So….
I’m out blowing some snow last night about 4:30 pm (second pass of the day… definitely White Christmas up here in New Hampster!)…. I’m making a pass back up my driveway when some lights flash behind me. I think to myself “now who is coming to see me in this storm?”
so…
I turn around and WHAT THE…. there’s an SUV where my mailbox, mounted on a granite post, used to be. I stare for a momment and begin walking down the driveway when the driver, who spots me, backs up and takes off down the road!!!
@!#$^!#$^$%@%@!#$%
Like I have the $400 lying around to pay someone to replace it.
So..
It appears that the post was sheared off at the ground. I didn’t find any pieces but to be honest the snowbank was pretty deep (almost covered the mailbox…) and I didn’t feel like digging it out.
I was thinking about possibly replacing it… obviously it’s a bit too short now if I were to dig up the stump and stick the reaminder in the ground (I think.. not sure).
What about… dry fitting the post with the stump, seeing if they mate well. If they do, verify plumb and if not, adjust stump so that it would be plumb when mended.
Take hammer drill, carefully layout and drill about a 4″ hole in stump and a matching one in the base. This is going to be tricky.. especially getting the drill into the granite plumb. And that post is HEAVY!
Assuming I can do that, find a 8″ piece of metal (rebar? maybe Simpson has something I can commandier for this purpose) apply epoxy to bar, holes and pieces and mate them together.
Does that have a chance in hades of working?
Ideas? (Besides hunting down the jerk responsible…)
Replies
"Ideas? "
yes. Home owners insurance.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
$1,000 deductible.
And I just upped it from $500 the previous week.
Figures!
not sure yet damage to landscaping and irrigation (there's a head in the area...)... but even so, the first $1K is on me.
if U can't match up the cut line enough to make you happy, you could cut it off at the break square, then set a larger stone base. As long as the bottom is "heavier" and materials match, it'll look proportional.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
How about a plywood template with a couple of guide holes. Index it to the stump, drill, flip it over, index it to the post and drill it. Maybe two pieces of 1/2' rebar, 6-8" each way in 5/8" holes to allow for some alignment adjustment and use Simpson epoxy to put it back together.
now that's a good idea...
the post is not smooth.. it's sort of a rough/unpolished cut. might make indexing a tad tricky... any suggestions?
also, would you think 1 bar is sufficient? I was hoping that the 1 bar would be a good way to keep the post stable as the epoxy between the stump and the post set... along with lateraly rigidity so it's not just the epoxy keeping it from falling over.
But... hey, I do see the merit in drilling two holes... after all why drill one hole when you can drill two?
(that's a corollary to... "why use just a 2x8 when you can used a 2x12 instead" thought process that causes me to be accused of being a chronic over-builder.)
Clamp/screw a couple of blocks to the plywood for orientation to the post. Rough and jagged surface? Maybe start with a 1/4 or 5/16 pilot hole in a variable speed hammer drill. Slow and easy.
many thanks for the reply.
I bought a temp post + box today so I'll be tackling this next spring.
Best of Luck with it!Happy Holidays!!
I like your idea.
Perhaps substitute all-thread for rebar.
If you can dry fit the post to the stump and mark both pieces at the corners with a magic marker line across the break, your holes would be easily registered by a snap line pulled across the marked points of opposite corners.
You might drill the post hole and epoxy your all-thread in, then drill the stump hole a little oversize to allow for slight misalignment. Excess epoxy that squeezes out of the stump hole should spread into the joint and help hold the two together. I think I would paint the post with a thin coat of epoxy to be sure it wets out the granite and load up the stump pretty heavily to fill any voids.
Get some granite epoxy from Trow & Holden in Vermont. It is made for this, particularly for repairing gravestones. I've used this stuff.........I wouldn't even drill any holes, this is rugged stuff.I epoxied a granite post years ago, let it cure, and then hung it up in the air, with the weight hanging on the epoxy joint.Hung there for a week. Good enough for me. Rod