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T-post driver, digging bar, yo-yo, etc. all gave young CycleTex blisters on his hands (insert joke).  

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  • As I posted above, I have a need to dig a few holes on our place, but before that happens I'll tell a story on one of my favorite holes on our place and one that I currently hate the most.  This took

  • CleverNickname
    CleverNickname

  • CleverNickname
    CleverNickname

    Nice Saturday. Got after it about 3 hours. Not a big update, but satisfying.  Used the big jackhammer today. Very hard rock layer. I'm now about 5 ft below the third set. So that means I ca

Posted Images

10 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

T-post driver, digging bar, yo-yo, etc. all gave young CycleTex even more blisters on his hands (insert joke).  

 

per your request.... fify

25 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Team #SanAngelobar here on the nomenclature.  I keep one at the house and one at the ranch.  Just replaced the one at the house.  Bent it trying to leverage up a big boulder.  The point was worn to a nub, so it was time.  

It's a handy tool for sure. I used one a ton on a retaining wall project when we had to bust up the old sacks of concrete where the tractor grapple couldn't get on them. Getting blisters through gloves is no bueno. 

As someone born in Tom Green County and spent too many fucking days in a neighboring county digging post holes on top of the divide till I was 15 and moved away, #TeamSanAngeloBar.

3 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

T-post driver, digging bar, yo-yo, etc. all gave young CycleTex blisters on his hands (insert joke).  

My Papa called 'em a "Texas Toothpick".

 

*Grandfather 

About two years ago, I was putting in some temporary fencing along the road through my front pasture.  That area is mostly caliche, so it wasn't too tough to drive in T-posts.  Not as easy as loam, but much better than solid rock.  I had about 30 or so 6 footers to get in the ground before I strung the barbed wire.  It's the middle of summer, just shy of beer:30 in the afternoon, I'm on the last post, and I'm dog tired.  I've got it almost all the way into the ground, so the top of the post is pretty low.  Evidently, I lifted it up a tad too high and the driver caromed off the top of the post, turned a few degrees away from me which mean I slammed the butt end of the driver down squarely in the middle of my forehead.  I think the brim of my baseball cap saved me from needing staples and probably prevented a concussion.  I was still seeing stars and bleeding like a stuck pig.  I walked the 200 yards back to the house with blood dumping down my face.  My wife turned white as a ghost when I walked in the house.  I told her "tis but a flesh wound" (which it was).  Crazy how much you can bleed from a scalp wound.  I had to throw away my shirt and jeans.  

57 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

About two years ago, I was putting in some temporary fencing along the road through my front pasture.  That area is mostly caliche, so it wasn't too tough to drive in T-posts.  Not as easy as loam, but much better than solid rock.  I had about 30 or so 6 footers to get in the ground before I strung the barbed wire.  It's the middle of summer, just shy of beer:30 in the afternoon, I'm on the last post, and I'm dog tired.  I've got it almost all the way into the ground, so the top of the post is pretty low.  Evidently, I lifted it up a tad too high and the driver caromed off the top of the post, turned a few degrees away from me which mean I slammed the butt end of the driver down squarely in the middle of my forehead.  I think the brim of my baseball cap saved me from needing staples and probably prevented a concussion.  I was still seeing stars and bleeding like a stuck pig.  I walked the 200 yards back to the house with blood dumping down my face.  My wife turned white as a ghost when I walked in the house.  I told her "tis but a flesh wound" (which it was).  Crazy how much you can bleed from a scalp wound.  I had to throw away my shirt and jeans.  

Yep - anything on the head and it's a mess.  I've got scars on my chin, cheek, hands, forearms, and knees from doing dumb shit at the ranch.  Mostly from barbed wire, sharp rocks, mesquite thorns, livestock, and power tools.  In that order.  

Pops had a gnarly scar on his knee that looks like it was from replacement surgery - chainsaw accident.  Old fart was cutting mesquite trunk low and parallel to the ground, hit a knot and the blade kicked back, caught him square on the knee and "bounced" on the patella.  Few inches in, your talking softer tissue, and of course the femoral artery.  Cabin looked like a Civil War infirmary.  Blood and bandages everywhere.  He treated the cut and drove into Ballinger and got medical attention.  

  • Author

small update. New bit v old bit:20250628_204724.thumb.jpg.e0110932449e4261ad38ed0aeefe2a9a.jpg

It did dig a little better. 

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frame cover:

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Didnt dig much. Had to do some ranch tasks. Built a box for the tank cutoff and cleaned up cabin loft. Kids want to make it a backup sleeping area, and now.we have a bigger shed we can move junk out.

20250629_100121.thumb.jpg.12114f1591a67f013dcbc1ba4ca42088.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
Yeah, I was the "breaker-bar" kid for the longest damn time.  Just a solid metal bar with a chisel tip on one end.  Has to be 50+ years old.  Still have it.  T-post driver is also a big bucket of suck.  

I have driven enough t-posts this year to last a good while. Co-signed on the suck
I've heard so many different names for this tool from various cowboys and workers - a big Awl, an Asp, Breaker-bar, pry bar, etc. I've never heard it referred to as a San Angelo bar before, but I'm going to keep calling it an Awl.

Some folks call it a kaiser blade
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

I put in 40 ft of metal edging hoping it will divert water flowing across the surface from a heavy rain. 

20250719_114328.thumb.jpg.202d962685ac4a9dd4925e4eb686ff4d.jpg

The hole had about the same water as the last time. Makes me wonder if that's the wet weather ground water level. Hmm.

20250719_104820.thumb.jpg.cd532a87badd48b9e8863733d43c6448.jpg

20250719_115451.thumb.jpg.379bc46f18a232cab35afa6008359738.jpg

 

Some friends:

IMG_20250719_124839.thumb.jpg.dff5c5316b59b9e1ce428185d3df5968.jpg

20250719_114312.thumb.jpg.080df7274889f685c77003756ccc20fd.jpg

 

Any idea how much rain your property got since your last visit?  Considering recent events, that metal siding may be the only reason it's not a really small, really deep swimming pool.

  • Author
1 hour ago, SurlyGator said:

Any idea how much rain your property got since your last visit?  Considering recent events, that metal siding may be the only reason it's not a really small, really deep swimming pool.

2 inches last Sunday of which a half inch in 15 minutes.

  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/19/2025 at 12:52 PM, CleverNickname said:

I put in 40 ft of metal edging hoping it will divert water flowing across the surface from a heavy rain. 

20250719_114328.thumb.jpg.202d962685ac4a9dd4925e4eb686ff4d.jpg

The hole had about the same water as the last time. Makes me wonder if that's the wet weather ground water level. Hmm.

20250719_104820.thumb.jpg.cd532a87badd48b9e8863733d43c6448.jpg

20250719_115451.thumb.jpg.379bc46f18a232cab35afa6008359738.jpg

 

Some friends:

IMG_20250719_124839.thumb.jpg.dff5c5316b59b9e1ce428185d3df5968.jpg

20250719_114312.thumb.jpg.080df7274889f685c77003756ccc20fd.jpg

 

spacer.png

On 7/19/2025 at 12:52 PM, CleverNickname said:

The hole had about the same water as the last time. Makes me wonder if that's the wet weather ground water level. Hmm.

 

Should be a place with that general information. 

Ag office, maybe a local driller. Shouldn’t be hard to find a general number. 

On 7/19/2025 at 12:52 PM, CleverNickname said:

The hole had about the same water as the last time. Makes me wonder if that's the wet weather ground water level. Hmm.

If so, you need to change thread title to "I inadvertently dug a well by hand."

@CleverNickname FYI, if you want to look for water levels nearby, you can use the TWDB GIS site to click on nearby water wells and look at their water elevation (various dates) with reference to their surface location as well as the geologic formation producing water. You can also look at what geologic formations are outcropping nearby using the layer levels to get a feel for where the water might be.

image.thumb.png.7b018cd992553ec0a70de05bd7c21abc.png

 https://www3.twdb.texas.gov/apps/WaterDataInteractive/GroundwaterDataViewer

This is going to be the most epic man room ever. You have year round air conditioning and perfect isolation.

Edited by Thetexashammer

15 hours ago, Thetexashammer said:

This is going to be the most epic man room ever. You have year round air conditioning and perfect isolation.

Place to keep your box wine at a constant temperature

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

Place to keep your box wine at a constant temperature

 

And if you get too drunk, you’ll have somethin to throw up in as well!

Bonus plan, baby!

2 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Place to keep your box wine at a constant temperature

I take it out of the box. That makes it easier to just open the valve right into my face hole.

  • Author

Sadly (?) the hole is not a well. Got out 5 buckets in 1.5 hours of work. My clothes must have had 2 pounds of sweat.

20250816_095618.thumb.jpg.ad50b0fca0dac6c845e95cce2dcfb867.jpg

Magically turned into this:

20250816_113406.thumb.jpg.dc9e0b52ababc8f369b8213964c7d2af.jpg

Yeah, I dont see a change either. But onward and downward! 

Did you ever get an answer on how far down the water table should be?

Go to Traveler's Antiques and Trading outside of Amarillo. Buy several pounds of black powder, drill some holes, get some model rocketry igniters, and boom. Even with the drive, you will still save some time. You could also probably find some of the black powder substitutes locally.

Edited by NotActuallyALonghorn

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I've heard of folks back in the day who were supposed to be walking pipelines getting lost by following their boots. I guess that's one of the reasons why they put up signs now.  

  • 2 weeks later...

It's been +2 months.

¿Football season holding you back?

Have you bumped into Jimmy Hoffa's body yet?

  • Author

I've been working on trying to fill up the top of a draw the prior owner used for junk. Pulled out lots of barb and net wire. 

Before:

20250726_102634.thumb.jpg.9dff8b1891f482e5cc79178374ecf40a.jpg

20250726_091214.thumb.jpg.d221ae2a34a337fc20dfd0215dc33af5.jpg

After:

20250928_125128.thumb.jpg.1c16ace42b12c5e8c3b287b06608f0a7.jpg

Still a work in progress. Probably not going to do blocks all across. For the gap over the pvc I will probably do some quickrete and her some 2 ft quarter inch steel cutoffs.

But I did get out about 5 buckets from the hole today. Jack hammer etc. I am a little worried about tweaking my back, because the boy decided we are doing Philmont summer '26. So taking it pretty easy.

 

Edited by CleverNickname

@CleverNickname explain what you’re doing with all the concrete blocks and the pipe please. There a reason to not fill with dirt or rock?

  • Author
4 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

@CleverNickname explain what you’re doing with all the concrete blocks and the pipe please. There a reason to not fill with dirt or rock?

its a drainage. Rain flows across neighborhoods dirt drive and comes down into that draw (left to right in 2 of the pictures) and then on down to my creek. Naturally old man rancher just dumped old coils of fencing there for 80 years. But I'd like to be able to drive along the fence line before dropping down the hill. As it is I enter the ravine just a bit below this point, so it involves breaking over an edge running 45 degrees across the road. Takes a bit of clearance. My hope is a groomed straight path requires nothing special at all. Also its a place I can dump spoils of hole digging. 

I had not seen anything about y'all being in Scouting America.

Will he be First Class by May '26?

  • Author
On 10/18/2025 at 5:59 PM, ROFL BOX said:

I had not seen anything about y'all being in Scouting America.

Will he be First Class by May '26?

Near enough. Our troop doesnt require it. He will he 14 big enough to carry a pack. Hats off to those dad's 50+ getting it done. 

  • 1 month later...
  • Author

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15 hours ago, RPM said:

You bottom out?

I hope to have an update Friday! I'd been working on some amateurish road work (to go with me amateurish hold digging). But I got something that I hope helps push deeper. 

20251130_115845.thumb.jpg.f7d7c4af10eb14dd619a8b31d9be2823.jpg

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Edited by CleverNickname
added pic

  • Author

LFG!

20251205_091815.thumb.jpg.9924b39560b7ba8e471881dd9f7935b0.jpg

Concrete saw.

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Okay, it was like 42 at the ranch, but probably a balmy 58 in the hole. It was wet. Dirty. Dusty. I wore eye protection (over my glasses), hearing protection, and a dist mask. I couldn't see shit. 

It kinda worked. But to be honest, just pecking away with the smaller hammer drill was seemingly just as effective and a lot less wet.

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I got out 5 buckets. Meh. I did tidy up my little filled in drainage and drove my maverick across it, so that was cool. 

20251205_101507.jpg

We all appreciate the effort and are living vicariously through you.  Dude being a dude.  For real rock and real progress, I'd recommend a real tool...the jackhammer.  They are available in multiple sizes and electric or pneumatic.  Guessing here, I'm thinking a 50 pounder?  Is this on the radar?

Image result for what size jackhammer for rock strata

  • Author
11 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

For real rock and real progress, I'd recommend a real tool...the jackhammer.  

Listen. when I'm jackhammering away I always notice the bored look in her eyes.

17 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

We all appreciate the effort and are living vicariously through you.  Dude being a dude.  For real rock and real progress, I'd recommend a real tool...the jackhammer.  They are available in multiple sizes and electric or pneumatic.  Guessing here, I'm thinking a 50 pounder?  Is this on the radar?

Image result for what size jackhammer for rock strata

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/25135-ive-decided-to-dig-a-hole/page/13/#findComment-7163398

On 12/6/2025 at 5:58 PM, CleverNickname said:

Listen. when I'm jackhammering away I always notice the bored look in her eyes.

I rarely think of Surly posts while jackhammering.  But saw the same look in the wife's eyes yesterday and thought of this.  

On 2/21/2025 at 6:51 PM, randomhorn said:

So are we going to age cheese down there or is this more of a wine aging hole?

 

He posts on surly, so probably more for this

r/MovieQuotes - It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.

  • Author

Hole! It was 35 at the hole, bu5 I was sweating. Of course that's with a dust mask eye protection, and hearing protection. 

top down:

20251214_102419.thumb.jpg.cfc3eed46c109cad86e159363d26cad5.jpg

depth of dirt on the one side before I got started:

20251214_102953.thumb.jpg.7d90e7709f276f0709c76e86fb3f9932.jpg

20251214_110708.thumb.jpg.fd180c37a4491157b4c5d7a951a18d22.jpg

approx height of shelf I am working on:

20251214_121943.thumb.jpg.5718f2904c3e0d67c0a4901878c9363a.jpg

34" down to 22". So about 32" x 8" x 12" excavated today.

20251214_121844.thumb.jpg.b1d764eb0a7faedc52f63d0dbd000168.jpg

8 buckets worth:

20251214_123830.thumb.jpg.0121e24d4c3957c548aa76e05a2e3a70.jpg

20251214_122527.thumb.jpg.b8b5bcaad56ac629600cf9151fd3e558.jpg

flipped the ladder:

20251214_123836.thumb.jpg.412b47135ebcb0107aabfc8af161a87e.jpg

 

2 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

Hole! It was 35 at the hole, bu5 I was sweating. Of course that's with a dust mask eye protection, and hearing protection. 

top down:

20251214_102419.thumb.jpg.cfc3eed46c109cad86e159363d26cad5.jpg

depth of dirt on the one side before I got started:

20251214_102953.thumb.jpg.7d90e7709f276f0709c76e86fb3f9932.jpg

 

 

 

flipped the ladder:

20251214_123836.thumb.jpg.412b47135ebcb0107aabfc8af161a87e.jpg

 

?

Those Folding ladders are wide on both ends.  Why "flip"?

 

Also, I assume you have various depths marked on the braces as it goes down?

  • Author
50 minutes ago, ROFL BOX said:

?

Those Folding ladders are wide on both ends.  Why "flip"?

 

Also, I assume you have various depths marked on the braces as it goes down?

Flip... maybe better said as "switch" as in from one side to the other. I can only dif out so much before I have to move the ladder.

The braces are every 48".

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