Greetings fellow TTers, Man, has it been hot out here! 139 deaths due to the heat in the past three weeks. We saw 112 deg. F on the shaded patio one day and three or four days in a row of 110+. The h
In a previous existence I worked as a lowly underling in civil engineering laboratories and on construction sites. I am sure that the concrete forms were made of plywood with a very smooth -- almost
Hello, In a previous occupation, I poured refactory concrete in wooden and rubber and fiberglass forms. What we used for form oil was a product made from petroleum naptha. It is made by a company cal
JC, I have used oil and used diesel in the past for this but I have found something that is even better and your wood will remain free for another use of any kind that you want. Wrap the plywood with
Using a release is a good idea, however I have never used anything. Concrete shrinks a little when it hardens and I never had problems removing wood forms. John KK9A <snip> One quick question for the
ties, etc. and plywood for the forms What are the plywood forms for? Typically, the concrete in the ground should be poured against undisturbed earth. If you've got sloughing, then you might need the
Why Use Forms? A lot of people ask that question but I can tell you why I use them when I pour a tower base. The Earth sucks the moisture from the concrete and causes it to have weak spots becase it
I'm guessing that the earth was already disturbed from installing the 9 ft square x 1 1/2 ft. thick footing that the manufacture (AN Wireless) recommends. John KK9A ties, etc. and plywood for the for
Steve, John & all, Thanks for all the reminders and suggestions. In my case the forms are required because I'm doing a pad and pier (sort of a 3D inverted T) foundation. I tried digging it (so I woul
square x 1 1/2 ft. thick footing that the manufacture (AN Wireless) recommends. Well, sort of. The undisturbed part is the sides. Obviously the dirt you dig out is disturbed but since it doesn't have
I'm guessing that the earth was already disturbed from installing the 9 ft square x 1 1/2 ft. thick footing that the manufacture (AN Wireless) recommends. John KK9A ties, etc. and plywood for the for
One final suggestion - Make your tower base a few inches higher than the surrounding earth. I always make my pours 4 inches higher. This will allow water to run off the base during a rain instead of
Author: "K8RI on TowerTalk" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 02:07:07 -0400
I'd suggest adding a crown of at least 2 to 4 inches on a 9 X 9' pour.The crown needs to be high enough that even low spots in the contouring can not collect water. Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40
Folks: I Googled: Concrete +cure and came up with a wealth of info from various concrete associations, With detailed info on curing rates, conpressive strength vs time during cure, special kinds of c
Hi John, Yes, my plans call for ~6" above the soil level. I'm on a slight slope (3" - 4" fall over the 9' the hole covers) and I've been pondering whether to just do the top of the pier parallel to t
Integrity of the zinc-concrete-air interface is critical to long term tower durability. If poor construction techniques allow the interface to become a zinc-concrete-water interface -- or much worse,
It's too bad that you don't have the bottom section. I understand the weight issue with placing it there for the pour. We have 2 iron horses that are placed outside the base hole and use 2 heavy angl