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Old 07-23-2009, 02:13 PM   #35 (permalink)
rvaitor
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Nashville, TN / Hickory, NC
Posts: 405
Default Re: Lasting Non-toxic Fence Posts..Do They Exist?

Quote:
Originally Posted by patrick_g View Post
Concrete posts are not hard to make.

1. Cut a plastic pipe in half lengthwise.
2. Reassemble with hose clamps.
3. Plug the bottom end with a wooden plug with holes to hold rebar
4. Fill with concrete
5. Rod with a spare length of rebar to remove trapped air. (alternatively smack form with a hammer or vibrate it B_U_T don't get carried away as you don't want to separate out the aggregate from the mix.
6. Cap the top hole with a holed cap to hold the rebar in position.

Some additional thoughts:

1. Add a plasticizer water reducer to the mix to get a very mobile easy flowing mix without having to add extra water which will lower the strength.
2. Keep the rebar two or more inches from the outside of the form. (if you overlap/splice rebar overlap it at least 25 times the diameter of the rebar)
3. Don't put rebar near the center of the assy as that rebar will hardly do anything for strength/stiffness (bending resistance) Three or four rebar in triangular or square pattern is good. rebar position can be maintained by tieing with stiff wire.
4. Do the math... this is a 6 inch or larger diameter post.
5. you can put waterproofer in the mix if you want the post to last for your grandkids grandkids.
6. You can bore holes in the forms (right angles to long axis) and insert smaller plastic pipe to accept cables, sucker rods, barbed wire or ... if you want really neat appearance.

After the mix sets up sufficiently to not be harmed by removing the forms you remove the hose clamps and peel off the plastic pipe to reuse over and over.

Oh, the little pipes to make wire ways through the posts... they need to be split lengthwise on one side, not cut in two like the big pipe. They can be driven out of the post with a drift and a hammer and reused.

Another nice touch is to add concrete dye to the mix and get a much better looking post.

Pat
Great Post. and posts.

My father in law built his own concrete post about 40 years ago and they are still going strong. Here is what I think are his instructions, but I am liking your scheme as well. I still have the forms he used in my shed but haven't taken on building any yet.
Attached Thumbnails
lasting-non-toxic-fence-posts-fencepost.jpg  lasting-non-toxic-fence-posts-fencepostattch.jpg  
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Concrete Post0002.PDF (665.2 KB, 68 views)
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