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footing for totem pole

magic624 | Posted in Construction Techniques on March 26, 2009 06:30am

what would be the best footing design for a 13 foot long, 20 inch round  post with a unrestrained top?     big block of concrete with a bolted flange?   tall and skinny, or short with wide bottom?  or would multilple steel  angles/i beam  driven deep into hillside and welded together be better?   the post is part of a totem pole , no room to bury 5 feet in the ground, and i need to fasten this dang thing to some sort of footing….any ideas?

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  1. gfretwell | Mar 26, 2009 06:44am | #1

    My gut feel is a big honking christmas tree stand kinda thing going up 3 feet on a side with 3" angle and a 5' radius base pinned down, would get you 70-80 MPH but if you want elegant you probably need an engineer.



    Edited 3/25/2009 11:45 pm ET by gfretwell

  2. Piffin | Mar 26, 2009 01:07pm | #2

    I would design a cup mount bottom that you would seat this into and drive lags in. it would have at least three legs down with toe flange into the crete footing and be set when that is poured.

    Take the design to a steel fabrication shop / good welder.

    If the crete is already poured you would have to drill and mount with epoxy and bolts, and this would have more steel showing. For sample - see how the roof canopies over gas pumps and the local stop'n'go island is done

     

     

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