Fun at work

[wroughtn_harv]

They punched in about two thousand feet of t posts in the bottoms. The clay down there is a bugger bear. Just imagine a clingy personality that's stubborn and generally uncooperative. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I've found out that a gallon of water properly placed works wonders. That's why you see the hundred gallon propylene tank full of water cinched down on top. When that clay gets all icky poo sticky doo I shoot in about a gallon of water and it's like a divorce decree. We go our separate ways. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

A six foot hole is three times better than a four foot one, you have my personal guarantee.

Fella asked the other day why we were digging the holes so deep down there in the bottoms. I pointed out that the four foot ones someone had set some years back hadn't done so well. Besides that, we could, republican side of me, darn.

 

[ELMO67]

That's sorta like the definition of " indecent"- that's when it's in all the way. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jrlichina]

Harv.

Question for ya. Seeing that you're the fence "master" what is your method of lining up and setting your posts? You must have a special save time and get it right way. Thanks!

 

[Inspector507]

His eyeball.............. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Jerry's right, it's all done by eye.

Where it gets fun is going up and down with grade besides staying in line.

I set for grade and line by eye. That saves a ton of time when it comes to building the fence.

A crew used to working together that does it by eye can lay out and set a job ready to build by the time the other guys get the knots out of their string.

Now I work by myself, no crew. I also have this attitude. In fencing as in most things in life attitude handicaps you, sometimes something fierce. In my case it's severe impediment to speed. I'm sorta like a good mule. Don't push me. If you think this speed is bad wait until you get the other one.

 

[jrlichina]

Ok so you just eye it up. But what/how to keep the posts in proper position while the concrete sets? How many do you set at once? I'd think if you're just eyeing them you wouldn't set too many.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I generally place the concrete in eight to twelve posts at a time. Then I go back and pull them up for height and align them in a straight line.

Keep in mind I get four posts to a nine cubic foot mixer load. That comes out to about twelve posts to a cubic yard. My holes are usually at least thirty nine inches to three and a half feet deep and twelve inches across.

Even using schedule forty two inch pipe (2 3/8" O.D.) like I am on this latest job there is no problem with the concrete supporting the post after you've aligned it while it hardens.

I don't know what you call many. A chainlink fence crew that's good will lay out, dig, and set to grade anything from six hundred to a thousand feet of fence in a day's work. That's two foot deep holes by six inches wide and mixing the concrete in the wheelbarrow as they go.

Back in the old days four of us, two foreman and two helpers, laid out and set a half a mile of six foot chainlink fence in one day. One crew started at one end and the other at the other end. When we were done you couldn't tell who did what or where we met. It was a good day.

Every now and then you will find an old boy who will have worked with a mason or a framer who worked by eye. They will confirm that the eye is better than just about anything else for making things true.

You might find this interesting. http://www.worldfencenews.com/articles/lucci0103.pdf

 

[wroughtn_harv]

One of the really fun things to do in life is going back to see how things worked out over time.

This morning I got to do just that.

This was a project covered in pages nine or so of this thread.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

It's funny how time can be so generous with somethings and really mean with others. It does seem to enjoy aged iron and stone especially.