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Question:

making a cement platform?

i am making a disc golf course tee for my boy scout eagle project. i know a little about cement, but for anyone who knows a lot about cement construction, can you explain this...i need to make a rectangular and circular tee(which is a cement platform where one would stand while throwing a disc). the circle has a diameter of 11ft and rectangle is 11x9. I will be building it on dirt, which is level. I think i will need to dig a hole in the ground in the shape i want. then i have some gravel to put in. then cement in the hole. anyone know how much gravel, or if any, i should put in before i lay in the cement in the hole? thanks people!

Answer:

I don't understand - you're going to pour a CONCRETE (not cement) 11 foot circle and a 11x9 foot rectangle?? Do you realize the work and cost involved? And you want a gravel base too? I played disc golf at a park - there was NOTHING like what you stated anywhere on the course. And this was a 18 hole course used by many and considered one of the best around. There is absolutly no need for hudge concrete slabs costing a $1000. No BS project should require a cement and gravel truck and back hoe. Heck it'd cost a $100 just in wood for the forms... EDIT: As a scout being GREEN is very important. Why would you expend all this money, energy and resouses to pave the Earth a little more FOR NO VALID REASON? Please provide contact info for your scout master - if he thinks this is environmentally sound (it is NOT) I will do my best to get him removed from the Scouts. Go kill a few Eagles while your at it.
First, what you want is concrete, not cement. Concrete is a mixture of sand, gravel and portland cement. 6 of concrete will give you a permanent installation (20 years). Dig out 2 below level and put 2X4's around the edge. Make sure the 2X4's are well braced. You won't need any additional gravel. Fill the form with the concrete. You need to do this in one pour. You should not do it a few bags at a time, so you'll need a lot of buddies with wheelbarrows unless you plan to get a truckload. If you want to do an especially good job lay wire fencing in the concrete half way through the pour. That will give you a reinforced concrete slab that will last 100 years. When you smooth the top, make sure it's slightly higher in the center for drainage.
M R is right. Not only are you doing something that NO ONE does. But your just polluting and screwing up the environment for nothing. So what do they teach Boy Scouts anymore? Screw nature, polute and do stupid things?
M R is correct in his answer. try setting the post in a concrete footing, then using a medium/fine mulch around the tee and the basket
gravel will help prevent the ground underneath your platform from eroding away. 4 inches of gravel should work for you project. If you really want to try and keep the cracking and shifting to a minimum you should dig a could of piers or post holes below the frost line in your area (normally pretty deep) then pour the concrete mix in to add stability.

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