It emerges

You know that feeling like you've been screwing around long enough and now it's time to get going?

I was there a long time ago on this project.

I was ready to cut a post for post hole 5 and turns out I had a perfectly good post left over from the old array that was in fine shape.

Wait... the old concrete sinks for the old posts are still the ground. They're not exactly aligned to where I'd need them but maybe I could extend them...

No.

Do it right. Below you'll see an old sink with the post cut away (under the left edge of the tape measure) and the new hole (for post 8) with an old post as a test.

I had the concrete and the holes dug. Now I needed to cut and lay out the corner posts.

Did some video reviews of others sinking those posts with concrete.

Ah.

I need gravel on the bottom. At least 2-3 inches.

Holes are not deep enough.

Sigh.

Well at least I hadn't yet dug the middle 2 holes on the bottom row.

Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig.

We have a lot's of extra gravel around the cactus garden. Grabbed a wheelbarrow full.

Now back to our story.

You'll recall my math from the last post on how to come up with the lengths front to back. I knew post 5 would be shortest. I calculated post 8 and post 1 based on the height of post 5.

That yellow string and my level were used extensively.

Came up with refined measures for posts 5 and 8 and...

I cut a post!

I had planned to cut the 4x4's with a circular saw but the real guy, Rick Simms, intervened and lent me a miracle machine. A chop saw.

Wonderful tool.

Here's my test of freshly cut post 8 (foreground) and recycled post 5.

I was finally ready to start setting some posts.

More online videos showed that screwing a couple of support bars into the post helped keep it level during the concrete setting. Furthermore a $4 post level helped immensely in assuring I had the right positioning.

The Quickcrete is pretty easy. Pour some in dry, add some water, pour some more, add more water, etc. No mixing!

Turns out one 80lb per post was about right.

Those bags were heavy. 

Setting post 5

 

Concrete poured

Last bit of water applied

Then I measured, calculated, remeasured, recalculated and remeasured and remeasured post 1. With gravel.

C'mon cut the wood!

Cut with the saw.

And placed it.

Things started to move more quickly after that.

Then the chop saw stalled. Did I mess something up? 

Called Rick.

Check your fuse box.

Doh!

I blew a fuse.

Back to sawing.

Once the corners were set it was easy to measure and cut all the other posts. Just measuring and truing them up to a leveled string. See below.

All the geometry work paid off. These posts were well-leveled to each other.

Now to frame it.