And yet another use of my Sthil

[infinitymike]

I'm rebuilding a 2nd floor deck. It has three 4x6 posts that are set 2' into a concrete pier.
They were all rotted and the deck was leaning.
We jacked it up and pulled out the rotted posts.
The problem is that there was still a lot of the post left in the pier.

After many hours of chipping and chopping with a pinch bar and crow bar I decided to give this a shot.
I took a chain that had very little life left in it and began plunging.

I was able to chew up the wood and clean it out.
Yes the blade had no more life in it but it worked well.

 

[Prof]

I sometimes use a chain that is destin for the scrap pile to cut out some roots or stumps, but I you really kicked it up a notch. Nice work! I bet that chain wouldn't cut butter after you were done with it.

 

[infinitymike]

It was so done that it couldn't cut through the humidity.

 

[fossil]

Those posts shouldn't be sunk down into the concrete anyway...they'll just rot out again after time. They should sit in/fasten to post anchors that keep them on dry land. There are a number of choices of configuration, but they all keep the bottom of the wood post up off the ground (and certainly up out of into the ground). Just do a search for wooden post anchor, or fence post anchor, or whatever, and you'll see there are a bunch of readily available choices. Rick

 

[infinitymike]

You are correct. The deck is over 25 yrs old and that's the way it was done back then.
I filled the holes with concrete and put in an anchor bolt and a Simpson ABE46 post base.
It keeps the end an inch off the ground.

 

[salecker]

Hi All
I have a invisibale fence for our dog to install.The ground here is clay,so i got a homelite xl 12 a couple of weeks ago.I didn't really want it i have about a dozen, but she wouldn't sell just one saw.I got it running and put a crapy chain on a wasted bar and am going to cut a trench with it to bury the wire.
I call it a 4x4 saw and chain
Thomas

 

[infinitymike]

Hi All
I have a invisibale fence for our dog to install.The ground here is clay,so i got a homelite xl 12 a couple of weeks ago.I didn't really want it i have about a dozen, but she wouldn't sell just one saw.I got it running and put a crapy chain on a wasted bar and am going to cut a trench with it to bury the wire.
I call it a 4x4 saw and chain
Thomas

Let us know how that works. I would imagine that it would clog up and bind very quickly and possibly burn the clutch and or motor out.
But hey it is only a home lite . Go for it!

 

[Bocefus78]

Hi All
I have a invisibale fence for our dog to install.The ground here is clay,so i got a homelite xl 12 a couple of weeks ago.I didn't really want it i have about a dozen, but she wouldn't sell just one saw.I got it running and put a crapy chain on a wasted bar and am going to cut a trench with it to bury the wire.
I call it a 4x4 saw and chain
Thomas

Mow the grass down as low as possible with a push mower where you intend to install the wire. Then use a sidewalk edger and save your back and the saw. If you remove the guard, you can fab up a longer edger blade for deeper penetration.

 

[infinitymike]

Here's the new posts.

 

[salecker]

Let us know how that works. I would imagine that it would clog up and bind very quickly and possibly burn the clutch and or motor out.
But hey it is only a home lite . Go for it!

Hi All
It works good,i used a different one when i installed a swing set in our yard yrs ago.I attached the swing set to a couple of old grader blades,then i cut two slots in the ground the size of the blades and dug down 6" installed and covered.Looks like it was never disturbed now.
We have no grass in our yards up here,natural ground cover so there are roots from trees,willows, soap berry bushes ect.Not many rocks but a little gravel around the fence posts my nieghbor installed.The last time i used one it never even hurt the chain,but i only cut around 25',this time i have to cut around an acre lot.
Thomas

 

[HeatsTwice]

The last time I had to "core out" a post hole for a retaining wall I used a plummers auger. See this post. worked great.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/replacing-retaining-wall-learned-a-new-trick.69477/#post-874548

 

[infinitymike]

The last time I had to "core out" a post hole for a retaining wall I used a plummers auger. See this post. worked great.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/replacing-retaining-wall-learned-a-new-trick.69477/#post-874548

Thats so funny!
I went down the the same road you did.
Great minds think a like.
Except instead of using the torch (I have 2) I was pouring gas and lighting that.
I was going to go a buy a big spade/paddle bit but I had the saw on hand and that worked well, your auger bit looks even better.

 

[amateur cutter]

Old bar & chain, nice use without spending money Mike. I'm gonna file that away for future reference. A C

 

[infinitymike]

I forgot to do this earlier, but I just wanted to post a pic of the columns all cleaned up.

 

[mustash29]

When Dad had his driveway repaved, he installed a drain in front of the garrage where water used to pond up. He used an old saw / chain / bar to dig a 5" x 50' trench to bury the outlet pipe and also connected the downspout drains to it.

Mom told him to throw that junk away but he refused.

A few years later he built a 10' diameter raised flower bed, planted a flag pole and had the neighbor (electrician) install 3 floods to light the flag. That old saw dug the trench for the power cable.

 

[infinitymike]

This is a house I own and rent, the tenants moved out in June and we spent a lot of time and money cleaning her up!
She's now 100% done.
Completely painted on inside, new kitchen countertops, sanded and sealed wood floors, completely redone 2nd floor deck with roofing, sleepers, decking and railings. Landscaped as well.

Any body want rent to it!