We would like to put a curve in the wood rail fence we will be installing soon. Anyone successfully tackled this DIY or did you have to hire someone? Is there anywhere online that I could find directions or how to’s?
Just a Guesses on my part but I would think using green oak for the rails would make it easier to make a radius turn in a fence line.
I know I have seen instructions somewhere.
To mark it out, use a stake and a piece of non-stretchy string/rope/tape to mark the arc. Then install your fence posts along that marked arc.
Lay a garden hose out for the curve. Lay the rails beside the hose on the ground and place your posts. put the rails on each section as you set the post.
Do not ‘bend’ the rails.
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Just explained this in part of my comment in the tread on “Board Fencing”
Yes, you do “bend” the 16 foot oak fence board.
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We have curves in our split rail fencing. We found that double posts made the curving easier … two posts in one hole allowed us to ‘make the turn’ when dealing with the 10 foot, very much non-bendable rails.
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My fence man did the same thing as ShortenStar. Double posts to make the turn. I wish that we had done that at all corners rather than making a right angle to curve so that the horses didn’t get stuck in a corner if they were fighting. I can’t help you when talking about a regular board fence though.
Thanks, I stand corrected.
I should have specified I used shorter rails - and you are right, they are not so strong as longer rails, especially if you can stagger the bridging of longer rails on the posts.
Yes, we use 16 foot hemlock rails. Make sure you alternate rails so that all rails don’t end on the same post.
No special skill required, put your posts in (use string to make them align) and hang the rails. Hubby made a ‘guide’ to make sure that the rails are the same spacing. Hangs the top one to the height he wants, then hooks his guide to it and places the rails. My website shows some of the fencing
www.settlementfarm.us
on the home section, the 4th photo in shows the curved fenceline (the pic after the girl riding by the forsythias)
Pretty place.
To each their own on the but fence boards should always be placed on the inside of the post. This is pretty much universal through out the wood fencing world. For 2 reasons, horses will and do lean on the fencing, they do scratch their butts on the middle boards and the boards will be popped out and or nail heads will pop on a regular bases. I worked on a farm that fenced this way. I was forever going around repairing popped fence boards.
The second reason and it depends on the horses behind it. Having the posts on the inside can and does at times lead to bruised, puffy knees from horses that run/walk the fence line knocking their knees on the posts. The same farm had this issue especially with horses new to the farm, horses who’s paddock was changed and or paddock mates changed. Colts that get a whiff of fillies/mares when in season no matter how far their paddock is from them.
Of course it all depends on the materials available but I advise people not to use hemlock if oak is available, I’d use pine over hemlock. Hemlock is more of a candy than pine. It is generally a brittle wood, depends on species, thickness and age, It generally has a high “splinter factor” the nasty little ones. I was forced to use several hundred feet of hemlock on a line because my supplier was out of oak for the season. BIG mistake the boards were always being chewed on, being broken and looked like crap a year latter. Yes, I could/should have run a hot wire but the rest of the paddock was done in oak a few years before and still looked great. I always seem to have a pretty long list of things to do don’t need to add to it.
I advise people not to use 4X4 posts. Yes they are a few dollars cheaper than 4X6 but they do not have near the shear strength that a 4X6 post has. Especially 4X4 set in cement. This holds the too tight and can be broken even easier because there is no “give” at the “grade collar”. 4X4s don’t have as much nailing surface either which can lead to boards warping and the post layout has to be more exacting, a post may end up being 1+ inche spaced too far. Hard to stretch a board, even with a board stretcher. There is only 3 1/2 inches of nailing face, 1 3/4 for each board, verses 5 1/2, 2 3/4 for each board. 1 inch more doesn’t sound like much until you need it.
I didn’t write the book on these things. Others did and their reasons are sound based on the test of time.
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About the only way to curve a split rail fence without making custom posts. Its a good idea to drill and bolt the 2 post together using carriage bolts at or near the top. Keeps them from slowly drifting away from each other and ending up with a V gap. It’s not a question of if they will do this over time. Especially in ground that freeze-thaws, wet-dry etc, horse like to hang in corners, lean on corners, etc.
To each his own.
Coming up the driveway, we wanted the ‘look’ of the rails on the outside. Many of the paddocks have upper rails on both sides. With hot wire on all three rails, no chewing. Been here 25 years and never had one push the rail off. We do replace the lines every 10 years or so - he does a section every year until he is done and then starts again 
A friend takes all the replaced lines and uses them in his wood stove.
