Drill dead straight into oak end grain

[Kevin Adams]

Genius! I didn't know these existed. This one looks even easier if it is rigid enough, would you agree?

Personally I would want the post and drill laying horizontally on a bench or board - with a bit of packing and side stops, you would have to set-up for the fist one, then simply repeat the process on the following posts.

The one you suggested my be a bit flimsy and possibly difficult to 'seat' square and central on the end of the post, it's going to require a fair bit of oomph to drill out a 25 mm hole in end grain.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The one you suggested my be a bit flimsy and possibly difficult to 'seat' square and central on the end of the post, it's going to require a fair bit of oomph to drill out a 25 mm hole in end grain.

We've done a number of repairs to exposed pitch pine beas on the current prject - these are big so and so's (at up to 12 x 6in section) and we had to drill some to take steel flitch plates. Cordless drills won't really hack it and the corded drill we've been using is an 1100 watt blue Bosch, using decent 22mm auger bits (again by Bosch) run at about 450rpm. To get our holes dead straight required a home made V-cradle fixed to a plywood plate at right angles in which the drill was "rested". Worked fine for us

 

[hudster]

We've done a number of repairs to exposed pitch pine beas on the current prject - these are big so and so's (at up to 12 x 6in section) and we had to drill some to take steel flitch plates. Cordless drills won't really hack it and the corded drill we've been using is an 1100 watt blue Bosch, using decent 22mm auger bits (again by Bosch) run at about 450rpm. To get our holes dead straight required a home made V-cradle fixed to a plywood plate at right angles in which the drill was "rested". Worked fine for us

Sounds good - you don't have a photo of the cradle do you?

 

[Doggit]

If you're router will fit square to the base of the post, then use it to cut a pilot hole, then drill to the required depth.

 

[hudster]

Thought I'd follow up on this for anyone who tackles the same challenge.

In the end I bought a drill jig but discovered on the day it didn't quite fit my drill! So the holes got drilled by hand and I had a second person stood to my side to ensure the drilling angle was about right.

I had 20mm stainless steel pins. I drilled using a 25mm bit (screwfix code 85314) at a depth of about 140mm (the pins were sticking out of the ground by 150mm). The fact that the hole had 5mm wider diameter than the pin was perfect, and meant we had enough space to lift the post on without it being so loose it moved afterwards. Obviously as soon as the horizontal pieces of oak were fitted, it all became rock solid anyway.

So the whole thing is deliberately off the ground by 10mm to protect the oak from standing water. If I did it again I'd probably go 20mm for aesthetics, but otherwise the design worked well.

Fun project if anyone out there is considering it...

 

[Roger928]

All very nice but no roof?
I'm guessing those things originated in spain or Italy to grow grapes or summat?
Some where it hardly ever rains. Wouldn't be my cup of tea. Too much space wasted.

 

[hudster]

When it's sunny, we wouldn't want a roof. When it's not sunny, we wouldn't be outside!

They do make a gazebo version with nice cedar roof though. Good excuse to build another one

 

[foxhole]

I used galvanised post base, no drilling required.
https://www.metrofixings.co.uk/main/product/productinfo/18767