April 17, 20224 yr Nice church keys Blue! Yes, you need to beat more HOT steel on her and put a good shine on her face! She'll love you for it. Frosty The Lucky.
April 18, 20224 yr Still focused on cleanup (which is going very well), but I did take a few minutes to make a bowsaw out of some scraps of conduit. The balance isn’t great, but it lets me out to use a perfectly good metal-cutting bandsaw blade that snapped on me while it was still brand-new.
April 18, 20224 yr I pick up wood cutting bowsaw frames and mount the hacksaw blades in them. Not shop work but I used a 6# sledge to drive a bunch of T posts for a fence around my wife's raised beds. Luckily it has a nice short handle so I can swing it one handed while standing on a step ladder and holding the pole. I did have to remind my wife to stay out of the "oops zone" a couple of times.
April 18, 20224 yr Word to the wise. Be careful, a missed blow will send you flying off that ladder if your reflexes aren't quick enough. I used to pound in 14' street sign posts for tall cucumber fences. I made a post pounder after picking myself up off the ground.
April 18, 20224 yr I made a too heavy post driver when Deb and I were putting fences up for the goats. It was WAY better than trying to use a sledge even made getting the post plumb before driving it. Slip it on the post, stand it up and balance it. They do NOT need to be heavy to drive posts, you have to lift them to make a strike after all. Frosty The Lucky.
April 18, 20224 yr Some years back, a friend gave me a nice post pounder that I briefly considered turning into a tuyere. Fortunately, practicality (and sanity) prevailed.
April 18, 20224 yr Post pounders are your friend. The 3 inch diameter driver has been around ever since I can remember, and has handles. The 2 inch ID x 32 inches long one (no handles) is the go to when ever a T post needs put into the ground It is suggested that ear protection is used with both.
April 18, 20224 yr I used a sledge hammer for years until I got those tall posts. I have a lot of scars from learning the hard way.
April 18, 20224 yr I always pounded posts in with a hammer as well till I got a post pounder in a lot at an auction. I learned they make life Way easier and safer when pounding in posts. Simple to make really. The one I got was home made. I did make my own t post remover after looking them up and prices, I decided to make my own and it works well. Done the old wiggle pull, wiggle pull method on posts enough when I was younger.
April 18, 20224 yr Wiggle-pull is bad for your back... jacks work good and a hi'lift is the best. It's got a big tongue for wrapping a chain around. Edited April 18, 20224 yr by Nodebt Correct spelling error
April 18, 20224 yr I’m lazy, When I need to drive t posts or steel pipe in ground, I use an engine powered driver lol
April 18, 20224 yr I made a T post puller that works a treat but a little heavy sort of like the driver I made. <sigh> On the upside the puller has a C shaped business end that fits around the post, it's on a lever arm a few inches from a lever a few feet long on the other side of the fulcrum and you can slip in a length of pipe for those stubborn posts. Frosty The Lucky.
April 18, 20224 yr I pulled them from the last place using a chain wrapped over the bottom section and run over a steel wheel from a pickup to the trailer hitch on my truck...Any bending is addressed by my screwpress.
April 18, 20224 yr Randy, that tractor is waaaaay to clean! you need to drive it through some cow pies and mud!
April 19, 20224 yr Realized I have a demonstration to do this Saturday and Sunday, and I have no inventory. Well, I really don’t have to sell anything, but I do end up making a lot of leaves for the crowd. I thought a story board could help explain what I’m doing. So, that is what I made today. There not perfectly matching and had to bend the one step to fit the board, but I got some practice in and it should get the idea across. I’m thinking I may leave it at the group forge, we’re often teach newcomers the steps… Keep it fun, David
April 19, 20224 yr Good lookin' story board on the leaf makin' process. As to post pulling I use my li'l ford tractor, and a chain.
April 19, 20224 yr Goods, are you starting out with a pointed piece of angle iron? The top of the story board picture is a little fuzzy. Thx, GNM
April 19, 20224 yr George, no, I started with 1/2” square and only showed the 1st step as a blunt taper. I feel like I skipped a few steps at the end though… David
April 19, 20224 yr Nice Massy ya got there Iron. My loader tractor is a Massy also...a 44. Goods, where is yer demo? Someplace north of ya? Dave
April 19, 20224 yr Dave, no, due east in Vernon, Indiana. It’s at the Vernon Group IBA satellite’s home forge. The Sassafras Tea Festival (with a civil war reenactment) is the event and the forge site is right at the edge of the festival. David
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