Okay, I’ve known since last Saturday that I was in trouble with the pier forms, because…
…for some reason the only size the store had available was YUUUGE. I’m adding a lean-to bedroom to a cabin, not rebuilding the World Trade Center. I do not understand why this is all they had in stock, but I’m starting to think I should have considered it a deal-breaker.
All this week I’ve thought, well, I’ll cut them down and bend them to approximately 8″. Seemed like a plan…
…except it just won’t work. Even with this one thin sample, the material is too thick and inflexible.
More thinking and some neighborhood counsel required. I may actually need to hold off till I can get some 8″ forms.
Just make square forms out of 3/4 plywood. Wrap wire or rope around them to keep them from blowing apart under the wet concrete pressure.
You don’t have to have round piers. That’s how I’ve built every pier I’ve ever built. I hate round sonotube forms.
If you dont have 3/4 you can use thinner, but you’d need to use 2x4s on each side, overlapping and nailed to each other to support the load. Once stripped, just use the 2x4s in the structure.
Or build your forms from 1X boards.
Of course screw the plywood together. Just to be clear. Don’t rely on the wire to hold it together, it’s just teinforcing
What Goober said. That’s how I’ve always seen forms built. Didn’t have those fancy tubes with I was a youngin’ helping Dad pouring concrete. Just make sure you put all the screws/nails on the outside so you can take the forms off when you are done. I got a lecture about that one time.
Well… you may need the tube material if you don’t have scrap wood laying around for forms. Instead of making one cut and bending, try cutting out wedge sections and using the excised material to fit the new smaller sections together. (Plus, see wire, as above comments). The won’t be quite round, but they should hold concrete.
Heck, as long as we’re doing sidewalk superintendent . . .
Cut tubes to length. Slit them full length vertically in at least four places. Overlap the sections to form a smaller “diameter”. Fasten securely with wire. Place tubes in holes and carefully backfill with dirt BEFORE dumping in the concrete, pack backfill solidly to reinforce tubes. Very securely wire-wrap upper, exposed portion of tubes.
Or buy new 8″ tubes.
This is easy from my end of the communication, and I don’t even need a hard hat.
🙂 🙂 🙂
No wonder you thought you might not have enough concrete!
I love this blog. You all are the best.
This is what happens when I’m late reading the blog all the good ideas have already been written, dang. Personally I’d go with Goober’s suggestion of the box form wired and screwed together. One other thing you can do is when you make the form, drop it into the hole and back fill a bit around the lower part to hold it together then pour an inch worth of cement in the form to keep the termites at bay. When this is set put in the post and cement around it then check it for true. Also, if it’s practical, return the material for a refund. But that’s just me.
Rather than removing an entire section of the wall and trying to shrink the remainder into a tube, cut a single slit lengthwise ALMOST the entire length (leave maybe 1-2″ at the bottom), then ‘curl’ the top forming a cone with your desired 8″ diameter at the top. If you have any ‘chinese come-alongs’* handy they will work a treat for this task. Secure with screws or wire, or wrap the ELS outta that MF’r with duct tape. Added bonus: broader footprint at the base.
* http://tinyurl.com/yckyqjls
Addendum: If a chinese come-along isn’t handy you could use a loop of cord/rope and a stick to twist it tourniquet style for the same effect.