MAKING AND SETTING POSTS.
MAKING FENCE POSTS.
There is quite an art in splitting logs into posts. Every post should
have some heart wood, which lasts the longer, for two reasons: That
there may be durable wood into which to drive the nails, and without
it some of the posts, composed entirely of sap-wood, will rot off long
before others, making the most annoying of all repairing necessary. If
the log is of a size to make twelve posts, split along the lines of
figure 146, which will give each post a share of heart wood. This will
make a cross section of the posts triangular, the curved base being
somewhat more than half of either side. This is a fairly well shaped
post, and much better than a square one having little or no heart wood.
Although the log may be large enough to make sixteen or eighteen posts,
it is better to split it the same way. It should first be cut into
halves, then quarters, then twelfths. If it is attempted to split one
post off the side of a half, the wood will “draw out,” making the post
larger at one end than the other—not a good shape, for there will be
little heart wood at the small end. When the log is too large to admit
of it being split in that way, each post may nevertheless be given
enough heart wood by splitting along the lines, shown in figure 147.
First cut the logs into halves, then quarters, then eighths. Then split
off the edge of each eighth, enough for a post—about one-fourth only
of the wood, as it is all heart wood, and then halve the balance. A
good post can be taken off the edge, and yet enough heart wood for the
remaining two posts remain.
[Illustration: Fig. 146.]
[Illustration: Fig. 147.]
A POST HOLDER.
[Illustration: Fig. 148.—A POST HOLDER.]
A simple arrangement for holding a post while it is being bored or
mortised, is shown in figure 148. It consists of two long pieces of
round or square timber, lying parallel upon the ground, and two shorter
sticks resting upon them at right angles. The upper pieces have
saddles cut out for the posts to fit into. A staple with a large iron
hook or “dog,” is fastened into one end of each cross-piece, as shown
in the engraving. When the post is laid in position, the hooks are
driven into it holding it firmly.
DRIVING FENCE POSTS BY HAND.
[Illustration: Fig. 149.—DRIVING FENCE POSTS.]
Where the soil is soft, loose, and free from stone, posts may be driven
more easily and firmly than if set in holes dug for the purpose. An
easy method of driving is shown in figure 149. A wagon is loaded with
posts and furnished with a stage in the rear end of the box, upon which
a person can stand to give the posts the first start. Another man holds
the posts upright while they are driven. When one post is driven to
its place, the wagon is moved to the next place, and this operation
repeated.
[Illustration: Fig. 150.—MAUL FOR DRIVING POSTS.]
To drive posts, a wooden maul should be used. This is made of a section
of an elm trunk or branch, eight or nine inches in diameter, figure
150. An iron ring is driven on each end, and wedged all around, the
wood at the edge being beaten down over the rings with a hammer or the
poll of an axe. To prevent the posts from splitting or being battered
too much, the ends of the maul should be hollowed a little, and never
rounded out, and the ends of the posts should be beveled all around.
The hole in the maul for the handle should be made larger on one side,
and lengthwise of the maul, and the handle spread by two wedges driven
in such a way as not to split the maul.
TO DRIVE POSTS WITHOUT SPLITTING.
[Illustration: Fig. 151.]
[Illustration: Fig. 152.]
[Illustration: Fig. 153.]
[Illustration: Fig. 154.—SCANTLING WITH HANDLE IN POSITION.]
Posts are very liable to split in driving, unless some precaution is
used. This damage and loss can be avoided in a great measure by proper
preparation of the posts before they are driven. The tops of sawed
posts should have the sides cut off, as in figure 151, or simply cut
off each corner, as in figure 153, while a round post should be shaped
as in figure 152. The part of the post removed need not be more than
half an inch in thickness, but when the corners only are cut away, the
chip should be thicker. In driving, it is very important to strike
the post squarely on the top, and not at one corner or side. In most
soils at the North, the frosts heave posts more or less each season,
and they need to be driven down to the usual depth. To do this with
little injury to the post, the device shown in figure 154 may be used.
It is a piece of tough hard wood scantling, _e_, eighteen inches in
length, with tapering ends. It is provided with a handle, _h_, three
feet in length, of quite small size, and if possible, of green timber.
In using it, let one person (a boy will do) lay the bit of scantling on
top of the post to be re-driven, when, with the beetle or sledge, the
scantling, instead of the post is struck, thus preventing the splitting
of the post. When the top of a fence is surmounted by a stringer, as
in the engraving, the effect of the blow is distributed over a large
space, and both stringer and post escape injury. The attendant should
keep hold of the handle, _h_, while the posts are being driven, and
move the scantling from post to post as required.
A POWERFUL POST DRIVER.
[Illustration: Fig. 155.—THE POST-DRIVER.]
For a farmer who has a large number of posts to set, a special
apparatus for driving them will be found useful. The accompanying
illustrations show a machine of this kind. An axle, _a_, figure 155,
of hard wood, eight and one-half feet long; a hickory sapling will do.
It has spindles shaved to fit the hind wheels of a wagon, which are
fastened by linch-pins, leaving about six feet space between the hubs.
A coupling-pole, _b_, thirteen feet long, is framed in and strongly
braced at right angles with the axle, and connects in front with the
forward axle of a common wagon. The main sill, _d_, figure 156, is one
stick of timber, six by eight inches, by fourteen feet long and has
a cross-piece, _e_, framed in the end. Two side-pieces, _f_, two by
four inches by five feet long, are pinned or bolted to the main sill
at _g_, and cross-pieces framed into them, as shown in figure 156,
so framed that the lower edges of the side-pieces will be two inches
from the axle, when the main sill rests on the axle. The side-pieces,
_f_, should be twenty-two inches apart at the ends. The front end of
the main sill rests on the front axle, in place of a bolster, and the
“king-bolt” passes through it at _h_; the upright guides, _i_, are two
by four inches by fourteen feet long, bolted to the side-pieces, _f_,
with a space of fourteen inches between; a cap, _j_, two by three by
twenty-six inches long, is framed on top. Two braces, _k_, two by four
inches by sixteen feet long, are bolted to the upright guides, two feet
below the cap, and connect at the bottom with a cross-piece, _l_, two
by eight by twenty-two inches long, between the braces. It has rounded
ends passing through two-inch holes in the braces, and fastened by a
pin outside, to form a loose joint. This cross-piece, _l_, is held down
on the main sill by a strip, _m_, and steadied by cleats; it is free to
slide back or forward, and is held in place by a short pin. By moving
this cross-piece, the upright guides, _i_, are kept perpendicular when
going up or down hill. A small windlass, _o_, figure 155, is placed
under the axle, _a_, between hangers framed into the axle, close to the
hubs. Two brace-ropes, or wires, _p_, are fastened to this windlass
at the extreme ends, and wound around it a turn or two in opposite
directions, drawn tight and fastened to the main braces near the top.
By turning the windlass, _o_, slightly, by means of a short bar, the
machine may lean to either side, to conform to sliding ground, thus
being adjustable in all directions. The maul, _r_, figure 157, of
tough oak, fourteen by eighteen inches, by two feet long, weighs about
two hundred pounds, is grooved to fit smoothly between the guides; the
follower, _s_, is more plainly shown in the engraving, also the simple
latch, by which the follower and maul are connected and disconnected.
The square clevis, _t_, is of three-quarter inch iron, suspended from
the same iron pin, _u_, on which the pulley, _v_, is placed. It is
partly imbedded in the wooden casing, _w_, which is eight by eighteen
inches; this casing serves to inclose the pulley, _v_, and also to trip
the latch when brought together; the clevis, _t_, is caught under the
hook fastened in the maul, is pressed into place by a small hickory
spring, _y_, acting on a small iron pin, _z_; when it reaches the top,
the crotch, 1, suspended from the top, comes in contact with the pin,
2, and the clevis, _t_, is pressed back, and releases the hook, _x_,
when the maul drops. The windlass, 3, figure 155, has two cranks, and
a ratchet for convenience. The rope passes from the windlass over
the pulley at the top, down and under the pulley, _v_, then up, and
is fastened at 7, on the cap, _j_, wire braces at 8. By releasing
the cranks and ratchet, the follower will run down the guides, and,
striking the maul, will “click” the latch into place, ready for another
hoist. For two men it is easy work, and can be handled quite rapidly.
Drive astride the proposed line of fence; lay a measuring-pole on the
ground to mark the spot for the next post; drive forward with the post
driver, having the maul partly raised, set up a post, and proceed to
drive it.
[Illustration: Fig. 156.—BOTTOM OF DRIVER.]
[Illustration: Fig. 157.—TOP OF UPRIGHT.]
SETTING A GATE POST.
[Illustration: Fig. 158.—A GATE POST SET IN CEMENT.]
No matter how strong or how well braced a gate may be, it will soon
begin to sag and catch on the ground, if the gate post is not firmly
planted. Sometimes, owing to the soft nature of the ground, it is
almost impossible to plant the post firmly, but in such cases the work
can generally be done satisfactorily by packing medium-sized stones
around the post, in the hole, as shown in figure 158. If it is thought
that this will not insure sufficient firmness, add good cement. Place
in a layer of stones, then cement enough to imbed the next layer of
stones, and so on, until the hole is full and the post planted. Do not
cover up the stones with earth or disturb the post for a few days,
until the cement has “set.” Remember that the post must be set plumb
while the work is going on, as it can never be straightened after the
cement has “set.” Only durable posts should be used, and this method of
setting should only be followed with gate posts which are supposed to
be permanent, and not with posts liable to be changed.
[Illustration: Fig. 159.—GATE POST BRACED WITH STONES.]
A still better method is shown in figure 159. Before the post is set
into the hole, a flat stone is laid edgewise in the bottom, on the side
which is to receive the greatest pressure from the foot of the post.
When the post is set, and the hole half filled with earth, a second
stone is placed against the post on the side to which it will be drawn
by the weight of the gate. The stones receive the pressure and hold the
post firmly in position.
FENCE POSTS FOR WET LANDS.
Low meadow and other marsh land is subject to heaving by the frost,
and much difficulty is experienced in securing firm fences upon such
ground, as the posts are drawn up by the freezing of the surface. To
avoid this, much may be done in the way of selecting posts that are
larger at one end than the other. It will help very much to put a
strong, durable pin through the bottom end of the post, or to notch it
at each side, as in figure 160, and to brace the bottom with a flat
stone, driven well into the side of the hole with the rammer. When the
soil is very soft and mucky, it is best to drive the posts and to make
them hold well in the ground, to spike wedge-shaped pieces to them on
either side, by which they are held firmly in their places.
[Illustration: Fig. 160.—DIFFERENT METHODS OF TREATING POSTS.]
LIVE POSTS.
[Illustration: Fig. 161.]
[Illustration: Fig. 162.]
A living tree which stands in the right place, makes a very durable
and substantial fence-post. In the great treeless regions of the
Mississippi Valley, where it is difficult to obtain timber for posts,
it is not an unusual practice to plant trees for the purpose on street
boundaries, and other places where the fence is to be permanent. White
willow is well adapted for the purpose on suitable soils, as it grows
rapidly and bears close pruning. In situations where the soil is even
moderately damp, white willow posts, four inches in diameter, cut green
and set in spring, will take root and grow. The new branches soon
form a bushy head, which may be cut back from time to time. It is not
advisable to nail boards or drive staples directly into the tree. With
a board fence, the swaying of the tree loosens the nails, and if barbed
wire is stapled to the tree, the bark and wood will in time grow over
them as in figure 161. To obviate this, a stick is nailed to the tree
as in figure 162, and to this the fence is attached. A still better
method is to secure the strip of wood to the tree by two or three
pairs of interlocking staples.
MENDING A SPLIT POST.
[Illustration: Fig. 163.—MENDING A SPLIT POST.]
Fence posts split from a variety of causes, and when they are in this
condition they make a very insecure fence. The usual way is to merely
nail an old horseshoe or two across the split part, just below the
holes in the posts. This answers fairly well, but does not draw the
cleft together, and horseshoes are not always on hand. A better method
of doing this is shown in figure 163. A short, stout chain is put
around the top of the post, just tight enough to admit of a strong
lever. The parts of the posts are then brought together by a heavy
downward pressure of the lever and held there, while a strip of good
tin, such as can be cut from the bodies of tin cans, is put around
and securely nailed. If the post is a heavy one and the cleft large,
it is well to take the entire body of a can and double it, to give it
additional strength before nailing it on. The dotted lines show where
the tin is nailed.
HOOK FOR WIRING POSTS.
[Illustration: Fig. 164.—A STAKE DRAWER USED IN WIRING FENCES.]
Figure 164 shows a modified cant-hook for drawing together the upper
extremities of fence stakes that are to be wired, as in the engraving.
The half-moon shaped iron, _a_, is riveted fast to the top end of the
lever, and is to prevent the end of the lever from slipping off the
stake when in use. The second iron from the top, _b_, is twenty-five
inches long, with two hooks at the end, though one will do; this is
to catch the stake on the opposite side of the fence. This iron is
fastened in the lever by a bolt in a long mortise, in the same way,
as the hook in an ordinary cant-hook. The iron rod, _c_, has a hole
in one end, and is drawn out to a point at the other—this is fastened
to the lever by a bolt in a long mortise, and serves to catch in the
stake or rail, and hold the stakes together, while the man adjusts the
iron around the stakes. When the stakes are drawn tightly to the fence,
this rod is drawn up until it strikes the stake or one of the rails,
when the man can let go of the “drawer,” and it holds itself. The lever
is four feet and three inches long, and two inches square, with the
corners taken off part of the way down, the lower end being rounded for
a handle, as shown in the engraving.
DRAWING FENCE POSTS.
[Illustration: Fig. 165.—DRAWING FENCE POSTS.]
Figure 165 shows a practicable method of drawing out fence posts by the
aid of an ox team. A stout piece of timber with a large flat “foot” is
placed under the chain to change the direction of the draft. Two men
and a steady yoke of oxen can extract fence posts very quickly and
easily by this method. A good steady team of horses will do quite as
well as oxen.
LIFTING POSTS BY HAND.
[Illustration: Fig. 166.—A CONVENIENT POST LIFTER.]
A convenient and sensible implement, for taking up fence posts without
the aid of a team, is shown at figure 166. It consists of a stout pole
of the size and shape of a wagon tongue. The thicker part of this pole,
for about fifteen inches from the end, is shaped into a wedge. This is
sheathed with a frame made of iron, half an inch thick and two and a
half inches wide, and securely fastened with screws or bolts. The end
should be pointed and slightly bent upwards. The manner of using this
convenient implement is shown in the illustration.
Frequently a farmer has occasion to lift posts, and has not time to
wait for the construction of an iron-shod lever. Figure 167 shows a
very simple, inexpensive contrivance for such cases. A spadeful of
earth is taken from each side of the post, and a short, strong chain
loosely fastened around the lower end of the post, as far down as it
can be placed. A strong lever—a stout rail will answer the purpose—is
passed through the chain, as shown in the engraving, until the end of
the rail catches firm soil. By lifting at the other end of the lever
the post is raised several inches, when both chain and lever are pushed
down again for a second hold, which generally brings the post out. The
chain is furnished with a stout hook at one end, made to fit the links,
so that it can be quickly adjusted to any ordinary post.
[Illustration: Fig. 167.—LIFTING A POST.]
SPLICING FENCE POSTS.
There are places, as crossing over gullies, etc., where unusually
long posts are desirable, though not always easy to obtain. In such
cases properly spliced posts are almost as durable as entire ones. The
engraving of the front and side views, figure 168, shows how the splice
may be made to secure strength and durability. The splices should be
made with a shoulder at the lower end, and well nailed together, after
which one or two bands of hoop-iron may be passed around the splice
and securely fastened. The hoop-iron band is one of the most important
points in a splice of this kind.
[Illustration: Fig. 168.—SPLICING FENCE POSTS.]
APPLICATION OF WOOD PRESERVATIVES.
To prevent decay at the center, as well as of all that part of the
post placed below ground, by use of wood preserving solutions, the
following system is both novel and valuable: It is to have a hole in
the center of the post, from the bottom upward, to a point that shall
be above the ground when the post is in position. Then bore another
hole in the side of the post with a slight inclination downward, making
an opening in the center hole, as shown in figure 169. A wooden plug,
two or three inches long, should be driven snugly into the hole at the
bottom of the post, in order to prevent the escape of any liquid that
may be used in the operation. When the posts are set in an upright
position, a preservative solution may be introduced into the hole
in the side and the centre one filled with it, after which a cork
plug of some kind should be inserted in the side hole, to prevent
evaporation, as well as to keep out dust and insects. The solutions
thus introduced will gradually be absorbed by the surrounding wood,
until all parts along the entire length of the central cavity must
become completely saturated. When the solutions used have been taken up
by the surrounding wood, it will only be necessary to withdraw the cork
or plug, and apply more, if it is thought desirable. A common watering
pot with a slender spout will be a handy vessel to use in distributing
the solutions.
[Illustration: Fig. 169.—SECTIONAL VIEW OF BORED POST.]
Petroleum, creosote, corrosive sublimate, or any other of the well
known wood preservatives may be used in this way. Telegraph posts might
be prepared in the same way, and if the central reservoirs were kept
filled with petroleum, they would last a hundred years or more. Where a
large number of posts or poles are to be prepared, it would be cheaper
to have the holes bored by steam or horse power than by hand. With very
open and porous wood it is quite probable that a hole bored in the
side of the post and above the ground, and deep enough to hold a half
pint or more of creosote or some other similar solution, would answer,
but a central cavity reaching to the bottom, would perhaps, be best.
IRON FENCE POSTS.
[Illustration: Fig. 170.—POST.]
[Illustration: Fig. 171.—DISC.]
The advent of wire fences was followed by a call for posts in the
prairie regions, where timber is scarce. Several forms of iron posts
have been devised, of which the leading ones are illustrated herewith.
Figure 170 is of iron, one-quarter of an inch thick and two and a half
inches wide, rolled to a curve and pierced at the proper intervals
for the staples, which are to be clinched on the concave side. The
disc, figure 171, is swedged out of one fourth inch iron. It is sunken
a little below the ground, and the post driven through the curved
opening, into which it fits closely. Figure 172 is a flat iron bar,
with slots cut diagonally into one side to receive the wire. The post
is supported by two tiles with holes to fit the post, which is thrust
through them.
[Illustration: Fig. 172.—POST WITH TILES.]
[Illustration: Fig. 173.]
Figure 173 is made of angle iron braced at the surface of the ground,
with an angular iron plate rolled for the purpose, and driven to its
place. Figure 174 shows an iron post, with the ground-piece and driving
tube to the left of it. The post is a round iron bar or tube, with
notches for the wires, which are held in place with short pieces of
binding-wire, wound around the post. The ground-piece, which is shown
in the middle of the engraving, is of cast iron, eleven inches long,
and five inches across the top, with two loops for inserting the iron
post. This is driven into the ground, and the iron post driven through
it. At the left of the engraving is shown the device for driving the
post. It is a piece of common gas-pipe, just large enough to slip
easily over the top of the post, and provided on the top with an iron
cap to receive the blow of the large hammer or maul used in driving.
Figure 175 shows a cast iron ground piece, and at the right is the
lower end of a post resting in one of them. The three flanges are
cast in one solid piece, with a hole through the centre of any desired
form and size. The wings or flanges are three inch plates, running to
sharp edges on the bottom, so that they can easily be driven into the
ground. They may be of any desired size, larger sizes being required
for a light yielding soil than for a stiff one. Figure 176 is an iron
post on a wooden base, for situations where the ground is soft and wet.
The base is preferably of cedar, three to four feet long, four inches
thick, and four to six inches wide. It is to be sunken in the ground
crosswise with the line of fence. The post is of iron, set and stapled
into the end-piece, as shown in the engraving. Before being put in
place, the whole is saturated with hot coal tar, as a preservative.
There is less call for iron posts than was anticipated when wire fences
first came into general use. It is found that wooden posts can be
delivered in any location reached by railway at less cost than iron
posts.
[Illustration: Fig. 174.—POST WITH IRON GROUND PIECE.]
[Illustration: Fig. 175.—CAST-IRON GROUND-PIECE.]
[Illustration: Fig. 176.]