People with board fencing: What size posts and rails did you use?
We are starting our research into wood fence options. Im interested in hearing what others use. specially what size post and rails you used and how far apart you spaced the posts.
TIA for any input!
I like 4x4’s for posts, with the tops cut at an angle so the water runs off.
We didn’t put in our own wood fencing, but we just bought a property and have fixed/replaced a bit of it. The posts are 4" round placed about 10-12’ apart (it’s not consistent) and the boards are 1"x6"s. 6" rounds are on most corners/gate posts, but not all.
I used half round posts (put in by a fencing company). In hindsight, although they look really nice, I think they rot faster than round posts. My fence is 17 years old and I’m going to have to replace a lot of posts this spring because they’re rotting at ground level. My neighbor’s older fence is still as good as ever, as are some round posts we put in along the driveway. My boards are standard oak fence board size (1 x 6 or so, rough cut).
My property was about 60% fenced when we bought it. It was done with 4x4" pressure-treated posts and 1x6 boards. Posts are about 8’ apart. Boards were milled from the property and are mostly 20-ish feet long (so the rails are staggered with each rail connecting to different posts, if that makes sense).
For the parts that we’ve built (or rebuilt) we’ve done 2x6 boards and stuck with 4x4 pressure-treated posts. And in the new fencing the boards are all 10’ boards (10 x 2 x 6). Also, the old fence is 4-board and all of my new stuff is 3 board.
Most of the fence is 30 years old and still in good shape. But the newer stuff is definitely sturdier!
This is area specific and materials availability.
The industry standard for just about all TB farms I have been on is 16’ oak boards nailed on locust, (the best), these days 6X6 pressure treated which are readily available and there is no need to angle cut the tops for water run-off to avoid rotting.
IMO and others 4X4s are not stout enough and provide less nailing surface. But I have seen a number of “hobby” farms that use them. Like some of my friends who seem to have to replace broken ones far more than 6X6. Really depends on the horses and number of behind them.
Some farms use large round post. But these offer a very small nailing area. Your post layout has to be pretty darn exacting. Less nailing surface can and does lead to the boards warping.
Half rounds are popular also.
IMO and others all nailed wood fencing the post are set with 8’ spacing. Which is why 16’ oak fence board are the standard length. The boards are nailed up with staggered board lengths. With a 3 board, the first top board is 16’, middle board is 8’, bottom board, 16’. The next course 16’, middle 16’ bottom 8’. After this all the boards are 16’. So there are not 3 boards with their ends all “butted” ending on one post. Gives superior shear strength, if a post should get broken the spanning fence boards will hold it up. The boards are less likely to warp.
DO NOT use or be talked into using Hemlock boards for horses.
This is a link to our fencing in SE PA. Sorry for using Photo bucket, Hate the site, slow and too much junk. Any time I use it or check out others links I get plagued with emails EVERY day from them.
I agree with what gumtree said, although here in the southeast, your only financially feasible (by my standards) choice of wood type is pine (pressure treated, of course).
I’ve got a mix of stuff I put up and stuff I paid 3 different companies to put up for me at various times. The most sturdy and best looking is 6x6 posts with rough cut 1x6x16 boards and facing boards, posts spaced 8 ft apart. Posts cemented in.
I’ve also got some with 4x4 posts and the same 1x6x16 rough cut boards but no facing boards. It has held up very well but doesn’t look as nice. There’s more warping and the posts aren’t as solid.
Finally, on the sections that are no-climb with a board on top, the posts are 5" rounds, spaced 8 ft apart and on all the posts where you’ve got two boards meeting, a short section of board (maybe 8-10 inches?) nailed over the joint. The fence installer said he found that helped reduce warping at the board ends.
[QUOTE=gumtree;9005937]
The boards are nailed up with staggered board lengths. With a 3 board, the first top board is 16’, middle board is 8’, bottom board, 16’. The next course 16’, middle 16’ bottom 8’. After this all the boards are 16’. So there are not 3 boards with their ends all “butted” ending on one post. [/QUOTE] If you do this, from post #4 on, the middle and bottom boards will always be on the same post. I would think only the middle board would have an 8’. Now if it were a 4 board fence I could see using a 8’ between post 3 and 4, then boards 1&3 and 2&4 would always be ending on the same posts.
[QUOTE=OTTBs;9006171]
If you do this, from post #4 on, the middle and bottom boards will always be on the same post. I would think only the middle board would have an 8’. Now if it were a 4 board fence I could see using a 8’ between post 3 and 4, then boards 1&3 and 2&4 would always be ending on the same posts.[/QUOTE]
But no 3 boards will end on the same post. You can just start with 16’ top and bottom boards, 8 foot in the middle. 1 board will always be spanning 2 posts. Builder’s choice how they want to mix it up.
I would never use a fence contractor that didn’t pound all posts. But some areas might be too rocky to pound. Drilling and cementing is labor intensive and adds a lot of extra expense. It takes around one 50-80 lb bag of cement per post. That’s adds $5± per post.
Posts set in cement tend to rot faster.
I round all corners. And all 3 boards are 16’. I attach a rope/chain to the board, hook to my tractor and pull/flex them to the middle post. I use construction screws to attach. Keeps them from popping. All other boards are nailed using a nail gun (they can be rented) loaded with 16P spiral/ring shanked nails.
Hammering is slow going and difficult when using oak boards.
But, depending on where you live and what type of soil you have, cementing may be necessary.
Gumtree - why no hemlock boards? Shattering?
We use it for the barn flooring but used pine for the fencing and for the stalls etc.
Our fencing is also pt 4x4s with 1x6 or 8 boards about 8 foot on center.
My 5’ high four-board fencing has pressure-treated pine boards (1x6x16), staggered as Gumtree describes. I’m not sure I would go for PT boards again. Although most are fine, a few warped terribly and it’s only going on 3 years old at this point.
No face boards due to cost. Perhaps that would have helped with the warping.
The posts are pressure-treated rounds spaced 8’ apart. I believe they are technically 4-5" rounds but most of them, and all of the corners, are much closer to 5" than 4". They were driven, not set in concrete.
As an aside, I’m curious if anyone thinks 4-5" rounds are too small for my fence. After I had it installed, a contractor who had quoted me twice the price happened to drive past and then sent me an email explaining that his fence would have been better because my posts are way too small and he uses 5-6" ones. I thought it was very strange and sort of rude. Any basis in fact?
My posts are either 5 or 6" rounds. It may have been labeled 5-6" but I would say they are closer to 5." I have 4" posts in other places for wire and no-climb, but I would not use 4" posts (which are really closer to 3.5") for post and board, ymmv. 16’ long boards so they can be staggered. I used 2x6" PT SYP lumber because you can’t buy oak here. You must make it hot too or they will chew. It is an expensive fence and requires maintenance. Mine is stained black. I only use it in smaller areas I don’t want to mess with tension, otherwise I would go for Ramm/Centaur rail. Again, just my opinion.
I have zero affiliation and have never met these guys, but here is a pretty good website with lots of fencing info:
http://www.dennisfence.com/fencing-types/board-fence/
[QUOTE=Libby2563;9007047]
After I had it installed, a contractor who had quoted me twice the price happened to drive past and then sent me an email explaining that his fence would have been better because my posts are way too small and he uses 5-6" ones. I thought it was very strange and sort of rude. Any basis in fact?[/QUOTE]
Sour grapes.
If nothing else, that’s very unprofessional.
I would never use any boards but 16’ oak. Anything else snaps like pop-sickle sticks.
I now have 4 strand shock through coated wire which I love!
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;9007260]
Sour grapes.
If nothing else, that’s very unprofessional.[/QUOTE]
Funny you say that. The first sentence of his email was, “This isn’t a sour grapes message.” Ha…
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