Planning to put up a fence using "shadowbox" panels -- premade panels
with 1X6 vertical boards on alternate sides of the rails, overlapping.
The kind where you can look through it but only if you look real
sideways. The panels are made to be mounted in between the posts,
requiring a pretty exact fit in between the posts.

Here's my question -- it seems like it would be more easy/convenient to
rent the posthole digger and dig all the holes, then set the posts,
then put in the panels. But it seems like it might be pretty hard to
get the posts spaced at the EXACT width of the panels. Do you space
the posts an inch or two less than the panel width, then trim (rip) the
last board on the panel to fit?

Alternatively I suppose you could do one post, one panel, then the next
post, the next panel, etc. to fit them as you go, but that seems like a
PITA. Many thanks,

-- H

"Heathcliff" wrote in
message
ups.com...
Planning to put up a fence using "shadowbox"
panels -- premade panels
with 1X6 vertical boards on alternate sides of the
rails, overlapping.
The kind where you can look through it but only if
you look real
sideways. The panels are made to be mounted in
between the posts,
requiring a pretty exact fit in between the posts.

Here's my question -- it seems like it would be more
easy/convenient to
rent the posthole digger and dig all the holes, then
set the posts,
then put in the panels. But it seems like it might
be pretty hard to
get the posts spaced at the EXACT width of the
panels. Do you space
the posts an inch or two less than the panel width,
then trim (rip) the
last board on the panel to fit?

Alternatively I suppose you could do one post, one
panel, then the next
post, the next panel, etc. to fit them as you go, but
that seems like a
PITA. Many thanks,

-- H

I dug all my holes at once wiht a power auger. The
holes are enough larger than the posts that you can
re-position th epost in the hole a little if you got
them offr a bit. Just be certain to get the location
as accurate as you can, and when you put the posts in
be sure they're vertical with a level and the correct
distance apart and you can't go far wrong. You know
what they say; Measure twice and say once.
If you're not sure you can get them accurate, maybe
the best is one at a time for you, but ... that sounds
like a lot of work, plus yo have to let the cement set
before you put any load on the post.

HTH,

Pop

Pop wrote:
"Heathcliff" wrote in
message
ups.com...
Planning to put up a fence using "shadowbox"
panels -- premade panels
with 1X6 vertical boards on alternate sides of the
rails, overlapping.
The kind where you can look through it but only if
you look real
sideways. The panels are made to be mounted in
between the posts,
requiring a pretty exact fit in between the posts.

Here's my question -- it seems like it would be more
easy/convenient to
rent the posthole digger and dig all the holes, then
set the posts,
then put in the panels. But it seems like it might
be pretty hard to
get the posts spaced at the EXACT width of the
panels. Do you space
the posts an inch or two less than the panel width,
then trim (rip) the
last board on the panel to fit?

Alternatively I suppose you could do one post, one
panel, then the next
post, the next panel, etc. to fit them as you go, but
that seems like a
PITA. Many thanks,

-- H

I dug all my holes at once wiht a power auger. The
holes are enough larger than the posts that you can
re-position th epost in the hole a little if you got
them offr a bit. Just be certain to get the location
as accurate as you can, and when you put the posts in
be sure they're vertical with a level and the correct
distance apart and you can't go far wrong. You know
what they say; Measure twice and say once.
If you're not sure you can get them accurate, maybe
the best is one at a time for you, but ... that sounds
like a lot of work, plus yo have to let the cement set
before you put any load on the post.

HTH,

Pop

Pop has it right. I will only add that how well a power unit will work
depends on the soil conditions. Large rocks and tree roots will stop most
power post hole diggers. You end up doing more work than doing it by hand.
If you need many, you need a trailer mounted digger. They can handle larger
stones and tree roots as well.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

I dug fence holes in NJ for a couple of years in college, way back.
Unless the soil was totally free and clear (no rocks, tree roots, clean
fill) we had to use the post hole digger and 5' shale bar by hand.
Never failed with the manual tools. We tried two man and one man
augers and they always got stuck. The only thing that was fool proof
was the auger mounted on the PTO drive of a farm tractor. Nothing ever
stopped that. Then if you are digging on blast fill along an
interstate like we had to once you'll need a trailer to pump compressed
air to the 30, 60 and 90 lb. air hammers.

I built a fence in my back yard last year, about 300' of it using a 5'
shale bar and $20 post hole digger. I have wet/damp soil so the
soil/clay was like butter. Took about 10-20 minutes per hole. Easy
compared to what I remember years ago.