# Forum Home Renovation Pergolas, Gazebos, Strombellas & Rotundas  Fitting posts to bigger stirrups

## ArsonFire

I'm replacing the posts on my verandah.  
Existing stirrups (and posts) are 95mm and embedded in concrete.  
New posts are 90mm Merbau. 
Any pro tips for a better fit?

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## phild01

Hi Arson, please change your profile location to be more specific, state level as a minimum. It helps for advice (regs, services, products etc).

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## droog

For a better and neater finish get bigger posts and recess the stirrup flanges into the post.

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## sol381

2.5mm either side  is bugger all.. belt the post uprights inwards with a hammer or lumpy if youre concerned.  the bolts will probably tighten the gap anyway.

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## Marc

Never heard of 95mm stirrups. You are most likely measuring outside to outside on the existing stirrup.
If I am wrong, unlikely but not impossible, get a piece of timber the same size as your new post, 90mm, or two 45mm ...  and a couple of large G clamps you can buy in you local trash and treasure market from china for a song. 
Proceed to squeeze the crap out of your stirrup until it is nice and flat against the 90 mm timber inside ... iob done  :Smilie:

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## Moondog55

I just had to do this myself.
I found it much easier to use a 10mm packer [ which turned out to be 3 * 12mm galvanised washers] than to try and squeeze the stirrup and have all the bolt holes line up straight; may have been different if I was using short coach screws rather than though bolting

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## ArsonFire

Finally coming back to this job.  :Blush7:  
It's definitely 95mm, measured inside the stirrups. Measured so multiple times.  
The washer idea is the most feasible so far, but I'm concerned about leaving large gaps that water will get into. Some of the old posts were well rotten due to... well, a few decades of exposure to water. I plan on sealing the hell out of these posts, but inside the stirrups will be problematic. They're already in, just not properly fixed in the stirrups.

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## Marc

Are you using through bolts? 
If you have a drop saw, you can cut 5 mm packing out of 90x90 offcuts with a bit of care and lateral thinking. 
Otherwise buy 5mm ply, cut to size, soak it in wood preservative (Copper Naphthenate), and all your worries are over ... well not all, but you know what I mean  :Smilie:

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## ArsonFire

I'm using coach screws.  I didn't want to risk drilling crooked, for the bolts.
I do have a couple of thin "coaster" off-cuts, from cutting the posts, that didn't break up.  I may give that another shot.
Thanks for the tips.  I'll check out that copper naphthenate, too.

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## Marc

Yea, well, cross cut packers are no good. You need to do a cut along the timber for the packer to have any strength. 
It can be done with some precautions, clamps, stopper ... if you have never done it, just use play.

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