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Author Topic: Building a fence......  (Read 4670 times)

AmbulanceDriver

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Building a fence......
« on: September 13, 2010, 01:57:51 PM »
So, one of the projects on the "honey-do" list around Casa De AD has been to improve the fence between us and the neighbor....  They're good neighbors, it's just that their game room faces our bedroom, and so the late night get togethers with the open doors tend to focus the sound right at our room....

The current existing fence is just a 4 foot wire fence.  The escape artist (min-pin mix) had yet to figure out that he could jump over that height.  We didn't want him to figure that out.  And the rest of our yard has a 6 foot cedar fence around it....

So guess who is getting to put up 76 feet of cedar fence????

We were pretty fortunate in that my brother-in-law had a bunch of retired cedar power poles (he works for one of the local utilities) milled into rough cut 4x4, rough cut 2x4, and 6 foot fence boards (dog eared, even!) that were left over from building the fence around his house...

So yesterday, went over to the local big-box store with the orange aprons and rented a gas powered post hole digger. 

Problem 1)  this thing powered through the first, oh, 8 inches of soil.  and then hit some of the hardest clay I've ever seen in my life.  We're talking so hard a 5 foot pry bar jammed into it breaks through maybe 3/4 of an inch.   

Problem 2) the cutting edge of the auger on this thing is so worn that it's pretty much flush with the bottom of the flat on the auger, and hence is doing little more than polishing the clay...

so about 3 1/2 hours later, I've got the 9 holes dug.  And I'm so tired I can barely move.

Today, went out and set the 9 4x4 posts in the holes, and filled said holes with concrete.  480 pounds of concrete....

Of course, the fence I'm building is on the opposite corner of the property from our driveway. 

Load 2 bags into the wheelbarrow, wheel it over to the fence.  Lather rinse repeat.  And lather rinse repeat.

There's a climbing rose over along the fence with our neighboor.  I've got more scratches on my arms and legs.......    Looks like I got thrown into a burlap sack with an angry cat....



Tomorrow, I get to set the horizontal 2x4's and start putting up the fence boards....




Gee...  I just love being a homeowner...
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roo_ster

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2010, 02:30:52 PM »
Every time I put in post holes, I swear I am renting the next-larger post holing machine.

This mean the next time I use the self-propelled hydraulic beast.
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41magsnub

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2010, 03:22:11 PM »
Just to keep this APS..  I recommend small shaped charges followed by cratering charges if necessary.
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makattak

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2010, 03:24:03 PM »
Quote from: 41magsnub on September 13, 2010, 03:22:11 PM
Just to keep this APS..  I recommend small shaped charges followed by cratering charges if necessary.

Sorry... something's lacking...




Oh, yeah... detcord.
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So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought

41magsnub

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2010, 03:25:10 PM »
Quote from: makattak on September 13, 2010, 03:24:03 PM
Sorry... something's lacking...




Oh, yeah... detcord.


No no no..  see, you link all the shaped charges together with detcord so they all go off at once!
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Fjolnirsson

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2010, 03:59:44 PM »
Sigh. I have 75 feet of cedar fence to do soon, as well. Had hoped to have it done months ago, but I broke both my feet, which put a bit of a crimp in my home improvement plans.... =|

I hope I have better luck than you have....
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2010, 04:40:47 PM »
I hand dug 20 post holes this spring

a couple encountered massive stones requiring a change of location

I dipped my post's end in charcoal & used moor oil...
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makattak

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2010, 04:46:54 PM »
Quote from: Harold Tuttle on September 13, 2010, 04:40:47 PM
I hand dug 20 post holes this spring

a couple encountered massive stones requiring a change of location

I dipped my post's end in charcoal & used moor oil...

Well you made me look up what "moor oil" is as it sounded quite cool.

(Incidentally, here's the #1 result for that Moor Lavender Body Oil)

Google indicates you probaby misspelled "motor oil", though. Disappointing.  :'(
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I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought

41magsnub

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2010, 04:50:26 PM »
When you did the concrete, did you mix it and pour/shovel around the posts or did you tamp it in dry and then soak with a hose?  I did the dry method on my cedar fence on the advice of my Dad and it worked great.
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roo_ster

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2010, 05:00:04 PM »
Both grandpas of mine liked to use explosives.  Both used them to make post holes.

This was back when you could get explosives cheap & easy for rural purposes.
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roo_ster

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AmbulanceDriver

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2010, 05:06:21 PM »
Tamp in dry, add water.  :)

And rooster, about half way through yesterday, I just about went back and rented this beastie:

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AJ Dual

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2010, 05:09:26 PM »
Pricey.. but these are worth every penny when you consider you don't have to dig any holes, rent an auger, or buy concrete.

http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/fencing/post-support/anchor-for-6inch-sq-wood-post-4pcs-model-t6-850/p-1392369.htm?cid=1307

It's how I did my fence, and I haven't had a problem. Although long straight runs without right-angle turns might have trouble with the wind over traditional hole and concrete construction. Shorter runs with turns in them will be very strong.

The upsides are you need less wood, because you don't need the 36" - 48" going into the ground, and less rot, because the posts are above-grade and in the holder instead.
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AZRedhawk44

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2010, 05:09:49 PM »
Quote from: AmbulanceDriver on September 13, 2010, 05:06:21 PM
Tamp in dry, add water.  :)

And rooster, about half way through yesterday, I just about went back and rented this beastie:



It's Wall-e!
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2010, 05:29:24 PM »
Quote from: makattak on September 13, 2010, 04:46:54 PM
Well you made me look up what "moor oil" is as it sounded quite cool.

(Incidentally, here's the #1 result for that Moor Lavender Body Oil)

Google indicates you probaby misspelled "motor oil", though. Disappointing.  :'(

sorry i meant moore oil

Its harvested from pretentious documentary film producers
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2010, 10:05:23 PM »
Quote from: Harold Tuttle on September 13, 2010, 05:29:24 PM
sorry i meant moore oil

Its harvested from pretentious documentary film producers

I thought that BOOR oil.
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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #15 on: September 13, 2010, 10:17:47 PM »
Last time I hit some ridiculously hard clay I had a mythbusters moment. So, out came the 1911 and I dump a mag of ball down the post hole. Most of them came back out of the posthole, went about 10ft in the air and landed mushroomed flat. Dirt unscathed. Next time I obviously need to get the Garand and run a clip of AP into the hole.  [popcorn]
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sanglant

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2010, 10:53:06 PM »
just remember to keep your head out of the way. [tinfoil]
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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2010, 10:59:36 PM »
Got me a little honey of a tractor (JD 955) and a three pt hitch mounted post hole auger...

Worth every penny when we put in a seawall at the lake place one winter (we had to drill a hell of a lot of holes for the upright crossties).

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Re: Building a fence......
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2010, 11:28:19 PM »
Quote from: sanglant on September 13, 2010, 10:53:06 PM
just remember to keep your head out of the way. [tinfoil]

Most of the time I do.

I've always been fascinated by the supposed non-standard WWII frozen ground foxhole. Dump a clip from a garand  into the ground, scoop out the mess, stuff in a block of Comp B, add detcord, presto foxhole.
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