Making holes - more advice

 


Janet's Metpost thread reminded me that I really need to put a couple of
gateposts in myself.  Thought I'd start a new thread for it rather than
hijacking hers.

My soil is even more stony than Janet's (or I suspect, anyone's!) and I am
fairly sure that the bottom of the hole actually needs to be below the
point where the gravel starts to join up into large chunks and may even
count as bedrock.  The stone is cacky splintery stuff, but no way can you
get a spade in more than one spade's depth, and that is horrible enough.

Is my only option to hire a pneumatic drill?  Can they be operated by
normal people or do I need to hire a man wearing earmuffs too?


Victoria

--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

 

On Thu, 19 May 2005 10:52:49 +0100, Victoria Clare


I'd be thinking about concrete posts in that situation. They don't
need to be set as deep - you can make the holes wide rather than deep
and the stones and rock join with the concrete you use for the post
base.  My substantial close-boarded fence is now on its 3rd
incarnation on concrete posts which have not moved in about 35 years.
They're not slotted, but drilled for the arris rails to be bolted to
them. When we had it replaced about 10 years ago the contractors
wanted to remove the concrete posts and use wooden because the bolts
had rusted in.  I refused to let them.  No way would wooden posts last
like concrete.
.

 



Oh, that's an intriguing idea - very cunning!

I really only need two posts though, which seems like rather a small job to
get a fencing contractor in for.  They are for a gateway in an informal
hedge to which I need to fit a decent height gate - 6 foot or so.

Can you buy concrete posts and get them delivered?  Would they be portable
by only 2 people?

Victoria

 


Yes, try a local builders merchants, delivery may well be free, or local
fencing etc. suppliers.


Yeah, The chap that did the fence behind our old house did by himself (6
foot fence). Ok he was used to doing this, but two should manage it ok.

If you do want to brake up the rock under the soil I would look to using
a electric breaker rather than  pneumatic drill
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson,

 



You can make them easily enough with four boards, some reinforcement and
a bag of cement and some aggregate. Make the posts in-situ so that the
form part of the surround/support.

Arrange for fixing bolts by drilling holes in the boards and passing a
dowel right through - before you tip the concrete in.

Screw the boards together rather than nail them, or you could break the
concrete if you take them off before it's cured.

Or you could mix with polymer instead of water, and it'll be hard enough
to hang a gate on in half an hour.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/