I use a grinder and smooth or round off the sharp ends of rebar and it helps in keeping its shape when driving.
I will also sharpen one end to aid in driving in hard surfaces.
Around here there is a red clay that is so dense nothing will penetrate over a few inches with the strongest of blasts with a sledge. If using a post hole bore best have a firm footing or the device will throw you to the side when it hits the clay.
I'm sure it's real nice to survey in the boondocks...
But I'll take where I am thank you very much...
1938 Pipe Rehabilitation> Drive Cap?
well first of all, we use OAK hubs; and second, in the sandy areas we could just push them into the ground if we wanted to set unstable monuments.... but we like concrete bounds best of all....
Yeah, the quiet and clean air and watching out for snakes, lions, bears and moose isn't for everyone.
And I don't mean that critically; two weeks in an eastern city and I'm getting claustrophobic. And some people come out here and can't stand the open range, the low traffic-and no malls.
1938 Pipe Rehabilitation> Drive Cap?
> well first of all, we use OAK hubs;
Okay, so the hubs are cut out of oak. What are the laths made of? Walnut? I'd think that you'd find a drive cap made of steel would last longer than wood.
> For rebar you get a rebar driver. Be sure to pound the burrs and ribs down on the top of the rebar before using the driver or it can get stuck on there. The rebar driver makes the top of the rebar sort of beveled so the cap goes on better.
There are also a couple of other tips to follow when setting rebars with aluminum caps such as the Surv-Kap rebar cap with plastic insert that I mentioned above.
1) Go to the lumberyard or fabricator and look at the rebar you're going to buy to make sure that it doesn't have projecting longitudinal ribs. There is a fair amount of variation and by choosing carefully you can get rebar that doesn't need any hammering or grinding for a rebar cap to sit snugly on it. Big time saver.
2) Get the rebar saw-cut to length, not cut with a shear.
Following those two simple rules and using a drive cap, you end up with perfectly good bars with the edges of the cut end rounded over in driving and ready for a cap that will fit securely. I ground my bars until I realized that it wasn't necessary when (1) and (2) were met.