How to Make a Post Driver

How to Make a Post Driver
Written By
Finn McCuhil
Finn McCuhil
Published: May 24, 2010
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read
  1. Thread the cap onto the pipe.

  2. Tighten the cap. Fit one pipe wrench just below the threaded end of the pipe on the left-hand side, and fit the second pipe wrench on the right-hand side of the cap. To get the best leverage on the wrenches, there should be no more than a 15-degree arc between the two handles. Pull the handles of the wrenches together. Repeat until the cap is tight.

  3. Turn the capped pipe upside down, and apply a mild corrosive to the seam between the cap and the pipe. For this application, a commercial thread adhesive or a carbonated cola drink poured over the exposed threads will work.

Tips

Applying a thread adhesive to your post driver will prevent the cap from working itself loose while driving posts.

Use heavy-gauge steel only. Driving posts will put a great deal of stress on the driver. Many low-cost post drivers will fail after only a few posts.

Welding handles made of rebar above the center of gravity on your driver can make driving large numbers of posts easier.

A short section of an old drive shaft, if you can find one, will work well as a post driver.

Photo Credits

Old wooden posts and barbed wire farm fence against blue sky. image by GoodMood Photo from Fotolia.com

Finn McCuhil

Finn McCuhil is a freelance writer based in Northern Michigan. He worked as a reporter and columnist in South Florida before becoming fascinated with computers. After studying programming at University of South Florida, he spent more than…

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