[TheForge] Concrete forms OT, but important... for me anyhow.

[jerry Frost]

I was a little surprised watching your video, you don't sound like a crazed
maniac like I thought you would. Go figger eh?

I had to Google Speedblock and still only have a rough idea about it.
However I agree with Pete they'd make it really easy to build your pony
walls. I'd certainly go more than 12" on the footer though, 24" min. 32" or
more would be WAY better. 32" is double the length of a cinderblock so
building pilasters around the stilts would be a snap.

A nice level smooth footer would make it pretty easy to block up a wall even
with the stilts. It's nothing a carbide blade in a skill saw wouldn't fit,
then you could build the block around and up them. Easy peasy, the only
thing I'd wonder about is what lousy rebar those jacks make, they're smooth
and the concrete wouldn't bond well. If you poured the footer a little wider
around each stilt you could just lay cinder block pilasters around them and
let the extra width of reinforced concrete make them not bonding not matter.

Once you get the old footer broken and cleaned off the only thing I see
needs doing is installing rebar ties if none are left hanging. Drill and
epoxy would do that but I HATE drilling overhead. Glad it's not my project
though I do have to say I wish we lived within visiting distance, it'd be a
done deal by now.

Jer
-----Original Message-----
From: TheForge [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter
Fels & Phoebe Palmer
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 12:28 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Concrete forms OT, but important... for me anyhow.

Looks like a lot of grunt work!
Once your 12" footer is poured and leveled with rebar sticking up..
The speedblock will fit right in around your vertical steel members with
ease. No problem.
The speedblock is easy to cut with a carbide grit or diamond masonry blade
in an old skillsaw.
Forming isn't necessary ... and would be difficult with the external
clearances shown in the video.

On Aug 12, 2014, at 1:08 PM, Andrew Vida wrote:

Can't lay conderblock because of the columns holding the house up. As far as
I can see, it has to be a poured concrete affair.  Look at this and you will
see what I mean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOVT7uZMQLE&list=UUMXX2OBQ46aG0DEdhK04gIA



On 8/12/14, 3:50 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> Speedblocks are a bit different Jerry. They come with no knock out ends,
but rather the ends are tapered.
> The surface bonding cement is GRC...or fiberGlass Reinforced Concrete with
a lot of acrylic plastic additive in place of most of the water. That system
saved laying the block in grout and, of course , forming.
> I actually had a building inspector look down inside a structurally
critical corner before we grouted , and say...
> "Peter, that's too much steel. You have to leave some room for the
cement".
> Ironically, now, years later, i have to drill a number of horizontal 
> bolt holes through that area and don't look forward to it. We used a high
strength grout too.
> A big walnut log is going to be installed as a corner post there.
>