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I am trying to insert rebar into the ground to hold an art project. I cannot get it straight. I am starting with a drill bit, then hammer, then fence post banger. I is angles every time. Suggestions?

isherwood
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Connie S Almond-Drew
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  • How permanent is this? Can you (depending on size, cost, permanency) make a small concrete base for it, either in the ground (more permanent) or on top of the ground (e.g., Sonotube)? – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Aug 01 '21 at 17:53
  • You are hitting rock. Move to a new spot. Does the rebar bend or just not going in straight? – crip659 Aug 01 '21 at 17:53
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    what di you mean by `straight`? ... do you mean that you cannot get it to be `vertical`? – jsotola Aug 01 '21 at 18:27
  • Why are you starting with a drill bit? What is this "ground"? Are you going through a concrete deck that needs to be drilled before you hit earth or something? How far in does it get before it starts going off vertical? Does it feel like you are hitting or encountering something other than soil at some point? – jay613 Aug 02 '21 at 19:25

4 Answers4

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I am a fan of these

steel fence up post

It is from Walmart

This is from walmart but any hardware store will have them. They are cheap. They offer more surface area to the soil that a rebar so they don't tilt - especially if you sink them down to that flat piece on the side. Put a piece of scrap wood on the top when you bang it down with a hammer.

Also they come with holes and clips both which facilitates hanging stuff. Save the rebar for something else.

Idea 2: attach bottom of rebar to something big and bury it.

The new mailbox came with a metal pole. One generally puts this in the ground and pours concrete around it but I did not want to buy concrete because buying a fancy mailbox was bad enough. I went up the street to where they were tearing down a house and came back with a big chunk of concrete and brick. I attached the pole to this with masonry screws and buried the chunk. Before I covered up the chunk I moved it around until I got the pole to true vertical. So far so good with that.

You could do this with your rebar. Attach it solidly to something bulky and heavy you can get for free and bury the bulky thing. It will keep your rebar oriented. Attaching rebar to stuff can be tricky but rebar ties are great and you will use them for all sorts of things.

FreeMan
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Willk
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  • I don't see how this solves the problem. If a solid bar goes sideways, so will this (and this probably isn't as strong to begin with). – isherwood Aug 02 '21 at 16:53
  • @isherwood - the U post has more surface area (in both directions, because of the U bend) than the bar and so meets more resistance from the soil around it. The rebar cuts thru the soil because it is thin. – Willk Aug 02 '21 at 22:31
  • I resized the image by changing the file name from `*.img` to `*m.img`. This is a trick I just learned a week or two ago – FreeMan Sep 01 '21 at 22:47
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    @Freeman - sweet trick! I just used it on Worldbuilding stack. – Willk Sep 05 '21 at 00:08
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Put the rebar into the ground so it comes out a few inches.

Then connect to it with the uprights etc that you need using bolted joints. That way you can get them upright irrespective of the rebar angle.

Solar Mike
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A single stick of rebar isn't going to be terribly straight punched into dirt (not stable enough) or drilled into rock (very hard to get it deep enough to provide stability several feet up).

A solution is to stick it into concrete. That can either be:

  • Dig a hole - a few feet deep and a few feet in diameter.
  • Fill with concrete mix according to package directions.
  • Stick the rebar into the concrete. Secure it in some fashion (e.g., strings to stakes in 3 directions) so that it will stay vertical while the concrete cures.

or

  • Use a Sonotube or other form, either manufactured or knock some wood together, to make a place for your concrete on top of the ground.
  • Fill with concrete mix according to package directions.
  • Stick the rebar into the concrete. Secure it in some fashion (e.g., strings to stakes in 3 directions) so that it will stay vertical while the concrete cures.

Once the concrete cures, your rebar should be quite stable.

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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Rebar is soft. Drive it in to the desired depth, then just bend it vertical.

If the portion above ground is too short, use a large wrench or length of pipe as a lever. A 2x4 with a hole drilled through it near one end would also work. Angle the hole to give more clearance to the ground.

isherwood
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