Post and rail fence--1" board thickness?

[HungarianHippo]

It’s a big enough fencing project that I’ve been shopping around from the big fencing lumber companies (in addition to pricing out the local Tractor Supply type farm stores).
We’ll be putting up 16ft boards with posts on 8ft centers, and I’ve been surprised that some of the big fencing suppliers only offer 1" thick fenceboards.

Any COTHers have 1" boards and do they hold up? My horses are all good citizens with plenty of pasture, so they’re not fence testers. But was just assuming 2" would be std.

Thanks

[rememberthenight]

I just put up 1” around my arena with 10’ spacing. The boards feel flimsy. I had done it at my old house, with hot wire on top of the boards and the boards still tended to break even with fairly quiet senior horses. I don’t think I would could trust it for a pasture with my current beasties.

[mmeqcenter]

I thought full 1" thick was the standard for fence boards. Like, actually 1", not a 1x6 from Home Depot or Lowe’s which is actually 3/4" thick.

[fourfillies]

Around here best option would be a sawmill direct purchase of true 1” oak boards, like @mmeq mentioned not the home store 3/4”=1” thick boards. Are you wed to wood? I was a die hard post and rail gal until maintaining it for years. New site “boards” are a Centuar clone. So much cheaper and easier to maintain. Also can carry a charge.

[ToTheNines]

I fenced my arena with a board fence, and used “deck boards” which are a little thicker than 1" as I recall. I have switched to CenFlex “boards”. So much easier to deal with.

[HungarianHippo]

The wood section will only be about 250 ft. It’s the fenceline that runs along the house yard and DH really wants that part to be wood. 250ft is totally manageable to maintain. We fenced the rest of the 35ac with coated high tensile in 2003, and most of this project is just replacing the old posts that are rotting.

[ASB_Stars]

Well first off your title is calling this post and rail. And you are looking for information on post and board. :winkgrin:

My fencing is four board 5/4" oak boards, on 6" by 6" posts. It has held up really well, considering that my horses WILL push things. I do have braided electric wire on the top now, and I recommend it.

If you use anything other than oak, you are going to get a tremendous amount of deflection in the boards. If Gumtree were here, he’d tell you the same. If you are doing a large amount of fencing, which you apparently are, you can use the round posts, but I’d recommend ring nails with those, to get better purchase inside the post. I am not a fan of screwing the boards in, but that’s just me.

[HungarianHippo]

Yes sorry, I meant board. And ring shank nails all the way. I’ll have to try to find a supplier for oak boards.

[Janet]

As ASB Stars says, you are clearly NOT talking about “post and rail”.

In post and rail, each post has 3 holes (oval, vertical orientation) into which the rails slide. The rails typically have a triangular cross section (about 5" to 6" on a side),except at the ends where they are tapered to fit in the holes. (I have seen some with a square cross section). The rails USED to be typically made of chestnut (which lasts “forever”), but I do not know what they are made of nowadays, with chestnut becoming rare and expensive. It is also sometimes called split-rail fence.

For a board fence, the boards should be oak. Mine measure a true 1" with half round posts. My fence has been here for 16 years. The only time I had a board break was when a horse ran at it full speed in the snow, and then tried to stop, but slid right through the fence.

[HungarianHippo]

No, I am clearly NOT :lol: sheesh, it was a typo, no need for the SCOLDING.

Thanks for all the info, I’ve got what I need.

[Tarlo_Farm]

Best, most amazing fencing I ever built was post and board, 16’ 1"x 8" oak boards on cedar posts. But I went directly to a sawmill to order the rough-sawn wood. Three hundred and thirty three posts (333!) which my newly-retired Dad stripped of bark. I hand dug all but two dozen post holes after working ten hour days. (Michigan sand for most of it, and I was in my early 20’s :lol: ) Fenced most of four acres into three pastures.