Fences, Gates and Bridges: A Practical Manual

CHAPTER III. BOARD FENCES.

BUILDING BOARD FENCES.

proper board fence

Fig. 25.—Properly Constructed Board Fence.

In building a board fence, always start right, and it will be little trouble to continue in the same way. Much of the board fencing erected is put together very carelessly, and the result is a very insecure protection to the field or crops. A fence-post should be set two and a half or three feet in the ground, and the earth should be packed around it as firmly as possible. For packing the soil there is nothing better than a piece of oak, about three inches square on the lower end, and about six feet long, rounded off on the upper part to fit the hands easily. Properly used, this instrument will pack the soil around a post as it was before the hole was dug. In putting on fence boards, most builders use two nails on the ends of each board, and one in the middle. Each board should have at least three nails at the ends, and two in the middle, and these nails should never be less than ten-pennys. Smaller nails will hold the boards in place for awhile, but when they begin to warp, the nails are drawn out or loosened, and the boards drop off. This will rarely be the case where large nails are used, and a much stiffer fence is secured. Many fence builders do not cut off the tops of the posts evenly, but this should always be done, not only for the improvement that it makes in the looks of the fence; but also for the reason that there should always be a cap put on, and to do this, the posts must be evened. The joints should always be “broken,” as is shown in the engraving, figure 25, so that in a four-board fence but two joints should come on each post. By this means more firmness and durability is secured, there being always two unbroken boards on each post to hold it in place, preventing sagging. On the face of the post immediately over where the rails have been nailed on, nail a flat piece of board the width of the post and extending from the upper part of the top rail to the ground.

section of board fence

Fig. 26.—A Durable Board Fence.

Figure 26 shows a slight modification, which consists in setting the posts on alternate sides of the boards, securing additional stability. The posts are seven feet long, of well seasoned red cedar, white oak, chestnut, or black locust, preference being accorded to order named. The boards are sixteen feet long, fastened with ten-penny steel fence nails. The posts for a space of two and a half feet from the lower end are given a good coat of boiled linseed oil and pulverized charcoal, mixed to the consistency of ordinary paint, which is allowed to dry before they are set. When the materials are all ready, stretch a line eighteen inches above the ground, where it is proposed to build the fence. Dig the post holes, eight feet apart from centers, on alternate sides of the line. The posts are set with the faces inward, each half an inch from the line, to allow space for the boards. Having set the posts, the boards of the lower course are nailed on. Then, for the first length, the second board from the bottom and the top board are only eight feet long, reaching to the first post. For all the rest the boards are of the full length, sixteen feet. By this means they “break joints.” After the boards are nailed on, the top of the posts are sawed off slanting, capped, if desired, and the whole thing painted. A good coat of crude petroleum, applied before painting, will help preserve the fence, and save more than its cost in the paint needed.

section of farm fence

Fig. 27.—A Neat Farm Fence.

We see another style of board fence now and then that is rather preferable to the ordinary one; it looks better than the old straight fence. It saves one board to each length; and by nailing on the two upper boards, as shown in the illustration, figure 27, great extra strength is given. These boards not only act as braces, but ties also, and a fence built on well set posts, and thoroughly nailed, will never sag or get out of line until the posts rot off.

Fig. 28.—Panel.

The fence illustrated in figures 28, 29 and 30 has posts the usual distance apart, which are hewed on the front side, and on this are nailed three blocks, three by four inches thick and six inches long; the first one, with its top just level with the ground, the second one, ten inches in the clear above, and the third one, four inches less than the desired height of the fence, measuring from the top of the first block. After the panel is put in place, the rounded ends resting on the bottom blocks, nail a piece of board one and one-half by six inches on the blocks, as shown in the illustrations. This board must project four inches above the upper block, forming with it the rest and catch for the top framing piece of the panel. The panel is made of a top and bottom piece of three by four scantling, on which are nailed palings.

fence post

Fig 29.

fence post with panel attached

Fig. 30.

cross section of trestle fence

Fig. 31.

The top piece is left square, and projects three inches on each side, but on the bottom piece the projections are cut round, so as to turn in the slot. The water will raise the panel up out of the upper catch, allowing it to fall down, as seen at figure 30, so as to offer no obstruction to the water, nor will it catch drift, as fences hung from the top do. Figures 31 to 35 represent a fence made somewhat like the trestle used for drying clothes. The posts are the usual distance apart, but only extend a few inches out of the ground, just sufficient to nail a hinge upon.

strap hinge

Fig. 32.

They must, however, be wide enough to admit of nailing two hinges on each post. The fence consists of two parts—E in figure 31 represents a cross-section of the fence proper, two panels of which are seen in figure 34; D represents the back part of the fence, a section of which is shown in figure 35; a in figure 31 is the post and b b the hinges. The panel, E, should always slope with the current of the stream, that the water rushing against it will place it in the position shown by figure 33, lying flat on the ground, and out of the way of both water and drift. The hinges may be ordinary strap kind, which can be bought very cheap by the dozen, or they may be made of heavy iron hoop doubled, as shown at figure 32, which can be made in any blacksmith shop.

panel cross section

Fig. 33.

front view of fence

Fig. 34.

panel without cross boards

Fig. 35.

Fig. 36.

two board holders

Fig. 37.—Fence Board Holder.

Figure 36 shows a contrivance for holding fence boards against the posts, at the right distances apart when nailing. A two and a half by two and a half inch piece of the desired length is taken for the upright, a. About its center is hinged the brace, c. A strap-hinge, b, or a stout piece of leather for a hinge, will answer. Blocks or stops, d, d, d, d, are nailed on the upright a, at the required distances, according to the space between the boards on the fence. The bottom boards of the fence are nailed on first. The bottom block of the board holder rests upon the bottom board, and is held in position by the brace c. The boards can be placed in the holder like putting up bars, and are guided to their places on the post by the blocks, d, d. The boards can now be nailed on the posts, and the holding devices moved for another length. When the boards are too long, they can be pulled forward a little, and the end sawed, and pushed back to place. One man using the contrivance, can nail on nearly as many boards in a day, as two persons with one to hold the boards in the old way. Figure 37 shows the manner of using the fence board holders.

Fig. 38.—Strengthening A Board Fence.

The old method of topping out a low board fence is shown at figure 38. Since barbed wire has become plenty, it is more usual to increase the height of the fence by stringing one or two strands of that on vertical slats nailed to the tops of the posts. Yet, in cases where there are plenty of sound rails left from some old fence, or plenty of straight saplings, the old method is still a very cheap and convenient one.

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