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...662580798.html

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/4666318613.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/for/4662456829.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/4666325631.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/for/4665507208.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/4664010686.html

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/tls/4666901395.html

etc etc etc....

Or...gasp...you could...could...RENT one!!

Gunner

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child,
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
PJ O'Rourke

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 18:23:29 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:49:58 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:



I've heard that in some parts of New Jersey you can see cement
mixers
used as contractor-chic lawn ornaments.
-jsw


Just last week I tried to convince my wife that we needed a cement
mixer and that this one would be a nice lawn ornament when not in
use.
She's skeptical.
http://maine.craigslist.org/tls/4642527190.html

--
Ned Simmons

Oooh, who could resist that? It cries out for a hit-and-miss engine to
run it.

Yes!!! Yes!!!!


Doesn't she appreciate that the uncompromisingly functional designs of
the 1930's are recognized as legitimate ART?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieselpunk

Around here the status lawn toy is a backhoe or loader.




"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child,
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
PJ O'Rourke

Martin Eastburn on Thu, 11 Sep 2014
21:44:24 -0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On 9/10/2014 9:12 AM, stryped wrote:
I have some projects at home for which I am wanting to make my own concrete with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and of course water. I need a fair amount of concrete but not all at one time. I don't have a cement mixer and it would be a pain to rent one every time because I cant do all these projects in one day or even a weekend. I am wanting to pur a footer along my driveway to make a brick boarder, and I also have some concrete edging I want to make.

Is there anything without too much trouble I could fab together that would be relatively in expensive?

I wondered if a 55 gallon drum and a tractor post hole digger for a mixer would work?

Any help is appreciated!

Just go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap mixer. When done, scrap the
metal and keep the motor. Some of those last if kept painted on the
outsides.

55 gallon drum of concrete - 1/2 rock and 1/2 sand and cement is to
heavy to move about. Most people can't handle a wheelbarrow.

Mix it in the wheelbarrow. Use a rake or hoe.

Consider if not a cheap mixer, then a 1/2 bag roll-a-round plastic
bottle that has fins in side...

There are, I think, flexible plastic 'barrels' which are meant to
be used to mix small batches of concrete in places where a powered
mixer is not an option.

--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although more often, Age travels alone."

I had the same problem, plus no truck. I figured out how to use a Trash Can to mix 90 bags of concrete in three different pours. I hope this video helps other folks in my situation.

https://youtu.be/AWtSHloyNYI