What is Stump and Post Hole Drilling?

20 May 2015

It’s hard going when you’re digging post openings on the ground. After all, a team of well-muscled guys can dig wide and long pits all day long, but the job becomes that much tougher when depth is the primary dimension. The target hole is maybe a handful of centimetres in diameter, which leaves even the best labourer scrambling for a skinny shovel as he breaks his back digging downward. The solution is to double up on your resolve and change the tool. An auger function is needed, a purpose-designed tool that’s ideal for post hole drilling and similar work projects.

Before praising the corkscrew-like outlines of an auger, it makes sense to shine a spotlight on when post holes are required. The posts in question are typically defined as the supporting structure of a strong fence. They’re arguably the most important component of any enclosure because each one sinks into the ground and acts as a buttressing foundation upon which fence panels are hung. Without a carefully carved fence hole, the concrete and back-filled dirt that hold the fence post in place would lack definition and likely lose stability. This is where the mini digger steps up, shrugging on the post hole digging tool and scooping soil out with a repeatable accuracy that can’t be matched by manual effort. The post holes are cut intelligently, scooped wider at the bottom of the hole and narrower on the surface to create the standard post hole outline. Once complete, the mini digger and its auger attachment moves on to the next evenly spaced fence support.

Meanwhile, coming in behind this process, a fencing professional is laying concrete and positioning the post. It should be noted that rough guidelines are in place regarding the depth of fence post holes, but contractors tend to recommend a depth that equals a third of the length of the post, though this distance may lengthen if heavier fencing is being installed. An example of this weighty form factor would be a dense aluminium fence. Of course, the post hole digging function of the auger is entirely under the command of the mini digger operator, a role that has close parallels to other digging functions. For example, post holes have similarities to stump holes. Now, if you were to get tired and stop reading at this point, you’d likely leave with the assumption that stump holes are what’s left behind when a tree stump is dragged out of a garden. There’s some truth in this assumption, but the typical definition of a stump hole actually correlates with a more construction oriented activity. Stump holes are the deep holes that support rows and columns of upright supports, the timber or metal struts that hold a building subfloor level regardless of the lay of the land.

Not surprisingly, stump hole drilling is an exacting task as the posts contain load-bearing characteristics, but post holes also require close scrutiny as they’re responsible for perimeter security, the stable presence of fence panels.

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