u ed M

I ss ay 2 1 , 1 91 0 .

U . S D E PA RT M E N T
. O F A G R IC U LT U RE .

F A RM E RS
’
B U L LE T IN 40 3

TH E C O NSTRU C TIO N O F C O NC RETE

FENC E POSTS .

P RE P A R E D B % TH E O F FI C E O F

P U B LI C RO AD S .

WAS H I N GT O N
GO V ER N M E N T P R I N T I N G O FF ICE .

1910 .
 LETTER O F T RANSMITTAL .

U . S D E PA RT M E N T
. O F A GR ICULT U RE ,

O F F IC E O F P U B LIC RO A D S ,

Washi ngton , D . Feb r u a ry 2 5 , 1 9 1 0 .

SI R : I h av e the h onor to transmi t herewit h a manuscri pt entitled

The C onstruction of C oncrete Fence P osts The fencing i n of the
.

rights of way may properl y b e considered a ro ad p ro b lem Th e .

growing scarcity of lumber and i ts const ant increase in price have

m ade it necessary to turn to new materials and muc h success h as
,

follo w ed t he use of concrete for this p urpose I recommend th at .

’
t hi s manu scri pt b e published as a Farmers Bu ll etin .

Respectfully,

L W P A GE D i r ector
J
. .
, .

H on A M E S WILSO N
.
,

S ecr eta ry of A gri cu lture

.
 C O NT E NT S .

C omp ara ti v e a d vantag es of c on cre te an d wood en fenc e p osts

Materi al s for maki ng c on c re t e

San d .

Grav e l
C r ush e d r oc k

C e m en t
Mold s for l i ne p osts .

St e e l mold s
W ood en mold s
Mold s for s% uare p osts .

Mold s for tri angul ar p osts

O i l i ng th e mold s .

Reenforc e m en t
P r i n c i p l esi n v ol ve d
% i n d s of r een or c ef m en t
Gen eral re mark s
Th e c on c r e t e .

A pp l i an c e s u se d i n mi xi ng
Mi xi n g p ost b at ch
a si x -

P r op orti oni n g t h e i n gre d i ents

Mi xi n g b an k run grav e l -

Mi x i n g c rus h e d roc k or screened gravel

C on c r e t e p osts .

Mold i ng .

C ur i n g
B ui ld i n g th e f enc e
Se t ti n g th e p osts
Me th od s of at tac h i ng wir e
Stret ch i n g th e fen c i ng .

Li n e an ch ors

C ost of c on cr e t e p osts .

Mi sc e ll an eous p osts wh i ch may b e ma d e of c oncr ete

C or n er p osts .

Brac i ng p osts and b rac es .

Gat e p osts an d h i t ch i n g p osts

V i n e yar d an d arb or p osts .

W arni ng
40 3
 I LLU ST RA T I O NS .

Gan g mold for p osts wi th out t ap er

J
—
I

N Gang m old for p osts t a p eri ng on t w o si d es

J

O
O Gan g mol d for p osts t ap eri n g on al l si d es
l
'

A Mo d s for t ri angu l ar p ost s

Gan g mold for tri an gu l ar p osts
W
O

Q Sh owi ng e ff ec t of r een forc ement

Q Fool p roof sp ac er for r e en forc emen t
-
”

O
O Meth od s of att ach i ng f en c e wi re t o c on cr e t e p ost s .

D
Q Meth od of construc ti ng b rac k ets for b raci n g p osts
40 3
 TH E C O NSTRU C TIO N O F C O NC RETE FENC E PO STS .

M any th i ngs hav e contributed to make concrete one of the leading

bui ldin g materials of the d ay I t has shown i ts worth as a substitute
.
.

f or w oo d because o f i ts moderate cost its durabil ity the ease with , ,

whi ch i t i s hand l ed the wi de d istri bution of sand grave l and stone

, , ,

wh i c h enter into i ts compositi on and the tremendous growth of the ,

cement i ndustry I t has b een thoroughly tri ed and tested not o nly
.

i n laboratori es bu t also by years o f actu al u se by the U nited States

,

Government b y state agr i cultural colleges by rail roads an d stock

, ,

yards and by hundreds of farmers and i t has among other things

,
’

, , ,

p ro v ed s uccessful i n the constructi on of fence posts

-

C O M P ARAT I V E ADV AN TAGE S O F C O N C RE TE AND W OO DEN

F EN C E P O S T S .

As a m ateri al for the construction of fence p osts concrete has not ,

only very few of the d i s advantages and practical ly all of the ad v an

tag es of wooden p osts bu t it is al so superi or to timber in some
,

res p ects I n the fir st cost concrete posts may be more or less exp en
.

s i ve than the best wooden posts accordin g to the local ity This ,
.

de p ends u p on the t i mber supp ly the depos i ts of grave l an d rock an d

, ,

the ski l l exerc i sed b y the person making the concrete posts .

If manuf actu red as usu al and cured for three months co n crete ,

p osts are as good as the b est wooden p osts of the same size After .

three ye ars servi ce woo den p osts possess only from one third to one
’ -

h alf of the ir original stre n gth wh ere as concrete grows stronger with
,

age and needs no rep ai rs for ne i ther weather nor fir e i njures it U n

,
.

der ord i nary c i rcumstances good concrete posts will last forever ;
,

and even if a few i n the co u rse o f years should be broken by unusual

, ,

strains it i s che aper to replace these than to rep l ace an e tire fe ce

,
n n

of dec ayed wooden p osts with p osts of material w ith the s ame l ack of
d urabil ity .

m
0

C oncrete posts are attractive i n appearance becau s e of the u ni

f
f ormi ty of size an d color and b ecause of their durab i l i ty they e fect ,
,

a s aving i n gi ving gre ater life to the fencin g material u sed so that ,

th epermanent v al u e o f the p ro p erty is i ncreased .

40
6 TH E C O N ST RU C T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .

MAT E RI ALS FO R MA% I N G C O N C RE T E .

SAN D .

The s and to be u sed in maki ng concrete mu st abo ve all th ings , b e ,

coarse an d c l ean C o arse s and varyin g i n the size of the grains

.
, ,

i s g e n eral ly c l ean and dense and therefore p roduces a denser and

, , ,

strong er concrete than fin e light s and D rift s and makes very we a k

,
.

concrete while dirty s and we akens the mortar and often de l ays its
,

setting . T he diffi culties encountered i n makin g concrete are often

as cribed to the cement but more frequently t hey are due to the poo r
,

qu al i ty of s and The p resence of dirt i n the s and i s e asily as oer

.

t ain e d by rubbing a little in the p alm of the hand I f a li tt l e is .

emptied in a p ail of water the p resence of dirt w i l l be s h own by the

,

discolorat i on o f the water This can be d i sco vered also by fi ll in g a

.

f ruit j ar to the depth of 4 i nches with s and and then adding wate r
u ntil i t i s wi thin an inch of the to p After the j ar h as been well .

shaken the contents should b e allo w ed to settle for a co up le of ho u rs

,
.

The sand wil l s i nk to the bottom but the m u d whi ch can b e e asily , ,

recognized by its co l or wi ll f orm a disti nct layer on top of the s and

,

and above both wi ll be a clear de p th of water I f the layer of mu d .

is more than one half i nch in thi ckness the s and sho u ld not be u sed
-

unl ess i t i s fir st washed Lo am and clay may be washed o u t e i the r

.

on a wooden platform a wi re screen or i n an i ncl i ned V shap ed

“

-
, ,

wooden trough A small amount of clay i n s and for examp le 5 per

.
, ,

c ent does not decre ase i ts v alue f or use i n cement mortar prov i ded
, ,
'

that the clay i s not i n lump s I n f act for m ixtures le an i n cement

.
, ,

the clay seems to a dd dens i ty and strength D e p os i ts of good s an d .

are frequently found i n stre am b eds

”

GR A V E L .

Gravel , j u s t du g from the pit is someti mes, th o u gh very r arely

as , ,

f o u nd wi th the ri ght p ro p orti ons o f s an d and p e b bles The m i xture .

b est s ui ted f or concrete i s two p ar t s s and t o f our p ar ts p e b bles i n ,

whi c h all s i zes less than one f ourth of an i nch i n d i ameter are con
-

si dere d s and As there i s generally too m u ch s and for the g ra vel

.
,

i t i s advi sable to screen the sand from the gravel b y u s ing a scree n
wi th a mesh o f one fourth of an i nch and then to remix i t i n the p rope r
-

p ro p orti ons All p ebbles larger t h an 1 i nch sho u ld b e rej ected

. .

Gravel should contai n no decayed stone and sho u ld b e clean i n order ,

th at the cement may adhere to i t I f d i rty i t c an b e washed i n the .

,

s ame way as s and V al u ab l e de p os i ts of grave l are often to be fo u n d

.

in stre am beds val l eys and at the f oot of hills

, ,
.

40 3
 TH E C O N ST RU C T I O N OF CO N C RE TE F EN C E PO ST S .
7
C R U S HE D R OC % .

Th e b est cru shed stone for concrete i s that which is clean and hard
whi ch b re aks wi th a Sharp angu l ar fracture and to which mortai , ,

e as i ly adheres T rap gran i te and l i mestone are amo ng the best

.
, ,
,
wh i le the u se o f shale slate s andstones and very soft limesto nes
, , ,

should be avo i ded T h e largest stones allowable in the man ufacture

.

o f p osts are those 1 i nc h in d i ameter .

C rus h e d rock shoul d b e screened o n l y enough to remove the dust .

T h e sma l l p articles are no t a d etri ment bu t a decided advantag e , ,

Si nce t h e y re d uce the amo u nt of cement mortar required an d give to

th e concrete additi onal d ens i ty and strength H owever in propor .

,

ti o ni ng small p arti cles wit h a d i ameter less than one fourth of an

,
.
-

i nc h must be consi de re d as sand .

C E M E NT .

% i nds of ce ment
Th ere are two general kinds of cement on the
.
—

market natural ( somet i mes called R osen d ale or hydraulic ) and P ort
,

land T h e p rocess es o f manu f acture of bot h ki nds are well kno wn

.
,

and t here are no p atents to restra in any one from engaging i n their pro
du ct i on T h e se v eral manu facturers p u t ou t many b rands of each kind
.

wit h Sp ec i al names bu t all fall i n t h ese two classifi cations With

,
.

v aryi ng qu ali ties t h e p ri nci p al i ngredi ents of b ot h cements are the

,

same si li ca alum i na i ron oxi de and lime Natu ral cement as the
—

, , ,
.
,

name i mpli es i s a p ro duct d i rect fr om the earth wi th the variations

, ,

o f nature in t h e p ro p orti ons of its i ngredients I t i s b urned to a mod .

er a t e ly h ig h tem p erature and fr om th e resu lting clinker th e fi nely

,

p owdered cement i s gro u nd P ortland cement so named from its .

,

resem b lance to t h e qu arri ed stone of P ortlan d E ngland is a care fu lly , ,

p ro p orti oned m ixture wi th eac h i ngredient measured to give th e best

,

res u lts when com bi ned w i t h t h e o th ers Th e w h ole i s ground to a .

p owder w hic h i s b urned to a cli nk er at a very high temp eratu re and

,

aga i n ground to the fi ne cement O n acco u nt of i ts u ni formi ty relia . ,

b i li ty quic k de v elo p ment o f s t rength and c h ea p ness of cost P ortland

, , ,

cement h as p ractical l y dis p laced the natural arti cle on th e market .

H ere after all reference to cement will mean th e P ortland variety o nl y .

T h e scient ifi c tests o f cement are too complicated and too expe n sive
for t h e small cons u mer I n selecti ng a cement h e can do nothing
.

b etter t h an to c h oose some well kn own standard b rand g uara teed n -

,

to meet the stan d ard s p ecifi cati ons o f the Ameri can Society of C 1 v 1 1
E ng i neers an d the Amer i can Soc i ety for Testing M aterials .

The retail pri ce o f cement is some wh at dep endent u p on the demand ,

t h e fr e i gh t rates from the f actori es an d the quanti ty purchased ,

.

P r i ce quo tat i ons are made wit h t h e b arrel as the un 1t Four sacks o f .

95 p o u nds eac h make a barrel of P ortla n d cement .

403
8 TH E C O N STRU C T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .

S t orag e of c ement C ement must be kep t in a d ry p l ace protecte d

.
—

from the ground a n d ou t of danger of being wet by driving rains and

moisture laden drafts -
T h e following is a very good metho d of stor
.

in g cement U p on the floor Should be p laced woo d en b locks and

.

over these a loose b oard floor U p on this th e cement i s pi le d an d

.

t h en covered wi th a canvas or with roofi ng p a p er C ement once wet .

, ,

f orms lumps an d i s entirely unfi t for use ; b u t the lumps ca u sed by

p ressure in the storehouse must no t b e mi staken for cement that has
been wet and h as then formed i n lum p s Lumps caused by pressu re
”

are easi l y broken an d the cement i s p er fectly good .

W at er Th e last of the i ngredients forming concrete i s water and

.
—

any g ood tasting drinki n g water is suitable for thi s pu rp ose

-
.

M O LD S FO R LI NE P O S T S .

M o l ds for concrete line p osts are made of b ot h steel and woo d , an d

“ ” “ ”
are bui l t for single p osts or i n sets or gangs I n deci ding the .

size of the to p and bottom of th e p ost and consequ ently of th e mold , ,

one Should take i nto consideration the nat u re of th e ground i n w hi c h

t h e post wi l l be set A v ery loose soil requi res a post w i th larger ends
. .

and w i der Si des or a greater lengt h for dee p er sett ing in the ground .

A care ful observation of t h e smallest wooden p ost found satisfactory

w i ll help i n deciding the s i ze of the concrete post .

S TE E L M OLD S .

Th e pu rc h aser will fi nd many p atente d steel mold s on th e mark e t .

I t i s advisable to b uy a form Si m p le i n its general sha p e f or i n suc h a ,

mo l d the reenforcing can be p lace d more exactly wh ere it belongs .

Steel h as some ad v antages o v er woo d si nce i t is lighter less cumber , ,

some t o h andle and gi ves t h e p ost a neater fi nish and any shape
,

desired W h ere the ap p earance i s i m p ortant steel molds are to be

.
,

preferred to wooden Neigh bors often clu b togeth er when this i s

.
,

desirable in order to bu y steel molds and so economize in this expense

,
.

W O OD E N M OLD S .

Wooden molds good enough for ordinary demands are v ery easi ly
made White pine i s t h e best woo d for this p urp ose bu t a t t h e same
.
,

time i t is t h e most ex p ensiv e C h eaper kinds of lumber wh ic h are

.
,

easy to work wi th may b e u sed Molds made of 12 i nc h p lanks

, .
-
,

dresse d on b ot h Si des form neater p osts bu t ligh ter lumber may be

, ,

u sed i f the forms are well braced

, .

I n i mitation of t h e ma nn er i n whic h tree trunks grow concre t e p os t s ,

are usually made tapering in size from butt to top Wh ile this met h o d .

may add a litt l e to t h e appearance of the p ost and e ff ect a Sligh t

saving i n concrete this saving i s largely offset by the additional cost
,

40 3
 TH E C O N ST RU C T IO N OF CO N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
9
’
of t h e carp enter s work and of the lumber used in makin g the molds .

T he oret i cally th e ta p ering p ost h as a better desi gn t h an t he one with

,

stra i ght s i des bu t f or ordinary use one is as good as th e other

, .

I n maki ng t h ese molds dressed lumber planed from th e rough , ,

,
Sh ould b e used Th e p roper d imensions for ro u g h timber are 1 or 2
.

i nc h es t hi c k and 4 6 8 1 0 or 1 2 i nch es wide ; for dresse d lumber

, , , ,

th ey are or 1 3 i nch es thick an d 3 5 5 3 or 1 1 % i nches wide -

, , .

M O LD S F O R S QU A R E P O S T S .

Mol d s f or p osts t h at are squ are or nearl y sq u are i n cross section

ar e s i mple and easy to make Th ey are b u il t in t hree p atterns : ( 1 ) .

For p osts wi t h out tap er ; ( 2 ) for p osts t aper ing on t w o sides ; and (3 )
f or p osts taper i ng on all four Si des .

I n order to avo i d a s h arp irreg u lar edge neater p osts are made , ,

b y f asten i ng a narrow strip of canv as or leat h er on the insi de of the

Si de b o ard at t h e b ottom of the mold so t h at wh en t h e mold i s put ,

toget h er and t h e concrete p ost molded t h e corner of the p est will

b e ro u nded A s i m i lar e ffect on t h e u p p er s i de of th e post i s produced
.

“
b y us i ng a t rowel or an edger a s p ec i al tool f or round in g t h e —

c orners o f concrete walks or c u rbs C lay p lastered i n t h e corner .

o f t h e mold or wooden str i ps tacked to t h e s i deboards will answer

t h e same pur p ose Suc h strips m u st h owever b e as small as pos
.
, ,

s i ble or else t h ey wi ll crowd o u t m u ch concrete and thus cause the ,

reenforcement to b e located to o f ar wi t hin t h e post to o b ta in th e

b est res u lts O rd inari ly t h e reenforcement sh ould be pl aced wi thin
.

t hree f our t h s of an i nc h or 1 i nc h o f t h e o utside of t h e post

-
“

F or p osts w i t hout t aper The eas i est and c h eapest mo l d to make

.
—

i s t h e stra ig ht mold or one for a p ost whi ch does not taper Such
,
.

molds are merely long b oxes b uilt wi t h various sch emes for making
t h e mold in g of th e post a simp le matter O n acco unt of th e amount .

o f lumber s aved and the ease wi t h whi c h these molds are fi l led ,
“ “ ”
stra i gh t molds are general l y made i n sets or gangs by con ,

str u c t i n g s e v eral Si de b y si de w i t h a cont i nuous bottom and end

“ ”
pi eces F i gure 1 s h ows t h e p lan of a gang mold for mak ing six
.

p osts eac h of whi c h i s 7 feet long and 5 by 5 inches at both ends

,
.

O n account of t h e r i gi d method of construction a l l lumber used in ,

this mold wi t h t h e except i on of the 2 by 4 i n ch stringers may be

,
,
“ ”
l inc h dress ed b o ards
-
T he bottom i s of ship l ap cut to the d i
.

mensi ons i nd i cated on t h e dra wing and nail ed tightly to th e three

s t ri ngers .The end pi eces ( E ) a re made u p of one board each to
whi ch are n ai led blocks (B ) 1 i nch i n th ickness and 5 i nch es square ,

p laced so as to allow t h e s i de p i eces (S ) to Sl ip b etween t hem T h e .

end pi eces are hi nged to t h e b ottom wi t h strap hin ges ( H ) I n W t h ,

t h e fix ed pi n i s replaced by a loose pi n or a nail T hi s rrangeme t

a n .

allows t h e end p i ece to be removed at wi ll Shu tter h i ge or loose

n s .

357 1 0 B u ll 4 0 3 1 0
—
2 .
— —
 C O T RU C TI O N C O N C RE TE F E N C E PO ST S
.

N S
10 TH E
 TH E C O NSTRU C TI O N OF C O N C RE TE FE N C E P O ST S .
11

pin d oor b utt s of h e a vy wro u gh t i ron may also be u sed as hinges All .

th e Si de p i eces are al i ke and i nterc h angeable .

Th e form i s set u p ready for u se i n t his manner The end pieces .

are p laced i n p os i t i on by inserting t h e loose p i n of t h e hinges Length .

ened wagon rods (W) wi t h cran k nu ts (N ) at one end are dropped

, ,

i nto t h e slots (% ) and t h e s i de b o ards are th en p laced in t h e groo ves

,

(G) b etween t h e b locks on t h e end pi eces All t h e pieces are th en .

drawn toget h er b y t i gh ten ing the crank n u ts ( N ) The slots for these .

rods Sh ould b e f aced wit h an i ron s t rap and sh ould b e so centered th at

th e rods wh en t ig h tened wi ll l i e aga inst t h e Si des of t h e outer side
, ,

pi eces and act as st i ffeners for t h em Wi t h thi s arrangement by .

,

merely loosening t h e cran k n u t on t h e end of t h e rods wh en t he con ,

crete h as s uffi ciently set t h e en d and Si de pi eces may be removed

,

wi t h o u t d i st ur bi ng t h e p osts and p laced on a Similar bottom board ,

and anot h er b atc h o f p osts may b e made Th e fi rst b atch sh o ul d be .

le ft on th e b o t tom b o ard as wi ll b e e xp lai ned later on p ages 2 5 and 2 6

, .

B y anot h er met h o d t h e en d pi ece i s hinged to t h e b ottom like the

end gate o f a spr i ng wagon b ed an d t h e met h od of fasten i ng is the
,

s ame as generally u sed on spr i ng wagons s p ring elbow catches fas —

tened wi t h screws to th e s i de b oards an d flu s h wi t h t hem SO as to —

“ ”
allo w th e concrete to b e str u c k wh en t h e molds are fil led I f the .

molds are cons t r u cted i n t hi s way t h e o ut er si deboards Should be ,

made of 2 i nc h lumber -
.

F or post s t ap er i ng on t wo si des P os t s t ap ering on two sides are

—

p refera b le to t h e stra i gh t p osts i n some resp ects A satisfactory .

Si ze f or th i s st y le i s p rod u ced i n a mold 4 5 i nc h es dee p b y 6 inches

—

wi de at t h e b utt b y 4 s i nc h es a t t h e top an d 7 fee t long These

, ,
.

p osts may b e made more eas il y i n gang molds whi ch are buil t so as to ,

make t h e adj o i n i ng p osts lie but t to top By consi der ing t h at t he e n d .

p osit i ons of every p ost are reversed it i s p oss i ble to build t his style of,

mold according to the d i rec t i ons set fort h u nder straigh t molds ( ig F . .

Al l d i mens i ons for this mo l d Should be taken careful ly from

fi gure 1 .

F or p ost s t aper i ng on al l si des Sq u are p osts are al so made tapering

—

on all Si des A l i ne p ost of a sat i sfactory size may be obtained by

.

m aki ng the m ol d s 5 i nches dee p by 6 inches w i de at the b utt 3 in ches ,

dee p by 4 i nches wi de at t h e top and 7 feet long S ince all the butts ,
.

m ust b e p laced a t one end and all t h e tops at the other thi s arrang e ,

ment c a u ses the cont i nuo u s b otto m i n fi g ure 3 to be 1 foot wi der

at one end than at the other Th e vari at i on in the length of the i de
.
S

bo ards and of the m olded p osts i s however s o sl ig h t ( hard l lt

y '

, ,

fourth of an i nch at the greatest ) that no attention need be pai d to

l ett ers i n d i cat i n g th e vari ou s p ar ts are t h e sa me as nee d f or st rai h t mo
g ld s an d
.
a Th e
i n th e p aragraph d i scu ssi ng t h em .

40 3
 CO N STRU C TI O N OF C O N C RE E F E N
T C E P O ST S .

12 TH E
TH E C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
13
 M OLD S F O R T R IA N GU L A R P O ST S .

T riangu l ar m o l d s without a t aper are eas ily constr u cted i n sets

“ ”
or gangs O n account of their shape they m ay b e braced at any
.
,

poin t and as a result 1 inch bo ards may be used in the i r construct i on

, ,
-
.

I n fi gure 4 molds for three sizes of tri ang u lar concrete p osts are
,
.

Shown .Th e two b o ards are h i nged together at the en d s and qu arter
p oints on the bottom by ordinary 3 inch wr ought iron strap hinges - -

bent to confor m to the shap e of the m old and fastened with inc h -

screws .

Sharp corners on the fi n i shed post are so m ew h at O bj ect i ona b le ,

on account of their roughness and sharpness and the p ossib l e waste ,

‘

of material This undesirable feature is a v oi d ed b y p lac ing a wooden

.

tongue or stri p (T ) i n the botto m of the form as Shown i n fi gure 4 , ,

and by rounding the corners at the upper face ei ther wi th a trowe l or

an edger (see p .

Th e manner of su p porting and brac i ng the gang tr i angular m old is

Shown in fi gure 5 T hree 2 by 4 j oists ( ) shou l d be cut w i t h each
. J
4 feet Sg i nches in l ength Beginning at either end 3 3 inc h es should
.
,

be l aid off for the c l eated loc k piece (P ) m ade o f a 2 b y 4 inch bo ard
with cleats of stri ps 1 by 2 b y 3 3 inches Th e loc k piece la i d under .

the j o i sts as sho wn serves to bind them together T hen 1 % i nches

, ,
.

should be mar k ed off for the strip (U ) on the end bo ard 3 inches ,

for a hal f brace b l oc k ( b ) and afterwards 1 % i nch openings for the

,
-

insertion of t h ehin g ed Sidebo ards (S ) and 6 i nches f or the fu l l b race

bl oc ks (B ) unti l six posts are provided for with a hal f brace bl oc k
, , ,

strip etc at the other end The brace bloc ks (B ) are cut from
,
.
, .

scant l ing 2 by 6 inches T hey are 5 % inches deep and are 2 inches
.
,

w i de at the top and 6 inches at the b ottom where they are nailed
J
,

to the j oist ( ) .

T h e ends (E ) for t he mo l ds are made fro m 1 by 1 0 i nch bo ards

and are 4 feet 1 & inches l ong T hey are fastened at the botto m
J
.
,

S ide
, to the j oists ( ) by means of heavy l oose pin wrought iron ,
- -

strap hinges shutter hinges or door butts ( H ) and at t h e upper

, , ,

side wi th wagon rods (W) and wi ng nuts ( N ) or wi th elbow c atches

( see al so fi g U nt i l all of the m olds of the gang are p art i a l ly
.

fi lled w i th concrete i t i s so m etimes necessary to keep the m fro m

,

spread in g open at the center b y us ing a tie brace m ade from a 2

inch board with b l oc ks of 1 inch in th i c kn ess attached so as to fi t
the mo l ds when the brace is in place .

40 3
TH E C O N S T RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
15
16 TH E C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N CRE T E FE N C E P O ST S .

Wi th Sl ight changes Si mi l ar f orms may b e bui l t for med i u m and

,

l ight posts Tri angu l ar p osts t aper ing on all Si des can b e b uilt
.
%

but the m olds are diffi cu l t to construct and the a m ount of m ateri al
,

s aved is not worth the troub l e .

403
18 TH E C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N C R E TE FEN C E P O ST S .

This i s precisel y the c ase w ith the reenf orcemen t i n a concrete p ost .

Supported al o n g its l ength by the concrete the wir e (W) or steel in ,

o ther Shap es t akes up the ben di ng or stretchi n g strai n s Si n ce the .

lo ad w hich causes ben ding or stretchi ng may come from any dir ection ,

co n crete posts are reen forced on every side ; otherwise they might
break in a manner somewhat simi l ar to that i n which the woo den
post bends when the reenforcemen t is not on the prop er S ide of the
p ost.

I n the effort to be safe it is a common fau l t to insert more reen

forcemen t than is abso l utel y n ecessary T his adds need l ess l y to t he
.

cost of the p ost for concrete p osts become stronger as they grow
,

o l der .

% IN D S O F R E E N F O R C E M E N T .

With reg ard to the rou g hness of the outside met all ic reen forcing ,

material s are divided i n to two c l asses smooth a n d corrugated or ,

FIG 6
. .
—
h owing effect of reenforcemen t
S .

deformed Th e general resu l t of the man y tests c arried o n in t esting

.

laboratories seems to i n dicate that in stren gth of bo n d if the con ,

crete is su ffi ciently rich and well mixed smooth surfaces give s at i sf a c

,

tory results T w o kinds of reenforcement are much used b ars and

.
—

wir e.

B ars Round b ars three sixteen ths or one fourth of an i n ch in

— - -

diameter are the Size and ki n d most used in p osts T h e stock on .

hand at blacksmith Shops and hardware stores is gen erall y from steel
that stretches too easil y an d therefore is not t h e best for reenforce
ment C omp an ies which make a sp ecia l ty of reenforc ing m aterial s
.

can furnish both rods and b ars which stretch o n l y under very larg e
lo ads .

W i re T h e develo p ment of the wire fence has produced a materia l

—

well suited for reenforcin g p urposes O f equ a l size such wire wi l l.

,

p roduce a stronger p ost than the material described above S ingle .

40 3
 TH E C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
19

No 8 or two No 1 2 w ires t w isted are su ffi cie n t ly stro ng as reen

. .

forcement for ordin ary l i n e p osts I n o rder t o o bta in straig ht w ire .

O f the necessary le n g th the coi l s ordi n aril y p l aced o n the market

,

should not be straighte n ed out Straig ht w ire can be obtain ed .

from dea l ers in the same man ner as ba l ing wir e ; that is either singl e ,

or t w isted int o t w o or three p l y c ab l es an d of the l eng th des ired .

T h e p l ain u n galva n ized fe n ci n g w ire is the prop er ki n d for g al va

, ,

n i z a t i on adds nothi n g to the stre n gth and the meta l w i ll n o t rust w hen

i nc ased in the concrete .

Th e fo ll o w i n g t ab l e w i ll be co n ve n ie n t i n determi n i n g the size an d

weight of w ire desired for reenf orcement or for other uses :
S i zes an d w ei ghts o f w i re .

G uge
a . G aug e . G uge
a . G uge
a .

”
The f ool pr oof
-
a c er I n order that the ree nforceme n t may be
sp .
—

p l aced and kep t j ust where it be l ongs there is in use a l itt l e device ,

cal l ed the fool proof sp acer

-
I t consists of a No 1 0 w ire cut to. .
,

such length that when twisted once around each of the t w o reenfor c
,

i ng wir es or ro ds the ends wi l l near l y touch the sides of the mo l d

,

fi
( g. T h e dist ance from the t w ist to the e n d of the short w ire is
’

equ al to the dist ance from the reen forcemen t to the side of the mo l d .

I n triangular molds such a Sp acer can be used o nl y o n the t w o r o ds

or wires near the top of the mo l d A Shorter a n d simil ar device .
,

with o n l y one t w ist may be used on the l o w er reenforcemen t A t

,
.

least three sp acers Should be p l aced on each piece of reenforcemen t .

Sp acers on No 8 w ire w hich shou l d be p l aced three fourths of a n

.
,
—

i nc h from the inside o f the mo l d Shou l d be made from the fo ll o wing ,

len gths of w ire for the various sizes of trian g u l ar posts :

Len g th f
o wi r e f or p
s acer ( i n i n ches) f or tri a n gu la r p osts .
20 TH E C O N ST RUC TI O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E PO ST S .

Sp acers on No 8 wire for various sizes of square or near l y square

.
, ,

p osts Shou l d be made fr om the fo ll owi n g len g ths of wire

Len g th f
o w i re f or s p a cer (i n i n ches) f or s% ua re p osts .

F IG 7 . F oo lp
-
r oo f s p acer ”
for f
ree n or ce men t .

For larger or small er reenforcing a litt l e additiona l l ength m ay be

added or deducted Wh en the proper len g th has been determined
.
,

a nu mber O f spacers Shou l d be prep ared and s l ipped on the r e en for c

i ng iron by way of prep aration for p l acin g i t i n the m o l d This serves .

to hasten the wor k .

GE N E R A L R E M A R % S .

Reenforci n g hou l d be placed near the outside wall where it is

S
,

reasonab l e to expect that cracks wi ll open For reen force ment meta l .
,

Slight l y rusted is as good as m et al that i s not rusted i f not b etter

, .

I n placi ng the reenforcing rods i n position i t is a wi se precaution to

bend them b ack at the ends (fi g T his t a k es onl y a litt l e more
.

t i me but if it is done the reenforce m ent m ust be 2 inches long er to

, , ,

403
 TH E C O NS R T U C T IO N OF C O N C RE TE FEN C E P O ST S .
21

allo w t he
metal to b e turned b ack 1 inc h at each end of t h e post .

New b ar b ed wi re Sho u ld not b e p urchased for reenforcem ent for

,

whi le it c os t s m ore t h an p lain reen forcement t h e b ond b etween i t ,

an d t h e c oncre t e is no st ronger th an b etween s m oo th wi re and con

c rete . Th e d ang er se c ti on or t he p o i nt where p osts are l i ab le to

,

b rea k is a t t h e surf ac e o f t h e gr o u nd For fences for lots and other

, .

p laces wh ere p o st s m ay b e sub j ec t t o r u bbi ng an d crowding short ,

ex tra r e en f orc i ng pi eces 2 f ee t lo ng are so m et im es placed i n the pos t

t o la p t hi s d anger s ec ti on The c orner o f tri angular s h ap ed p osts

. -

wh i c h i s not neares t th e f enc e wire sh o u ld i n t h eory hav e h eavier , ,

r een f orce m en t th an e i t h er o f t h e o th er corners If ro d s t hree six .

-

t eent h s o f an in c h in d i a m e t er No 8 wi re or two twi ste d No 1 2 , .

, .

w i res are u se d i n t h e ot h er corners a ro d one f o u rt h o f an inch in

, ,
-

d i a m eter or two or t h re e tw i s t e d No 1 2 wi res sh o u l d b e p laced i n

, .
,

t he th rea t ene d corner .

TH E C O N C RE TE .

A PP LIA N C E S U S E D IN M I% IN G .

The mi xi ng b oar d The Si ze o f the mixi ng b oard de p ends on the

.
—

nu m ber of m en e mp lo y ed i n t hi s wor k and on the amo u nt o f roo m

av ai la b le f or p lac i ng t he b o ard i n p os i t i on So m et i mes a t ight an d .

even % oor i n a b u i ld i ng m ay b e used The steel Sheet fro m the plat .

f or m o f an old sel f bi n d er may b e u sed for a mixi ng b oar d b ut the

-
,

larger t h e b o ar d th e m or e con v e ni ent i t i s For two m en mixing the .

,

b o ard sh o u ld b e 8 by 1 2 f eet ; f or f o u r men 1 4 by 1 4 feet Th e fi rst

‘

.
,

Si ze i s u s u all y large eno u g h f or m a ki ng p osts I t should b e bui l t of .

match ed inc h b o ards free fro m knots drawn tigh tly together and
, ,

p laced th e Shor t way o f t h e p lat f orm so t h a t the mixers m ay shovel ,

wi t h t he crac k s and n o t aga i nst t h e m Th e framewor k sho u ld con .

si s t o f f our s can t l i ngs 2 b 4 i nc h es la i d t h e long wa y and w i th the

y , ,

t w o o u ts i de o nes o f s uffi c i ent lengt h to afford h andles for carrying .

Th e locat i on f or t h e b o ar d Sh o u ld be fi x ed b e fore the sand stone and , ,

grav el are u nlo a d e d A le v el s p ot wi th s uffi cient o p en sp ace con

.

v eni ent to the wor k an d if p oss i ble near t h e water s up ply sho u ld be
, ,

c h osen M. u c h h ar d la b or can b e s a v ed by locat i ng the m ix i n g board

l ow er th an the wa t er t an k and by si ph on i ng the water thro ug h a
garden h O se t o a b arrel or other recept acle at the mix ng b o ard i T h e .

b o ard should b e rai s e d on b loc ks u nt i l i t i s level , so that under the

w e i g h t of concre t e i t w i l l not s ag i n the mid dle I f water i s added .

gradu ally as i t Sh o u ld b e th er e wi ll b e l i ttle l i qu i d gro u t in g to run

, ,
.

I t i s b est h owev er t o n ail a 2 by 2 in c h stri p or a p i ece of by i nch 2 4

, ,

s cantl i ng aro u nd th e edges of the b o ard .

Runways I f i n whee li ng t h e m ater i als runway s are necessary

—

,
,
,

Shou ld
t h ey shou l d b e b uilt so that they w i ll b e s m ooth an d trong s .

403
22 TH E C O N ST RU C TIO N OF C O N C RE TE FEN C E POST S .

the runs b e over 2 feet above the ground 2 0 i nches is none too gr ea t ,

f or the ir wi dth Th e speed of the wor k dep ends u p on t h e rate o f

.

m ov ing t h e m ateri als and concrete .

Tool s O ne great a dv ant age in usin g concrete is tha t i t can b e

—

made w i t h th e in vestmen t o f very li ttle money in Special tools I f .

the few required a re no t alre a dy at h and f or ot her p urp oses the new ,

ones wil l serve in many differen t lin es a ft er t he concrete i s fi ni shed .

For m ixing i t is necessary t o h a v e from t wo t o fo u r squ are p ointed

,
-

,
“ ”
sh ort h andled p a ddy Sh o vels s iz e No 3 A co u ple of whe el b ar
-

,
. .

rows wi t h steel t ray s an d wi t h a ca p ac i t y o f 2 c ubi c fee t are c on v e n

i en t f or mo vi n g t h e san d st one an d concrete ,
I f wooden molds are
, .

“ ”
u sed a metalli c Si dewalk e d ger, wi t h a c u r ve of t hree e i ght hs o f
,
-

an in c h in t he rad iu s will ma ke nea t corners A corner trowel or

,
.
,

even an o r din ary t rowel will answer t he same pu rp ose fairly we ll

, .

Screens may b e ma de by naili n g i in c h and é inc h mes h wi re screen - —

ing 2 } by 5 feet to frames made o f 2 by 4 in c h lum b er

,
7
, .

The measur i ng b ox S ince constru ct i on wi t h concrete i s so eas y

.
—

many p e rs ons are careless a b o ut th e exact p roport i ons o f t h e cement ,

s and ,
an d gra vel or c r us hed ro c k to b e used in its com p os i tion but ,

thi s is a very i mportant p o in t T h e b ottomless b o x with h andles .

attac hed is a very u se f ul art i cle for t his pu rpose For p ost s a con .
,

veni ent meas u r ing un it i s a b o x wi t h an o p e n b ottom 1 2 by i 4 g an d

1 0 in c h es dee p meas u red on t h e ins ide
, Thi s b ox fi lled to th e top .
,

wit h t h e loose materi al and smoot he d le vel contains practically 1 ,

c ub ic f oot T h e in c hes in h e i gh t may b e marked wi t h brass t acks

. .

T hen Sin ce eac h in ch in h e i ght re p resents one tent h of a c ubi c foot

,
-

th e meas u rements are e as y I f on acco un t o f i ts Siz e t h e u se of t h is

.
, ,

b ox wo u ld b e too slow for meas u rin g t he s an d and gravel larger ,

b oxes or wh eelbarrows may b e gauged and u se d or ot her b oxes may ,

b e made on t h e same p ri nc ip le I t i s a very p oor practice to count .

sh ovel f uls as i t prod u ce s u nsa ti s f a c t o ry a nd e ven d angerous results

, .

M I% ING A SI% -
P O ST B A T C H .

The followi ng table gives app roxi mat e q u antities for a batc h of
concrete s u ffi ciently large t o ma k e six p os t s 7 feet long and of the
sizes name d in th e t a b le T h e q u an titi es m ay b e increase d in l ik e
.

pro p orti on an d any d es ire d n u m b er o f p os t s may b e made T h e .

fi rst o f t he t wo l ine s o f fi gu res given f or e ac h of th e three grades ,

heavy me di um an d light in di cates t h e p ro p ort i ons to b e u sed w h en

, , ,

the san d i s scre ened fro m t he gra vel T h e S econd l ine gives t he p ro .

portions w hen b ank run gr ave l i s u se d ; t h a t i s gra vel du g d i rectly

-

from a b an k wi t h o ut screen ing t h e san d I n t hi s case 1 p art o f .

cement to 4 p arts of t h e mix t u re o f san d an d gra vel Sh o u l d b e u se d .

40 3
 TH E C O N STRU C TI O N OF C O N C RE TE FE N C E PO ST S .
23

Quanti ti es o f ma teri a l a n d r esu l ti ng a moun t of con crete

f or a si x- p ost b atch .

T R I A N G U LAR P O ST S —
LE N G TH , 7 FEE T .

C oncre e t W at er
t pd
am e , for
cu b c i mi xing ,
C m ent
e S an d C em en t San d S ton or e feet 8 21 110 11 8
gravel
.
. . .
. .

R E C T A N G U LAR P O ST S —
LE N G TH , 7 FEE T .

P R O P O R TI O N IN G TH E IN GR E D IE N T S .

O n accou nt of the v ariations in the S ize o f the sand grains and in

the unfi lled sp aces b etween the p articles of san d stone and grave l , , ,

the qu antities of concrete made according to the proportions above

may be greater or less t h an those stated in the tab l es For the same .

reason the quantities o f water may or may not be su ffi cient to make

the concrete wet e no u gh Such matters with the experience gain ed
.
,

t h rough makin g a few batches may be e asily adj usted Water ,

.

Should always be measured b y the b ucket to have uniform results .

“
D ifferent pockets o f sand and gravel and different crusher r un -

rock vary in Size and consequent l y in the un fil led spaces or vo ids

between the grains or p ieces T his variation in theory call s for .
, ,

varying quantities of cement but the methods of determin in g the ,

exact amount of t hese unfi l led sp aces are so comp l ic ated and so open
to mistakes that wit h cement at its p resent low p rice it is cheapest
, ,

in t h e long run to adopt p ro p ortions or mixtures which are rich

enough to g uarantee a we l l made strong p ost I f unscreened bank
-

,
.

”
run gravel is decided upon it shou l d be used in the proportion ,

o f 1 p art of cement to 4 p arts of gravel For crushed rock or .

”
screened gravel ( w hich is much better than bank run grave l) the -

concrete Sh ould be used in the proportion O f 1 part of cemen t 2 ,

p arts of s and and 4 p arts of rock or grave l All measureme ts

,
n .

Should be made with the materia l poured l oose l y into the measurin g ,

box and the b ox when fu ll Shou l d be leve l ed Smooth

, , ,
.

T h e amo unt of m o i st u re in the sand grave l and stone var i es so , ,

m u ch with weather conditions that the quantity of water for a cub i c

m m
. .

foot of concrete can not be fi xed exact ly D urin g the i x g of .

403
24 TH E C O N STRU C T I O N oF C O N C RE T E F EN C E PO ST S .

th e cement w i th the sand and rock su ffi cient water sho ul d b e used ,

f or the concrete to b e we t eno u gh when t h e mixing i s complete t o , ,

t remble under a b l ow from the s h o v el and to r un into t h e molds .

Th is amount of water causes a r i c h m ortar to flo w to the o u tside o f

th e post and i ns u res a smooth fi n i sh A force p u mp and h ose a fford .

a co nvenient means of con v ey i ng water to the work O ften by .

locatin g the m ixing board lower than the water t ank water m ay b e ,

si phone d throu g h a garden hose to the b oard

‘
.

M I% IN G “ B AN % -
RU N ” GR A V E L .

For concret e from unscreened b ank run gra vel h al f o f t h e -

,
o ne -

amou nt of grave l req u ired for a b atch of p osts Sho u ld b e spread o ut

i n O blong shape ; and u pon thi s Sho u ld b e e v enly distr ib ute d fi rs t ,

the fu ll amount of cement an d then the rema in der of the gr a v el

,
.

Two m en facin g eac h other and at the same end o f the b atc h ( an d ,
“ ”
i f necessary two at the other end ) with s q u are po inted p addy
, ,
-

“ ”
Sho vels turn the dr y cement and gravel with a
,
flopp ing dragg ing ,

stroke .By t i m in g their strokes the mixers can cause the i r sho v els ,

to m eet regularly at the mi ddle which i nsures the complete mixing ,

of a l l the m aterials For a thorou g hly mixed concrete no defi ni te

.
,

n u mber of turn in gs can be fix ed but the sho v eling shou l d b e con ,

tinned u ntil the cement no longer shows i n streaks or until the mix
t u re h as a u niform color Ski l lful concrete turners do not lift the
.

“ ”
shovel from the b oar d an d % op over i ts contents as though the y
“ ”
W ere turning fi ap j ack s b ut by grad u a ll y turning the shovel and
,

at the same time dragging the stroke t hey completely mix the dr y ,

cement and gra vel in two turn i ngs W h en the scattered m ateri als .

aro u nd the edges ha v e been thrown U pon the pi l e i t i s cut open and , ,

u sing a sprinkler a sprinkler bu cket or a h ose with Spra y attach

—

m ent about three fourths of the water required i s added Water

— -
.

dashed from buckets or from the ordinary nozz l e of a hose ca u ses a

waste of cement Th e mixt u re i s again turned a nd cut open as
.

b efore Then the remaining one fo u rth o f the water i s added an d

.
-

the mixture i s turned a g ain W ith careful workmen the concrete .

,

shou l d now be we l l mixed ; but i f i t shows dry spots i t must be turned

, ,

once m ore After this the concrete shou l d b e Sho v eled into a com
.

p act ridge ready to b e wheeled away t o the molds or to b e Sho v eled

,

into them Th e m ixing board Shou l d b e th oroughly cleaned at the

.

close of each day s work P erso ns who in tend to make the manu fa c
’
.

t ure of posts a business wi ll do well to i nvest in a good power mixer .

M I% IN G C R U S HE D R OC % O R S C R E E NE D GR A V E L .

I n genera l where cr u shed rock or screened gra v el is used the mix

, ,
“ ”
ing i s v ery Simi l ar to that of bank run gra v el The f ull amo u nt -
.

of sand i s spread out upon the b oard and u pon i t th e necessary

40 3
26 TH E C O N ST RU C T I O N OF C O N C RETE FE N C E PO ST S .

or nearly squ are posts the mo l ds proper may then be remo ved an d
used on another bottom bo ard b u t th e p osts must stay on their bo t
,

tom bo ard in the Shade and must no t be disturbed for at l east a wee k
or ten days P osts in triangu l ar molds may be c arried out e ach i n
.
,

i ts own mold after from fi v e to seven days and the post may b e
, ,

gent l y slid fr om i ts mo l d to a smooth floor covered even l y with a

cushion of sand Whil e green the strain of lifting or even a Sl ight
.
,

j ar will c ause cracks sometimes invisible which g reat ly weaken the

, , ,

post D uring the fi rst two days of the l ife of a post it must be kept
.

wet an d covered with c anvas burlap c arp et or any c lean material

, , , .

Sand will serve after the concrete has become hard but manure w i l l ,

stain green concrete and otherwise affect it T h e sprinkl ing sho u ld be .

co n tinued up to the eighth d ay After the tenth day if the sp ace is

.
,

nee ded the post may with c are be p l aced on end i n the same manner
, , ,

that wooden fence rai l s were formerl y pil ed A dro p of onl y 6 inches .

often breaks a green post The j ar in hauling to the fi eld over rough
.
,

frozen ro ads or in a wagon bed wi th a very uneven bottom h as seri ous l y

i nj ure d posts wh ich were no t wel l seasoned C oncrete posts gain .

rapid l y in strength for the p erio d of one year ; they Shou l d t h er efO I e , ,

be made as l ong as possib l e before it is necessary to set them i n the

fence No post shou l d be used unti l it is at l east 3 months O l d
.
,

and to meet any contingency a supply of wel l seasoned posts sho u ld

, ,
-

b e kept on hand .

B U I LD I N G TH E FEN C E .

SE TTI N G T H E P O ST S .

E xperience has taught that with regard to stri ngers and j oists, i n
order to get the greatest strength from the timber one shou l d p l ace ,

the beam wit h the narrow Si d e against the lo ad and with the depth
extend i ng i n the s ame direct i on as the press u re Likewise posts .
,

shou l d be placed so tha t the narrow side wil l support the w ire .

T his wi ll g ive the greatest resistance to breakage from animals rubbing

against them or tryi ng to get through the fence between the posts .

Th e dept h to which p osts shou l d be set v aries wi th the character of

the soil Seven foot posts are usu all y set from 2 % feet to 2 feet 8
.
-

i nch es deep Th e earth about the p ost should be thoro u ghl y com
.

p a c t e d by tampin g .

M E T HOD S O F ATTA C H IN G W IR E .

T here are numerous metho ds of attach ing wir e fencing to concrete

posts Some makers p l ace stap l es or wir e loops in t h e green con
.

crete ; others make ho l es in the posts Th e former metho d is no t .

desirab l e because the fastener c an not be l ocated exact l y w here the

wire of the fe n cin g w i ll come w he n the post is set in the g round ; then ,

too the fastener w ill eve ntu ally rust or bre ak off a n d w ill thus inj ure
,

403
 TH E C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
27

th e looks of the post O n t he o ther ha n d ho l es throu g h the ros tS

.
,

weaken them and therefore this metho d is in g e n eral u n s atisf ac f or

d
, ,

T h e S i mp l est easiest an d cheapest w ay of faste n ing a w ire fe n s

, ,

to a concrete p ost is by encirc l ing the post with a wire o n e size l ess
.

than the correspondin g w ire in the fence proper an d by t wisting

thi s w i re around the strand of the fence This is do n e in t wo w al s
s
.

T h e faste n i ng wire is p l aced around t h e post t wisted upo n i t s lf ,

an d then to the fence w ire ; or one end of the fastening w ire is t w isted

F IG 8
. .
-
Meth od s of a tt aching f e nce wi re to concre et p t
os s .

n
aro u nd the fence wire and the free e n d is the carried arou d the
,
n
T h
p os t and twisted on the other Side to the same wire (Fig e . .

”
“
latter metho d is known as the Western U n io twist
n E ither p l an is .

goo d bu t c are must be t aken to draw the fastening w ire tight or ,

,

e l se stock trying to get t hro ugh t h e fence may r aise

’

or crush down
the fencing wi th their h eads I f any troub l e is experienced
.
the post ,

Sho u ld be roughe n ed at the fasteni g

n poi n t with a co l d chi s e l .

E xp ansion and co n traction of the fe n ce due to heat and co l d are

c ared for by the tension curves or kinks
”
i n the wove n w ire fe n cing -
,

40 3
28 TH E C O N ST RUCT I O N OF C O N C R E TE FEN C E P O ST S .

and n o fear may be fe l t i n draw i n g the fastening wires as tight as

necessary Woo den n ail in g strips Shou l d never be embedded in the
.

p osts for moisture wi ll s w e ll the woo d and crack the concrete

,
.

S T R E T C HI N G T H E F E N C I N G .

Good too l s for stretching wire f encing may be found in almost

’
an y fence comp an y s cata l o g ue Stretchers Should be such as to .

be e asi l y operated by one man They usu ally consist of two he avy .

chai n s one of w hich is fastened to a p ost at the corner or brace in

,

the f e n ce and the other by means of a lar g e h ook to the wooden

c l amp which ho l ds th e loose fencing Th e stretcher proper o p er .
,

ated by a le ver is the connect ing link bet w een the chai ns By
,
.

w orking the le ver b ack and forth d ogs re ach out g rasp and draw i n , , ,

l i n k after link of the chain and thus ti ghten the fence The best ,
.

stretchers are al so automatic in rele asing the wi re O wing to the .

g reat force used in stretchin g fen cin g it i s advisable from the stand ,

p oi n t of safety to purchase stretchers wi th au tomat i c rele ases .

T here are many g ood automatic S in gle wi re stretchers on the market -

.

L IN E A N C HO R S .

C oncrete p osts by their weight serve to ho l d fences do wn i n the

, ,

g u ll ies of hi ll cou n try Sometimes i n such places an d occ asional ly

.

u n der other conditions the wi re f enci ng must by some me ans be

staked to the g rou n d to prevent small animal s from goin g under i t .

T his may be accomplished either by di g gi n g a hole under the fence ,

fi ll i ng it w ith concrete and em b edding a tie wi re i n the concrete or

, ,

by buryin g a block of concrete around which the tie wire h as been

p l aced Af ter the concrete has set the f ence may be made secure
.
,

by attaching the tie wire to the he avy lower wire of the fen cin g .

C O S T O F C O N C RE T E P O S T S .

So man y e l eme n ts enter into the matter of cost that no exact

fi g ure c a n be g iven Th e prices of labor mo l ds ceme n t s an d sto n e
.
, , , , ,

grave l ree nforcement and lumber are not the s ame i n any t w o sec
, ,

tio n s of the country The cost of only two sizes of p ost w i l l be

.

considered here the h ea vy tri angular and the straight sq u are

—

, ,

p ost each of which h as a stand ard length of 7 f eet Th e fi g ures are

,
.

b ased on the followin g d ata : A m i xture of 1 p art of ceme n t 2 p arts ,

of s an d and 4 p arts of crushed rock or screened gravel ; a r e enf or ce

,

m e n t consisti n g of two NO 1 2 smooth fencing wires t w isted i nto a

.

cab l e and cu t to the necess ary l e n gth at the f actory ; co n crete mixed
b y hand ; all material s delivered at the w ork and al l l abor of men ,

and te ams p aid for .

With the heavy triangular p ost i f cons i dered necessary a Slightly

, , ,

h e avi er reenforcement may be used i n the corner of the p ost away

f rom the fe n ce .

40 3
 TH E , C O N ST RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
29

C ost f
o ma teri a ls a n d l a b or an d o f the fi n i shed p osts .

H E AV % T R IA NG U LAR P O ST S
, .

M at er il a s Numb er C t p er
os
of p ost s p st
.

. o .

y a d of rock or gravel
r
1 y ar d o f san
.

1 b ar e l ( 4 sack s ) of cem en t
r
3 t w o p l y N o 1 2 w ir e ab l s ( w eight 1 2 p oun d s)
-
c e -

2 m n f or on h our at 2 0 cen t s p er h ou r
.
,
e e
1 b oy f or on e h our a t 1 5 cen ts p er h our
, .

T ot al cost
S T RA I G H T SQU AR E , PO S TS .

y ard of rock or gravel

1 y ar d of san
1 b a e l ( 4 sack s ) f cem en t
rr o
4 t w o p ly N
-
1 2 w ire ab l s ( w eight 2 9
o c ; p e o
2 m en f r on e h our at 2 0 cen t s p er h our
.

o
1 b oy for on e h our a t 1 5 cen t s p er h our
, .

, .

T ot al cost
a P er p u nd
o .

Since the strai ght squ are p ost i s sl ightly larger than the heavy
,
,

tri an g ular i t costs a l i ttle more

,
.

MI S C E LLANE O U S P O S T S W H I C H MA% BE MAD E OF C O N C RE TE .

Concrete p os t s are used for m any other p urposes than lin e posts .

T h e Sizes are Slig h tly different b ut the principles and g en eral lin es o f ,

desi g n are the same .

C O R N E R P O ST S .

Corner p osts are general l y made with square e n ds 8 by 8 1 0 by 1 0 , , ,

or 1 0 b y 1 2 in ches and without t aper H eavier reen forcemen t is

,
.

u sed and s h ould b e i ncreased i n amount by p l acing extra pieces on

all f o u r Si des eit h er a t t h e m iddle or one third p oints T he w ire may —

.

b e drawn around t h e p os t or h oles m y b e made throu g h it by p laci g

a n

greased iron rods at th e p ro p er p laces in the g reen concrete an d

turn ing them a b o ut occas i onally SO that the concrete w ill not set to
them A short pi ece o f pip e m ay b e placed through the mold
.
a n d
left i n the post i n order t o p rovide a hole T hrou g h the s e ho l es the .

strands of wire m ay b e stretched and some ti g htenin g device m ay

then b e u sed T h e p ost shou l d b e thorou g hl y cured before be i g n

.

strained by holdin g a tight l y stretched fen ce .

B R A C IN G P O S T S A ND BR A CE S
Bracing p osts Should b e placed frequently in the fe ce li e A n n .

mortise f or inserting a b race may b e m ade i n the up p er e n d by tem

r a r il placi n g a bl ock of the desired dimen sions i n the g ree n
post .

p o y
T h is operation requires considerab l e skil l to prevent ru i i g the post
n n .

40 3
30 TH E C O N ST RUC T IO N OF CO N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .

So m e p ersons p refer m aking an o ffset or bracket (fig 9 ) on the .

p ost O thers m o l d the p os t and b race together at the same time

. .

Braces are made an d reenforced like line p osts The ends m ust b e .

m olded to a bevel in order t o fi t th e o ff se t or b racket i n the post .

T h e w i re b race i s co m monly used ,

b ut sudden s t ra ins are liable to

crack t h e to p o f t h e line p ost to
whic h th e w i re is f astened An .

other b race b etween t he fi rst and

second line p osts and slanting in
the same d i rection as t he concrete
b race will re m ove s u ch danger A .

m ass of concrete run a r oim d the

ground end o f the b race will fi x i t
sec u rely .

GAT E P O S T S A N D HIT C HIN G P O S T S .

Gate p osts a r e m ade in the sam e

m ann er as corner p os t s H angin g .

i s acco mp lis h e d b y u s ing a h inge

wit h a clam p s t ra p whi c h ent i rely
enc i rcles t he p os t Fast eners are .

attac h e d in t h e s ame way H oles .

f or b olt hinges are s o m etimes m ade

in t h e p os t du rin g th e m olding .

Large i ron was h ers s h o u l d t h en b e

p lace d b e t ween t he p ost and the
nut I f a h ole i s desired f or a fast
.

ener th e h ole should fi rst b e m ade

,

b y insert ing a p iece of gas p i p e in

the green concrete .

H itc h ing p osts are m ere l y line

p osts Wro u ght iron cla mp straps
.
-

make b etter attac h ments f or hold

ing the rings than holes thro u g h the
p ost which weaken it
,
.

V IN E % AR D A ND AR B O R P O S T S .

FIG 9. .
—
M eth od O f t u cting b rack ets
c ons r
AS
plenty of g ravel is usually
f or b racing post s .

f o u nd i n sect i ons where gra p es are

g row n concre
, t e posts are v ery c on v en i ent i n the c u lt u re of gra p es .

A light line p ost wi l l serve t he p ur p ose I f wire or an i ron p iece i s .

not u sed to support the v ines an o ff se t or b racket should b e made on

,

th e p ost to h old the cross arm T h e cross arm m ay also b e made o f

.

403
 TH E C O N S T RUC T I O N OF C O N C RE T E FEN C E P O ST S .
31

concrete Some growers prefer to erect a light line fence using

.

,
smooth wire fro m post t o p ost as a m eans o f supporting t h e ines
V .

Arbor p osts are cons t r u cted in t he same manner as v ineyard posts .

The Skelet on wor k may also b e made o f concrete .

W ARN I N G .

P ersons intending t o bu y p os t molds either steel or wooden are , ,

warned to b eware of un known travel in g agents wh o are sell in g molds ,

or farm t ownshi p a n d count y rights f or the sale or use of their r esp e c

, ,

tiv e molds M olds Sh ould not be p urch ased fro m strangers unless one
.

i s f ully sat i sfi ed t hro u g h h is b an k ers or attorne y s that the comp any

r e p resented by t h e agen t i s rel i a b le and th a t th e agent is their true

an d au th or i z ed rep resentat ive O f t en su ch p ersons fraud u lently

.

c la i m t h a t t h e f armer h as i nf r inged u p on t h e i r p atent rights b y using

some f eature o f the i r art i cle and p o in t to some sim il ar i ty in the t w o

,

art i cles as p roo f of t h e i r s t atement After a discussion fi lled wit h .

,

thr eats of su i ts for great d amages t h e stranger may fin ally agree on , ,

’
accoun t o f t h e o wner s i gnorance o f the inf ringement to release h im ,

from p rosec uti on f or a su m o f money m uch less than t he damages

whi c h h e cla ims h e could obtain in court NO such alleged damages .

sh oul d b e p aid e v en if t here is a resemblance b e t ween the two articles

, .

’
T h e matter and the agent Sh ould be referred to on e s l awyers This .

w i ll almos t alway s settle th e matter .

A S f or towns hip count y and state rights f or the sale of artic l es

, , ,

it c an b e de p ended up on that i f this were such an easy and quick ,

way o f gett ing rich t he agents des pi te the ir statements of lack of

,
'
,

time to wor k t h e fi el d an d th e necessity o f p ersonal acquaintance ,

wo u ld not d i sp ose o f th e o pp ort u nit y t o anybod y Above all t hings .

,

no p a p ers sh ould b e signed and while cash ma y be p aid for the

, ,

a rt i cle it should b e p a id onl y a f ter the art i cle i s delivered

,
A num .

b er o f p atents h a v e b een gran t ed on s p ec i al t yp es o f reenforced con

crete f ence p osts Th ese sp ec i al t yp e s o f reenf orcement can not of
. ,

c o u rse b e generall y u se d wit h o ut d anger of i n fr ingin g p atent rights

,
.

I t i s do ub tful h owe v er , if any o f t hese s p ecial f orms of reenforcement

,

p resen t an y grea t a dv an t ages o ver t h e S imp le forms of reenf orce

m ent descr ib ed i n thi s b ulletin AS f ar as s imple reenforced concrete
.

i s concerned i t Sh oul d b e re m embered that i t h as been in common

,

u sage i n all countr i es f or a great many y ears and can not be covered .

by p atent rights No one need h esitate t o use this form of constru

.
o

ti on f or all cla ims that t he general use of reenforc ed co n crete fence

,

p osts is controll ed by p a t ent rights are unj ustifi ed and untrue .

40 3