×

How to Make a Post Driver

Finn McCuhil

The most difficult part of installing a new fence is setting the posts. Wooden fence posts, commonly used for older fences, require holes excavated by hand or with a power auger. Modern steel "T" fence posts eliminate the need for digging. Instead, they are driven into the ground with a hand or power post driver. If you are fencing a garden, or other small area, making your own hand post driver is easy and inexpensive.

Steel has replaced wood as the material of choice for fence posts.
  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.