Slightly OT: Rotton wood in concrete

May 19, 2013 30 Replies

Myself, I'd go rent a Concrete Wet Saw and buy a diamond blade, and slice a neat 1' square out of the concrete slab. Then jack out the old footer, refill with concrete and a steel socket for a wood post.

Or better, a steel socket for a steel mailbox post - you don't have to worry about rot, but cars and trucks do take them off at the dirt every so often, and you don't want to do things over.

For extra credit, you put rebar on the backside of a 9" square of Hot-Rolled Plate and cement that in level and a bit proud of the surface. Then you get a big truck coil spring and tack that down to the steel plate, and mount your mailbox post on another chunk of plate on top of the spring. The mailbox will give a little.

And if the socket gets messed up (or they snap the spring) you can get out the Blue-Point Wrench and fix it. Warm it up to red and massage it back into shape with a cheater bar and a hand sledge. Or slice it off level about 1/2" above grade, and weld on a nice new square piece.

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$50 auger? I pay so little for auger bits that a quarter..$0.25 is too much.

Hell..for $50 Ill sell you this set.

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I've got several "adjustable" auger bits I've picked up at yard sales foe between 1 and 5 dollars each. Some are kinda nasty - ideal for risky jobs like that.

Oh, I don't see any risk of hitting concrete at all.

Just a certainty.

Horror Freight has an auger set for $16 on their web page, I'll look around and see if there's anything better.

On May 19, 2:47 pm, Tim Wescott wrote:

Exposed wood posts embedded in concrete WILL rot, if you don't give water a way out. Water just collects in that concrete pocket and the wood starts rotting. I see a lot of that around local housing developments that are 5-10 years old, the fence posts are gone at the ground level. Some yards have more fence props than pickets left(didn't use galvanized nails, either). If you're going to redo it the same way, I'd strongly suggest a layer of sand at the bottom, followed by some crushed rock for drainage, then stick your post on top of that and fill around it with rock and cap with concrete. Or, put your metal sleeve in and fit the post so it's plumb, then concrete. Sleeve should have an open bottom or you'll get both rust AND rot. As to what's better, romoval of just the post or the whole concrete mess, that depends on what it is. A fence post I'd completely dig(or yank) out and redo it, same with a mailbox post. If it's stuck in a finished concrete floor or driveway, you might be able to drill out most of the rot, poke some holes in the bottom of the pocket for drainage and carry on. Given the poor quality of pressure- treated lumber these days, I'd tar the whole bottom of the post where it's going to be covered and maybe a ways above the concrete, too. Or just concrete the hole, put in some anchors and install a metal post with a flange to bolt it down. Just depends on what you're trying to support.

Stan

Not since the art of lumber-frame house building has blossomed again.

Pop that onto eBay for $30 + shipping with the words "American made" and Timberframe/Timber Frame" and watch it blossom to $90 overnight, mon. Seriously! There are cycles, but the high cycles are wonderful for tool sales.

No s*it? Ill check into that. Ive got a bunch of bits and braces.

Gunner

Whenever a woodworking guru mentions something on their woodworking show on teevee, all the newbs flock to the Web to buy that item used on eBay. I believe they're the biggest cause of cycles in tool prices on the Net nowadays.

I like the free listing of the sellers' first 50 items eBay is giving nowadays (but hate their final fees, which include shipping!) and have made several hundred dollars recently from listing old project stuff I didn't get around to finishing. I've usually tripled my investment. Craigslist & eBay are superb ways of getting buyers for your junque. Just Do It!

Also, because my bank offers free checking accounts, I set one up specifically for PayPal use. It secures my meager bank account from the ravages of said entity, should they get funny on me.

I got 5 messages on my phone..text messages...from wierd email addresses since I put the ads on at 4am this morning. Including the infamous "will you hold it until the check clears, then ship it?"

Only one guy has called...and Ive sold stuff to him before.

We want to buy from your company. What is the URL, and do you shop to the Philippines?

Ebay USED to display the bidder's ID. Now, it is a code that doesn't match your account name, and legitimate second chance offers come through the Ebay messaging system.

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