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I'm packing medium-sized gravel (1.5"-minus crushed rock) in to holes, to provide a stable base for pier blocks in clay-rich soil. There are 30 holes, roughly 24" diameter, 18" deep.

I have a 10" x 10" hand tamper, but my carpenter friend said that would only work well on smaller rock. He suggested using a 4" x 4".

I have been tamping & tamping, and now my joints hurt, and I have a lot more tamping to do. Maybe my technique could be improved? Maybe I don't need to tamp as thoroughly as I have been.

I tried googling for tamping info, and mostly I came up with tips for making espresso. And every site that mentions tamping gravel just says "step 5: tamp gravel" and gives no further details.

Aarthi
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Jay Bazuzi
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2 Answers2

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Manual tamping is hard labor. Consider it gym time. You'll want to add a few inches, maybe wetten it slightly, and start pounding. Repeat until you get to the top.

Alternatively, rent a power tamper and save yourself a lot of time and aches and pains.

DA01
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Jay, you may be working way too hard. Your question said you have only 1.5 inches of gravel over crushed stone etc. right? Your carpenter friend is probably right, a 4X4 should work fine. Don't get too carried away, as long as the fill is reasonably firm, you should be OK. You don't need to pack it as hard as concrete. If you fashion a comforable "T" handle onto the top of a 4X4 it will make the job a bit easier. What are you using for the bases? Concrete blocks or concrete porch posts? If you are using porch posts, I got some great tips for ya, let me know. Do you have a small bobcat or similar with a front end bucket available?

shirlock homes
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