Help design a tool!

[robinh]

I need help designing a "fence post driver."  I have a yard filled with quaking aspen and pine tree roots.

Because they're near the surface, I thought about using an ax to cut through a few inches of sod and dirt to sever the roots.  But I just can't bring myself to use an ax this way.

After finding a broken leaf spring in the road, I thought I could have it sharpened, attached in some way to a pipe or bar and have a sliding weight that pounds on the top.

But I don't know if a car leaf spring can be welded, sharpened or is too brittle or flexible to survive the impacts that it would receive.

Any thoughts?

robin

[madax]

hello I make and install split cedar fencing. if you are driving posts by hand the digging bar is your friend. I chop out top roots with a pulaski, small mattock (fire fighting tool)or a sacrificial old long bitted west coast falling axe. then relocate hole center and then bar down 2' with a somewhat circular motion, set and drive post, the small rocks and should be loose enough to be pushed aside by the post . lastly salvage any soil or supply some gravel and tamp tamp tamp with a light tampping bar.

hope this helps Madax

[madax]

my other post was in reply to robin

[Pat32rf]

Up here in ice country broken leaf springs are the top choice to make ice chisels (spuds) for opening new holes. We just weld a piece of 3/4" pipe to them and grind an edge on them.
Amateur welder that I was, about 40 years back I butt welded the broken main leaf on the rear of my truck so I could drive it home....didn't know it couldn't be done.

[MadMarcus]

Most leaf springs are made from 5150 steel. It's exceedingly tough, heat treats very well and welds just fine. It's the raw material of choice for Nepalese khukuri knives and many primitive barongs, looks etc. It should work great for a root chopper.