Thread: How do you keep your cemetery columns from blowing over?

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I'm in the process of making my cemetery columns and before I paint them would like to know what is the best way to keep them on the ground? I do get a lot of wind in my area and don't want to see them get ruined before the big night.

Here is a link to my coulmn project: Cemetery Columns Project

Just weigh down the bottom. My columns have a 2x6 bottom frame but we don't get high winds. If you add an internal shelf down low and have an access panel you could use anything heavy. A bag of sand, water filled jugs, rocks, Metallica albums or any heavy metal.

Your columns look fantastic by the way.

I knock some 5ft T-posts in the ground, then I slide the pillars over the posts. It works Perfect. Your pillars are alot bigger then mine, so They might be harder to slide over a post. As you can see here Halloween Forum - haverghast asylum's Album: Halloween 2008. - Picture My posts are a lot smaller and not nearly as nice looking as yours. You did great work.

I pound 2x2's into the ground and then screw the columns to the 2x2's.

I agree with yardhauntjunkie. I use 2x2 and screw them to the pillars. It can't be seen in the dark.

Mine are 2'x2'x4'H and have a 150lb Gargoyle sitting on top of them!

I just screwed my fence sections to them so the whole column/fence became one structure and resisted the wind.

I have a different kind of solution for you. I did this last year to my styrofoam columns, and it worked perfectly for 3 whole weeks except for one instance where there was a huge gust of wind.

It kinda depends on what you are building with and how you are designing it, but here is what I did for my super-lightweight styrofoam columns:

First, here are some pics of them, click 'Pics' then click '2008', scroll down to the 5th row or so:
ScareCrowe.com

My columns are 2 pieces, the base and the top. The base is open on both ends.
What I did was cut a scrap piece of plywood that would fit on the top of the base. (Make sure it's not too wide that it prevents top from going on)
I then took some scrap pieces of 2x4 and drilled 9 holes in them, one large one in the center and 8 smaller nail-sized holes around the larger one. I put nails in the smaller holes. (see pics 14 & 15)

I then screwed this piece to the plywood right near the center and then drilled a hole in the center of the plywood. The metal rod thing in the pics is the post for a hot curler i took off one of my wife's old hot curlers i found in the basement. (Please don't tell her, she still doesn't know I did that! ) You should be able to find something similar like a dowel rod.

I drilled a small hole thru one end of this metal post and put a nail in it.

In the yard, I hammered a tent stake into the ground where the column would stand. I cut a piece of fishing line and tied one end to the stake. I then ran the fishing line thru the bottom of the column, thru the hole in plywood and then thru the hot curler post (which should already be thru the 2x4 piece!)

I stood the column upright, pulled the slack from the line and then slowly turned the metal rod to tighten the line. Once I had the desired tension, I pushed the end of the rod in between the nails in the 2x4 to hold it in place.

Put the top on, you are done.

I should say, since you hopefully can see from the pics, that this solution is what I will call a 'raw' solution. It's really ugly to look at (good thing it's hidden under the top) and is conceptual more than anything. It worked for me, but this year I will be changing the design a bit.

Hopefully this will help you out some!

edit: I just looked at your columns, should have b4 I posted, lol. I do think at least the concept of my idea would work for you, and since you are using heavier materials, you should be able to use stronger line like steel wire or something. Depends on what the columns will be standing on. Although, them babies look like you are gonna need some good wind to knock them over!

I use the green poles from lowes and bungie cords...works great

I have an access panel in the back and I just pounded some HUGE orange stakes into the ground and then tied the center cross support of my columns down to those. Seemed to work, as this was after I felt the full fury of a "week-before-Halloween" Kansas Windstorm and I was determined to NEVER have to upright those things again!!