Wood Guy wrote:
RonB wrote:

Well, you could get all tooled up with a hollow chisel mortiser,
or all burly with a mallet and a mortising chisel,
but if you are more into getting the job done fisrly fast and
not buying fancy tools, a good sized router with a carbide bit
and a jig should get the job done

This router approach is kinda what I had in mind when I asked my
question. I suspected it was a rail-type of fence. You probably
wouldn't have to go all the way through...just a couple of inches
to allow the boards to be inserted and fastened.

I should have thought of that. No need to go all the way through the
posts, except that it means the slots are automatically aligned
properly.
....

This is a bad idea on several fronts--see swingman's posting.

Iterating some of his points--

First, 1x cedar isn't _nearly_ enough beef in the fence unless the posts
are going to be on 3-ft centers or less; they'll get pushed thru and
broken within months if not weeks or days.

Second, the idea of the inserted slats is a poor one also--first, it is
as noted labor-intensive in the making by hand; second, it'll be a pita
to build because if the pockets don't go through you have to insert one
end, then hold the post in place while setting it on the other end to
insert them, repeat..._BIG_PITA_!!!

Then even if it's done, any movement of posts can (and will) end up w/
boards falling out when a post gets moved (and they _will_ move unless
are set to such a depth and w/ such backfilling as to again make the
building and expense absurd over time).

And, besides that, as swingman notes, repair of the aforementioned
broken rails is going to be another royal pita if the posts _haven't_
moved (so your damned if they do and damned if they don't ).

And, as if all that weren't enough, the pocket is simply a
water-collection point to promote early failure of the post and rail
ends--they rest of the rail will be fine for years; the end inside the
pocket will rot and weaken in a much shorter time--perhaps as short as a
few years in really damp locales.

All in all, look at how typical fences in the Bluegrass horse country
are built for functionality as well as appearance and learn...

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