How do I get this out?

[GARRETT SORENSON]

Hey 'millers,

I'm going to replace this grapevine monstrosity with a nice Wood Column. BUT FIRST....how do i get the metal posts out of this cement? There are holes in the brick, with concrete in there holding the metal posts.
Sawzall? That's all I got...338186

[Wayne Lomman]

Garrett, the easiest way is to cut the legs off level with the bricks. However, you will need to give the iron left in the bricks a good coat of rust inhibiting paint.
Option 2 would be to cut the legs off about a foot from the bottom and then try to pull the legs out of the bricks - this may need creative use of a hydraulic jack, a beam and some blocks. The risk with this is that it may pull the bricks out.
Option 3 would be to remove the bricks with holes at the same time as you pull out the ironwork and replace them with new ones. Cheers.

[Charles Wiggins]

I would probably start with Option 2 above, but if that wasn't working, and if you want to remove the metal completely, cut the posts off close to flush with the concrete and use a drill with a masonry bit to chip away at the filler.

[John K Jordan]

Sawzall with a long "The Torch" blade (my favorite) should work. I used a cutoff wheel on a side angle grinder the last time I had to do this. As for getting the steel out of the brick, I reach for a rotary hammer with a drill bit and/or a chisel bit. Or if you can find matching brick just pop up the brick. Or rebrick the run if that's not unreasonable.

JKJ

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Looks like there's a lot of grout around those legs. After cutting them off, I'd try to chisel away the grout and see if you can get them out. Like John said above.

[Keith Westfall]

What's your column going to be like? Cut the steel just below the "grape flowers" and incorporate the short studs into the base support for the wood column. Cover them up and make them useful at the same time...

[GARRETT SORENSON]

Thanks so much, guys. I got all the info I needed right here!

[Frederick Skelly]

What's your column going to be like? Cut the steel just below the "grape flowers" and incorporate the short studs into the base support for the wood column. Cover them up and make them useful at the same time...

I had exactly the same thought Keith.

[Rich Engelhardt]

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-43-amp-angle-grinder-69645.html

Much faster than a sawzall..plus...you'll find a thousand uses for it once you have one.
I can't believe how often I drag mine out for a quick cut & how much faster than a sawzall it can be.

[John K Jordan]

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-43-amp-angle-grinder-69645.html
Much faster than a sawzall..plus...you'll find a thousand uses for it once you have one.
I can't believe how often I drag mine out for a quick cut & how much faster than a sawzall it can be.

You are certainly right about that! I would find it difficult to work metal without a side angle grinder. I keep four, one of them cordless for use around the farm far from power. It is far quicker to work with different wheels on separate grinders so I don't have to stop and change wheels. These are great for cutting with the thin cutoff wheels, grinding, with both radial and cup wire brushes, sanding, abrasive pads, and even for dressing concrete. One of my favorite wheels for cleanup when welding is the flat flap sanding disk (available from any welding supply).

I do prefer the sawzall for certain cuts, especially where clearance is an issue. A long bi-metal reciprocating blade can reach in some very tight spots and can make nearly flush cuts. Also, the recip blade doesn't throw sparks which can sometimes be a big plus. The sawzall is sometimes better for thicker stock or plates where a spinning disk can bind.

Based on years of experience, I would recommend spending more money for a quality grinder unless it will be used only casually. The first one I bought is still going strong after 30 years of use. A friend of mine went through several from Harbor freight! His logic was it's cheap, I'll just buy another one if this breaks.

JKJ

[Rich Engelhardt]

My $15 Harbor Freight 4.5" is still going strong after a good 7 years of sometimes pretty hard use.

I bought mine to cut off a lockset. The tenant changed the locks on a rental - - out of spite - - then moved out in the dead of Winter.
Thank God a warm spell hit and we didn't have to worry about the pipes freezing while we sweated out the three days we had to wait before being able to enter the place by breaking in.
I read somewhere on the internet where a guy had to do the exact same thing & he said the HF grinder sliced right through the lockset and the deadbolt.

I figured it was a one time use & went with the cheap HF one.

Once I had one though, I found a bazillion and one uses for it!