Fence Rails

Toe Nailing Fence Rails

February 4, 2019 Miracle Comments Off

Toe Nailing Fence Rails

All About Toe Nailing Fence Rails. For several years I have stood by and watched my family’s bicycles get dropped around the house. I’ve bruised myself carrying bikes up and down the basement stairs and what’s worse is several bikes haven’t made it into the house. They have been stolen.

This year was going to be different Toe Nailing Fence Rails. I decided I was finally going to build a permanent center for bicycle parking in the backyard. But how would I build it? What would I use? I don’t tend to decide things quickly and over a period of a month or so, I thought about what would be the most economical and yet solid approach to the problem. I came up with a solution and, as is often the case, the answer to this problem turned out to be a useful approach to several outdoor building projects.

Galvanized Fence Post and Rail Structures

One afternoon, I was riding my bike down the road. I looked over and there it was. The solution to my bike parking problem. Galvanized fencing is made of three main components. The posts and rails (which run vertically and horizontally) and the meshing. The posts and rails come in a few standard sizes. They’re steel and very strong, galvanized for weather proofing and, because they’re mass-produced, they’re quite inexpensive. A typical 8 foot long x 2 7/8″ steel post costs between $10 and $15.00. A 10 foot long x 1 7/8″ horizontal rail costs about the same. Galvanized fencing is such an obvious structural mainstay for fencing, it would have to work as a bike rack.

I thought about it for another couple of weeks and then one day, I rounded up the kids and we went to the local building center to pick up some supplies. The design I decided on was very simple to start with. Two fence posts (2 7/8″ diameter x 8 feet tall) with top caps and two bags of concrete mix were purchased. The kids and I loaded the posts and cement into the van and headed for home. I was amazed at how little time it took to put the project together and how well it worked.

We dug two holes, about 18 inches deep, five feet from each other. We then positioned the two posts with caps on top — one in the middle of each hole. We then poured the cement mix around the posts and leveled them up. We let the posts sit for the night and the next morning we had our bike rack ready for parking. With this simple little project, bikes are directed right toward the posts.

I really like the idea of leaving the posts at the height they are with no cross Split Rail Fence Gate. this simple design causes little obstruction and allows for a free flow of people through the area that the bikes are locked up in. Now I am considering adding a horizontal cross member at about 4 feet. I would have to cut off the two vertical posts at about 4 feet and weld or bolt a horizontal rail.

This would stop any attempt to raise the bikes up over the top of the posts. I am also considering adding a roof to protect the bikes from the elements. The roof would be made from, guess what? Two 10 foot lengths of fence rail, cut with a pipe cutter and welded together with a sheet of fiberglass panel bolted to it.

I am also considering setting up a shelving unit around the barbecue made from Toe Nailing Fence Rails, an awning to shade the patio and who knows, a bike trailer to carry things to and from the store in. But, those projects may or may not happen. For now, I’ve got the bikes up off the ground and a whole new array of building materials for whatever outdoor projects I dream up in the months and years ahead.

Selecting the Right Long Life Fences

January 5, 2012 Miracle Comments Off

Long Life Fences

There are many different types of Long Life Fences wood lumber and grades available at your local home improvement store so it is important to know the important items when purchasing the materials for your repair.

Pressure Treated Lumber

Pressure treated lumber is chemically treated to inhibit fungal growth and insect activity Long Life Fences. The three common types of pressure treatment are ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary), CA (copper azole), and the newest type is MCQ (micronized copper quaternary). There are different grades of pressure treatment and proper selection depends on the severity of the location and how the wood will be exposed to the elements.

Fence Posts

When we consider the privacy fence for most homeowners, the fence post is the most critical element. The post bears all of the stress from wind gusts and is exposed to moisture and insects underground that can cause the post to deteriorate and weaken. Wood fence posts should be pressure treated and rated for ground contact. This is commonly listed as AWPA grade UC4A; the preservative retention requirements are listed below:

ACQ retention of 0.40 lb/ft3 (PCF)

CA-B retention of 0.21 lb/ft3 (PCF)

CA-C retention of 0.15 lb/ft3 (PCF) under the Wolmanized brand

Note that the MCQ pressure treatment method has not been rated by the AWPA standard.

What about cedar posts?

The quality of wood coming out of the lumber mills has declined significantly over the past 20 years – it used to be that you could get old growth heart wood (from the center of the tree) that would last for decades as a post, but today the quality is simply to variable to recommend using cedar or other naturally rot-resistant wood. Most of the trees brought into the mill are from 10-year re-growth and the posts will contain very wide rings from the sapwood layer that simply will not last.

To ensure your fence will stand for 10 years or more without worry the best method is to use pressure treated 4″ x 4″ pine posts that have the proper AWPA grade of UC4A. For severe locations that hold moisture, such a low-lying areas or where there is heavy clay soil with you may choose to go with UC4B grade posts for extra rot resistance as a higher cost.

When you are shopping for your fence posts you will probably find green pressure treated 8′ landscape timbers nearby and think to yourself “those timbers are a lot cheaper than these 4″ x 4″ pressure treated pine posts, I’ll just save some money and use the landscape timbers” – RESIST that thought. The landscape timbers may last for 1-3 years but will certainly be weaker and fail sooner than the proper pressure treated pine post.

Fence rails should also be pressure treated for the longevity of the Long Life Fences, but the rails are not exposed to the same severe environment underground as the fence posts so AWPA grade UC3B is appropriate for unpainted fence rails. If you plan to paint your fence rails or apply an opaque stain then AWPA grade UC3A may also be used.

Fence Pickets

The choice of fence pickets is more of a personal preference based on the appearance that you want and if you plan to finish the Strong Fence with a paint or stain. Cedar pickets are the most common choice for their combination of pleasing appearance and natural insect resistance all for a reasonable price. White cedar is a better choice if you will apply a translucent or semi-opaque stain as the color will be more predictable than red cedar – although many of the common stain manufactures have color samples for each of their stains on the common wood types. Spruce or ‘pine’ pickets offer a more rustic appearance and are more commonly installed in 6inch widths.

Fasteners – Nails and Screws

Note the presence of copper in each of the pressure treatment methods – copper is necessary to provide the protection against decay and insects but it also has some negative effects. Copper will corrode standard fasteners much faster than regular wood – fasteners should be hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel materials.

Key Points

Pressure treated posts should be rated for ground contact; AWPA grade UC4A. 4″ x 4″ x 8′ posts are suitable for most homeowner situations.

Nails, screws and other fasteners used with pressure treated wood should be double hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel; ASTM A 153 Class D
Reference: American Wood Protection Association…