Formwork Blog

Location: Prominent Hill Mining Construction Site South Australia – Weighbridge Section

I bumped into a construction worker friend of mine recently at Whyalla shopping center who said he just had some formwork blow-out during a concrete pour. I asked him if he used a Bedlog to brace-off the concrete forms, and it turns out he did not.

Whenever you suspect that the pressure on your concrete forms will be more than your average driveway slab, or you are having difficulty maintaining a straight line, it could be a good idea to consider placing a Bedlog down in order to have something solid to brace your formwork off.

Formwork Carpenter Laying Down a Bedlog

A Bedlog (also known as a Dead-Man) is used to secure both walls and slabs and can be used on even and un-even ground. Use the Bedlog to push and pull your concrete forms into a perfectly straight line and hold it securely in position.

Concrete Wall Forms Braced With Bedlog

In the photo above, only the top of the concrete forms is braced onto the bedlog because the bottom of the forms is inside an excavation. If the entire job was on level ground, the bottom of the forms would also be braced back to the bedlog.

Bedlog Secured With Pins And Wire

Bedlog vs Pins Only

A Bedlog enables you to push/pull and secure the concrete forms into a nice straight line while bracing with pins/pegs only allows you to push. This allows you to totally eliminate any dog-legs while eliminating all movement from the formwork.

Using only pins/pegs can fail and cause the concrete forms to blow-out while a Bedlog is much stronger and therefore more reliable.

Using a Bedlog enables you to erect your formwork and walk away. What this means is that in most cases you will not have to be nearby “watching the concrete pour” because you are worried that your formwork will collapse under pressure.

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