With wooden backyard fences, the structure may look great, but after many years of exposure to the weather, the overall fence takes its toll. The railing sags under the weight of fence boards, four by four posts tilt from wind gusts, while the boards look tilted and uneven in height.
Although many weekend builders construct great looking fences, some overlook the importance of including bracing material to stiffen and sturdy the framework. Bracing the framework also keeps the unit from swaying during wind gusts.
Since there are many variations of wood fence applications, only the basic system will be discussed here. A typical fence framework consists of 4" x 4" treated posts embedded into 36" deep holes by 8"-12" diameter holes. The fence posts are placed into the holes and plumbed level prior to the concrete being poured around it. Sona tubes are often inserted into the holes to control concrete spillage and minimize the concrete amount used as opposed to filling a large 12" diameter dug hole with concrete. Premixed dry concrete can be bought at local building supply stores. But the weekend builder may choose to purchase gravel, sand and cement bags to do the job the traditional way.
Regular concrete takes about three days to set (once poured) and about 28 days to cure.. Once the concrete is set, the fence posts are string-lined or chalk-lined and cut to the desired height with a power saw.
The 2" x 4" intermediate rails are cut to fit between posts and secured with nails and joint fasteners. Bracing material is cut and nailed to individual sections to help stiffen framework. Although there are many joint fastening devices (rail and posts) on the market, the inexpensive method would be to hand-nail each joint. The simple dado joint is sometimes used on the post to receive the railing member. A jig plywood pattern is constructed for the router application on to the post. Also a power skill saw can used with the saw blade set to the desired depth to cut into the fence post. Cuts are made to the thickness of the railing member and then a chisel is used to clean the trenched sawcuts.
A string line is placed between long sections of framework and then
boards are placed and adjusted and nailed according to string height.
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