Always thought those little post leveling jigs were a waste of money
I was setting a line of 40 pickets on a slope in Springfield last month and the posts kept shifting in the concrete. My buddy lent me his plastic leveling bracket, the kind that screws to the post and stakes into the ground. It held everything dead straight while the mix set. Saved me at least an hour of checking and adjusting. Anyone have a cheaper DIY version that works just as well?
Got a scrap 2x4 and some screws? Cut two short blocks and screw them into the post to make a cross. Stake that into the ground. Works the same as the plastic thing for basically free. Used that trick for years before I caved and bought a bracket.
Actually, gotta disagree with you on this one @sarah_fisher49. That wood cross method rots out pretty fast in the ground, in my experience. You end up replacing it every couple years. The plastic bracket might cost a few bucks, but it lasts way longer without splitting or getting soft. Sometimes the free fix ends up costing more time.
That thing about the free fix costing more time is so true, like @sage308 said. Those wood crosses do rot and then you're fixing it all over again. The bracket just works.