"Harold Walker" wrote in message
...

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
How do you keep a met post straight as you wallop it into the ground so
that when you put a six foot 4x4 post into it the post will be
straight?

Janet

A bit at a time. You knock it in just enough for it not to fall over,
then
step back a good distance and check it out both from a north/south and
an
east/west perspective. Push it the way it needs to go and hit it a bit
more.
Step back again etc. Do this several times. By the time it's too stiff
to
adjust anymore it should be perpendicular and stay that way.

Then you can start walloping.

Put a bit of scrap wood on top of the post and you won't split the end
so
much.

Would it not be easier to use a spirit level......H
Steve


Well you could, but I'm guessing that the OP hasn't got one, or she might
not have asked the question. Also the matter of stepping back and checking
doesn't just make sure you get it right, It also gives you an important
breather in between bouts of wielding a lump or sledge hammer. You have to
pace yourself, especially if you're not in the first flush of youth.

And let's not forget another important aspect of such things, which is that
if you finish the job too soon, A/ your efforts might be insufficiently
appreciated and rewarded, and B/ another job might be found for you. And
that would never do, would it?

Steve