fence tips and tricks

[greybeard]

Every now and then, I will see a corral or just a stretch of fence like this in the background of someone's picture. The only wood, that I could cut myself, and achieve the same affect, and hold up to the elements is red cedar. The cedar on my place has too much white to really be successful with trying it. Out of curiosity, what species of wood is suitable to build something like this?

Can't answer that, but I must have the same kind of cedar. I can (and did) cut some nice 6" cedar for fence posts around the yard back in 2009-2010, and now find the white has mostly disappeared and the posts are only 2-3" in diameter, with just a thin red center left.

 

[M-5]

western red cedar is primarly used , South eastern cedar works good if it is not split or sawn length wise. There are still a few folks that uses post cut out of the woods . I still have some fat lighter post on my place that's been in place 50 or 60 years. I have a split rail fence I bought from Lowes 15 yrs ago and I assume its some kind of fir cause its real light but it still has no decay.

 

[Bigfoot]

A much better representation of what I'm talking about.

 

[M.Magis]

That's the last time I gripe about stretching wire...

 

[Bigfoot]

If you were going to build a fence like that. What would you guys use, a 60 penny ring shank nail, or a lag screw to secure the rail to the post?

 

[M-5]

I would use a screw.

 

[callmefence]

That's a cedar fence with the bark on.
There's a mill right down the road were you can buy or sell em. Ash juniper is the correct name for what we call cedar.
The old growth trees have more heartwood and last longer. See more of that kinda stuff the closer you get to town.
We use western red cedar for splitrail and privacy fence. Beautiful wood, rot and insects resistant. But not a real strong wood.

 

[JMJ Farms]

If you were going to build a fence like that. What would you guys use, a 60 penny ring shank nail, or a lag screw to secure the rail to the post?

I would use a screw.

X2

 

[M-5]

If you were going to build a fence like that. What would you guys use, a 60 penny ring shank nail, or a lag screw to secure the rail to the post?

I would use a screw.

X2

Unless your heII bent on being rustic then go with wood pegs

 

[Bigfoot]

I would use a screw.

X2

Unless your heII bent on being rustic then go with wood pegs

Not that dedicated.

 

[NECowboy]

western red cedar is primarly used , South eastern cedar works good if it is not split or sawn length wise. There are still a few folks that uses post cut out of the woods . I still have some fat lighter post on my place that's been in place 50 or 60 years. I have a split rail fence I bought from Lowes 15 yrs ago and I assume its some kind of fir cause its real light but it still has no decay.

Didn't know there was such a thing as southeastern red cedar. I've heard of western and eastern. Eastern is like a weed around here.

 

[callmefence]

Edit...

 

[callmefence]

Cattle guard. Start to finish
Because of size. We're building it on the trailer.
27/8 ht40 pipe.




Getting started.

https://s12.postimg.org/i79z

As usual pics got out of order.
The jobsite. Photo does not do justice to the considerable slope .

[url=https://postimg.org/image/was7swum7/][img]https://s11.postimg.org/was7swum7/KIMG0862.jpg

Zooming on the right side you can see the clips we make out of 4 inch pieces of 3 inch c channel. We put these at every pipe to ibeam connection and weld completely. 16 inches of weld at every joint.


Right about here the rain got us. The guard is in and we scrambled to get it passable in the rain.



Things dried out and gravel work polished up and wings installed. Gate and operater reinstalled

 

[True Grit Farms]

Is the H beam welded to pipe pilings or sitting on pilings or footers of some type? That's a good heavy duty looking cattle guard for what little I know about them.

 

[Margonme]

western red cedar is primarly used , South eastern cedar works good if it is not split or sawn length wise. There are still a few folks that uses post cut out of the woods . I still have some fat lighter post on my place that's been in place 50 or 60 years. I have a split rail fence I bought from Lowes 15 yrs ago and I assume its some kind of fir cause its real light but it still has no decay.

Cedar refers to a large group of coniferous ever-green trees. I am guessing there are 50 species worldwide.

I am guessing the South Eastern Cedar is the same species as our Eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana. In my experience going back to childhood, it is over-rated as a fence post. I remember dad got a wild hair to cut every red cedar on our farm that would make a fence post. We put fence around most of the pastures with red cedar posts. Dug every hole by hand. Those post were rotted off in less than 10 years. Dad was very disappointed. He spent the rest of his life telling anyone who would listen that a black locust post will out last a red cedar 3 times over. Fence is also right about strength. Black locust is 20 times harder and stronger than red cedar. It may be a function of our weather and soils but red cedar will not last in this part of Kentucky.

 

[callmefence]

Is the H beam welded to pipe pilings or sitting on pilings or footers of some type? That's a good heavy duty looking cattle guard for what little I know about them.

Besides being welded to the existing gate post.
There is 8 pieces of 3 " pipe drove into drilled bedrock the guard is sitting on.
With out the bedrock foundation , I pour a slab and bolt them down with wedge anchors.
I wish I could have got pictures of the foundation. But the pic with the boys in the mud we had lighting cracking and the customers drive way tore up. Storm arrived about 18 hours early.

 

[Margonme]

Well my curiosity got me. I discovered why our Eastern Red Cedar fence post may have rotted so soon. I don't remember letting them cure. I found an article that said Eastern Red Cedar post must be cured before they are used. Said to dry they thoroughly before setting - meaning a year to properly cure.

I also found this. Black locust is still the best. Equal to Osage Orange.

Here is the life expectancy (in years) of some wood fence posts, from the Virginia Cooperative Extension:

Black locust, 20 to 25

Hickory, 5 to 7

Honeylocust, 3 to 7

Osage orange, 20 to 25

Red cedar, 15 to 20

Red oak, 5

Southern pine, 3 to 7

Sweetgum, 3 to 6

White oak, 10

Yellow-poplar (Tulip tree), 3 to 7

 

[wbvs58]

Well my curiosity got me. I discovered why our Eastern Red Cedar fence post may have rotted so soon. I don't remember letting them cure. I found an article that said Eastern Red Cedar post must be cured before they are used. Said to dry they thoroughly before setting - meaning a year to properly cure.

I also found this. Black locust is still the best. Equal to Osage Orange.

Here is the life expectancy (in years) of some wood fence posts, from the Virginia Cooperative Extension:

Black locust, 20 to 25

Hickory, 5 to 7

Honeylocust, 3 to 7

Osage orange, 20 to 25

Red cedar, 15 to 20

Red oak, 5

Southern pine, 3 to 7

Sweetgum, 3 to 6

White oak, 10

Yellow-poplar (Tulip tree), 3 to 7

I can't vouch for those timber posts here Ron but our Ironbark bark is probably the gold standard but I have Stringybark on my place and I find if I put a cap of that bitumen aluminium damp course material on it the lifespan is just so much greater as the water penetrates the cracks and they rot from the inside out.

Ken

 

[Margonme]

Well my curiosity got me. I discovered why our Eastern Red Cedar fence post may have rotted so soon. I don't remember letting them cure. I found an article that said Eastern Red Cedar post must be cured before they are used. Said to dry they thoroughly before setting - meaning a year to properly cure.

I also found this. Black locust is still the best. Equal to Osage Orange.

Here is the life expectancy (in years) of some wood fence posts, from the Virginia Cooperative Extension:

Black locust, 20 to 25

Hickory, 5 to 7

Honeylocust, 3 to 7

Osage orange, 20 to 25

Red cedar, 15 to 20

Red oak, 5

Southern pine, 3 to 7

Sweetgum, 3 to 6

White oak, 10

Yellow-poplar (Tulip tree), 3 to 7

I can't vouch for those timber posts here Ron but our Ironbark bark is probably the gold standard but I have Stringybark on my place and I find if I put a cap of that bitumen aluminium damp course material on it the lifespan is just so much greater as the water penetrates the cracks and they rot from the inside out.

Ken

Most of my fence is driven treated wood post. High tensile woven wire with top strand of barbed wire. I had a contractor put it in. A guy told me to put flashing on the top of each post and it would last much longer. I have not gotten to it yet.

 

[D2Cat]

Kinda like politics, everyone had a different opinion.

http://juniper.orst.edu/post-farm.htm#table1