(remove_this)prosete" "(remove_this)prosete wrote:
I'm in the process of installing an 8-ft high wooden picket fence, the
type that has 1x8 slats with barely a seam between them, which are
fixed unto 4x4 posts set some 10 to 12 feet apart. My question has
to do with the easiest way to align the bottom (or the top) of the
slats so that they follow a straight line between posts, and not
contour the land.
Do I simply tie a string or line to each end post and make sure it's
perfectly level, then align the bottom of the slats to the string? Or
do I simply line the top of the slats with each support and end
posts, mark them with a pencil, and use that for the alignment? Have
no experience but I'm willing to experiment until it looks right (and
straight).

Align the tops. Irregular picket length will not be noticed through the
grass but will be obvious at the top.

Hint:

Buy the pickets. Let them dry (in the garage) with air on all sides for as
long as you can stand it (a month is probably adequate). Else when you put
them up, they will shrink as they dry leaving a 3/8" gap between the boards.