Isn’t that just latex paint? You’d still have to sand down the remaining white boards.
This one is oil: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr…k?cm_vc=-10005
And this one is asphalt: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/fence-post-black-beauty-asphalt-fence-paint-475-gal?cm_vc=-10005
I don’t think there’s a whole lot of sanding. Scraping, yeah, prolly. Sanding? It’s not that well painted :lol:
I’m guessing you have 4x4 posts because it’s the only dimension they could get into the rocky soil – welcome to New England :). I hang gates on t-posts with 4x4’s wired to them :eek:. But, I live on near-solid bedrock. You’ve got more of a rubble-field type of rockiness. Don’t try pounding posts, whatever you do – unless you’re in the mood to make a YouTube video titled “exploding fence posts”. Check out “Fencing on the Rocks” – a good intro to the wide variety of rocky problems & their solutions.
Wellscroft Fence is in New Hampshire and they have a catalog that is very helpful for learning about fencing. I’ve bought a few small things from their booth at Equine Affaire and found them knowledgeable & friendly. They sell posts and ship all over New England. You won’t go wrong calling & asking them what they can do for you.
We are re-doing a lot of fencing. The posts are 4 X 4, with concrete in each hole. We are using the 16" deck boards, staggered, a horizontal board at each post, and a string of electric along the top. Paint is the black asphalt paint from TSC, or you can special order it from Home Depot. To simplify the painting process, we set up sawhorses so we could paint the posts and boards before they were installed. Much easier than painting it afterwards! As far as paint color goes, a black fence in need of a new paint job looks better than a white fence in need of a paint job. I believe Kentucky Horse Park decided to switch to black fences a few years ago, with significant cost savings expected.
A google search brought up Boro Sawmill and Timber Co. in NJ. They have a New England # too for sales (781)-308-1989 which might be closer to CT. than NJ. You could try starting with them since they offer rough cut oak and other boards.
http://www.borosawmill.com/Website/contact.html
Often you have to go ‘out of state’ to find the best fencing for horses. Local fence dealers go the same route – so cut out the middleman and go direct is my motto.
Ha! No we have plenty of (professionally installed) 4x6 posts. Even some 6x6. I’m guessing that some stuff went in, and the people we bought this place from said “that’s ridiculous! we can totally do that and save that $$! oh and those 4x4s look cheaper!”
Thanks much for the link! We have this guy just one town over and I also found this place not too far away. Both look like good places to check out?
Check out Schuck Fence and Penrose Fence. Both are located in Kentucky and have a wealth of info on their sites.
Besides wood, they also do Centaur and some other styles. Their help was extremely helpful when I spoke with them
concerning wood plank fencing, types of wood, etc.
It is still available in NC. Our farm has some 30-yr old fencing that is still going strong. We just bought a ton of new creosote material to fence in some new pasture, and the fence contractors use it all the time locally. I’ve heard it’s not available most places, but here it’s still going strong.
I’ve sure never had to repaint it though! too funny. Though you can’t repaint the part that’s buried, which is where we tend to have the problems (when the posts fail).
4"x4" posts snap off very easily if hit. Half rounds are MUCH stronger, and last MUCH longer. My 2nd choice is about 5" full round posts.
I am also a New Englander, currently live in NW CT (very close to the town you moved to, OP, just in Litchfield County). The ground is rocky AND there is a lot of bedrock. Our property is built on ledge. Ask me about trying to drive posts, even 4X4, for a fence…not happening in many places. If your property is like ours, you may find the reason why some of the posts are not set well or have concrete footings close to the surface is because you simply can’t go deeper.
Agree with you the local big box stores are awful for fencing supplies. Local lumber yards will be more helpful. Good luck!
Love my Ramm flex rail! Yes a bit expensive to install. But the savings on paint nails and vet bills are clearly worth the initial expense
My local farm store still caries creosote round posts. They are very rough-cut.
I like and used 5" rounds for board fencing, but there are no half-rounds around here. Ymmv. I also used screws, not nails.
I would love access to oak. It’s not available here, unless you are buying furniture boards. You lucky people.
Tom King wrote a good thread answer here: https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/around-the-farm/139986-advice-on-diy-high-quality-4-board-fence-installation
Around here, rough cut oak fence boards (16’ long) are available from Southern States. But cheaper from a lumber yard.
I never paint my fences. I asked the fence man if it would make them last longer and he said 'No".
His “method” works fine if putting up short runs. A bit time consuming and bit more complicated than needed IMO and experience. Not how it is done in the real world of “working” horse farms or by those who install fencing for a living.
For layout I have a 100 meter, 300+ foot tape on a reel. The same we use for laying out a jump course. Can be had at Harbor Freight for like $30. Set my first post attach the tape to it at the bottom and run it out its full length. Bang a stout stake at the end and pull the tape measure tight and wrap/tie/secure to the stake.
Tip, mow the the new fence line short, to make sure the tape runs pretty straight and true hold it up off the ground while pulling it tight and then lower it to the ground. Even at 300 feet it possible to get it all off the ground. If not get a helper to lift it a bit where it is sagging.
I use a can of survey paint, florescent orange or red , the kind that is meant to be used “upside down”. Go back to the first post walk the tape and spay a decent size dot at the desired spacing. Spray right over the tape, no big deal that the tape got painted a bit. Make the “mark” large enough to be easily seen while sitting on the tractor. The unpainted grass/dirt that was covered by the tape is where you want to set your auger.
As I said in my previous post measure and spray a depth line on the auger. Pull the tape and straddle the line with the tractor and proceed down the line drilling your holes. When dropping the auger make sure it is “plump” before drilling. Having a friend eye balling this speeds things up. You may have to back up a bit or go forward a bit. If the holes are drilled at an angle this will show up when you set the posts and some hand digging will be needed if you want the line to look pretty and not set by a bunch of drunks. lol. As me how I know.
All of the holes may or may not line up straight as an arrow. But as long as they are close it shouldn’t be noticed. That’s why using a “mason’s line” doesn’t really work in the “real world” of fence building. If all the holes are pretty much exactly centered, all the post that go in the off centered holes will not line up correctly with the mason line. You will have to take a post hole digger, clam shell digger and make hand adjustment. This can be very time consuming, labor intensive depending on the amount of fence being installed.
As I said I use a 6 inch auger to for 4X6 posts and press them in with my bucket. They go in pretty darn tight with minimum amount of tamping to keep them tight and straight with the test of time. Drilling holes larger than needed makes for a HUGE amount of labor intensive tamping, Back breaking tamping. Another reason not to use 4X4 posts.
When setting the post I check for plumb using an inexpensive post level.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Oz-Post-P…Q&gclsrc=aw.ds
This checks all sides for plumb. Adjust as need and kick in the dirt and tamp with a tamping bar. Move on to the next post. When all are set on the line stand at the end and look down the line for any “odd ball” posts that don’t line up by and large with the rest. Just go and pull/push into as close alignment as possible with the rest. As Tom said, “we’re not building furniture” and there are no code police inspecting your work. It is easy to get “anal” about this sort of thing. Really depends on how much is being built. Most people are pretty picky about alignment at first. But tend to get more forgiving after a few hundred feet when there is another 1,000++ to go.
I like rounded corners. Not only do they look pleasing they are safer also. Oak board will bend nicely without breaking, pine not as much. But the radius can’t be too tight. I use a rubber hose. about 20’ cut from a hose that was scrapped to lay out the curve by eye. 3 post, 16’ usually is enough length to make a nice “curve”. Lay the hose on the ground and eye ball it. Take an 8 foot board and lay it on top of the hose and make adjustment, take a second 8’ board for the second run to the new corner post of the next line. If things line up nicely make the center and end posts and drill.
To mark where the fence boards will be nailed I make/use a “marking board”. Take a scrap board the length of the post above ground, mark the desired spacing on it and walk the line with it. Set the bottom on grade and use a fat marking pen to put a line on the posts. I use a “top line” where the top of the board will hit. Easier than looking under the board to make sure you are on the mark.
I do not use screws. Fine if you are only putting up small amount and or have all the time in the world to devote to the project. Each board needs 3 screws per post, 9 in all. Love my impact driver and it is a good one. But it is still very time consuming. A 1000 foot fence line will have 126 post at 8’ spacing. 3 board fencing, 9 screws per post, 1,134. That’s a LOT of screwing.
If using screws I would not use deck screws at Tom recommend. They are meant for securing boards that are being walked on not boards that a horse will lean on. They do not have very good shear strength. "A shear load is a force that tends to produce a sliding failure on a material along a plane that is parallel to the direction of the force"
I found this out when using them on boards on an area of the fence the horses like to hang out by/on when some boards came lose, pulled off. Not long after I had to readdress the lose boards because the screws had broken. If you are going to use screws IMO better to use 3" #10 construction screws.
Fence boards are almost always nailed unless done by a DIY on short runs. Nails work fine but it is important to use spiral shanked nails. But a hammer makes for slow going and most likely ending up with tennis elbow. I use a nail gun and 16 p aluminium spiral shanks. They will hold fast for a long time. I own a nail gun but they can be rented. There are pneumatic guns which need a compressor and a generator to power it or “gas fired” guns. So the choice is easy rent a 'gas" fired nail gun.Worth every penny. The rental yard will have the nails also. Using this makes VERY short work of the job.
Attaching board to the rounded corners can be done two ways. All in 8’ board which does not give very good strength. I prefer to use 16’ boards. I attach a rope to the center of the board and the other end to my tractor. Have someone hold the board in place and pull/bend the board to the center post. Or use a come along attached to a tractor. I screw the boards to the center post for obvious reasons. It’s important not to space the end post too far from the center post. Because the board will “shorten” when pulled into/making the curve. Over time the boards will “mold” to the curve. But when first attached they will want to pull out on the center post. So it’s kind of important that this post is set deep and tamped tight. I generally cement this post and the gate post.
I’ve probably missed some “tricks-tips”, stuff but I’m running real late now. Knew I shouldn’t have checked this thread. There are other ways of doing things. But the above is pretty much how it is done by folks who put up a lot post and board fencing. Always on the look out for better ways so if anyone can add I’ll be reading.
I’m pretty close to where Gumtree is and I get all of my boards from local Amish lumber mills. I prefer to run a line of hotwire to the inside of board fencing- it lasts a lot longer when they can’t touch it lol.
What’s the name of the Mill? I generally get my fencing supplies at Esch Fencing on Rt 10. But it nice to have other suppliers. Pricing can be competitive especially when buying in quantity.
Lapp Lumber has great prices, and usually excellent availability. I have purchased boards from several Amish mills, and always had good product, and great prices. If you can pick them up yourself, you’ll save a bunch on delivery, but if you are buying a large quantity, pay to have it delivered. It’s worth it.
That’s where I’ve most recently purchased fencing material from as well. But I’ve also bought from a place up near Quarryville, I think it was Beiler’s? I’ll have to see if my DH remembers.
For really good gate posts, find out where the local phone company gets their poles, then call that place and ask if they sell the left-over tops as fence posts. The ones we got are 10’ long and… I’d have to go measure the diameter. Big. And they cost the same as the next size down in 8’ because there was no middleman (and we picked them up ourselves.)
If you’re in the southeast, check with Ace Pole Company in Blackshear, GA.
-Wendy
