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I Learned This Labor-Saving Trick for Installing Fence Posts in Concrete—Without Having to Use Water
Brains, not brawn
By Rain Noe - Oct 18, 2018
Enter a caption (optional)As I learned during the construction of my dog-fenced run, erecting farm infrastructure is a combination of hard work and clever labor-saving tricks.
Enter a caption (optional)The fence is 300 feet long, with thirty 4x4 posts set ten feet apart, welded wire stretched between. Sherman, the fellow I hired to put the fence up, was raised on a farm and has built things his entire life; and though he's now in his 70s, he dug 20 post holes in a fraction of the time it took me to dig the remaining ten.
Enter a caption (optional)We set all 30 posts into the 24" deep holes, ensuring they were plumb as we filled the remainder of the holes with Quikrete. But getting water to each of the holes was going to be a challenge, as the house the fence is attached to has no hose connection. I could fill buckets at the other house on the property and carry them over to the post holes, but that would be a slog, particularly since the fence is built on hilly ground.
Sherman explained that we wouldn't be carrying buckets of water to each hole, nor buying a hose extension.
"But doesn't the concrete need water to set up?" I asked.
"Yes it does," he agreed.
"So how are we going to get the water to the holes?"
"Wait for it to rain," he said.
Two days later there was a thunderstorm, which handily filled each hole and mixed with the concrete. Afterwards Sherman checked the posts to see if they had shifted any, and tapped a few of them this way and that while the concrete was still wet. Then the posts set up, and now they're rock solid.
Subsequent rains washed the local soil over the top of the concrete, and the grass has already grown back in around it, making the concrete invisible.
Rain Noe
Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.
9 Comments
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This might work for posts, but this is not going to result in strong concrete. Concrete doesn't just dry; it requires a specific ratio of water to cure. Water doesn't percolate through concrete mix in a way that gives the whole mixture the optimal ratio of water to cement.
And for those who don't know, let me reiterate: concrete is not the same as cement. Concrete is cement + aggregate. For details of what could go wrong from not understanding how concrete works, see the book (or listen to the audiobook) Stuff Matters by Mark Miadownik.!Report as spam-
Amen.
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Have you seen this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sp5MU9AL14
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$12 80lbs bag of concrete $4.50
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Since it foams, you need far less of it to fill the same volume.
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I can tell that you're REALLY from the city because you called it "local" soil.
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This is old news. Been doing this for ever. Usually the ground is moist enough you really don't need to wait for rain.
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"wait for it to rain" ... love that! :-)
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:-0
That is so simply clever.!Report as spam
Continued Reading
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By Rain Noe - Oct 17, 2018
Off-Road Problem Solving: How to Free Your Stuck Vehicle Using a Spare Tire, or a Polyester Sling
A fifth tire or the Deadman Earth Anchor can get you out of a jam
This unattributed photo of a stuck off-road motorist has been making the internet rounds. As you can see, the driver has dug a hole, wedged his spare tire in there with his jack and is using it as a winch point to pull himself out. If you're in a situation
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By Rain Noe - Oct 16, 2018
Different Design Solutions for Clearing Clogged Gutters
The wide variety of approaches indicates no one has cracked the problem yet
Experimental design evolution is a fun thing to watch. I'm talking about that early stage, when multiple unrelated parties are all trying to solve the same problem--but taking wildly different approaches, ranging from clever to cockamamie. One such problem, I've discovered, is how to clean debris out of a high
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By Rain Noe - Oct 10, 2018
Industrial Design Students: You Should Build This Combination Light, Shelf and Power Unit For Your Dorm Room
Remember: You're not one of those losers in Graphic Design, Architecture or Fashion
As I mentioned in our post on ID student dorm rooms, your dorm should look vastly different than that of other majors', as you should be hacking the heck out of that space, given your education and facilities access. Two areas where standard dorm rooms always fall short is
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By Rain Noe - Oct 09, 2018
Rural Design Solutions: An Inexpensive DIY Anti-Roosting Feature
It's no Urban Design Observation, but whaddaya want from me, I live on a farm now
This is one of my dogs, Kit. He is a Shiba Inu. Cute, sure, but he's still a dog, and dogs are natural-born killers.
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