the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each side)
don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g and treating
it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my jigsaw
is this viable guys?

Mindwipe wrote:

the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each side)
don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g and treating
it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my jigsaw
is this viable guys?

If you're going to do that, buy pressure treated timber - it'll
last several times longer than non-treated.

--
Grunff

Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the resulting gaps
will look rubbish.

dg


"Mindwipe" wrote in message
...
the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each side)
don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g and
treating
it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my jigsaw
is this viable guys?

dg wrote:
Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the
resulting gaps will look rubbish.

dg


"Mindwipe" wrote in message
...
the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each
side) don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g
and treating it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my
jigsaw
is this viable guys?

How about a 100,000 volt electric fence - this might quickly convert your
local 'angels' into real angels - if only it was legal :-)

"dg" wrote in message
...
Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the resulting
gaps
will look rubbish.

The answer to that is to chamfer the edges, so that the gaps look
intentional.

As Grunff says, pressure treated timber will last far longer, but I would
also suggest that, if you do use that, also use a nail that will last too. I
made a couple of gates over 20 years ago with pressure treated timber and
bronze ring barb nails, from my local yacht chandler. Apart from needing to
replace some of the weather edge along the top, they have hardly needed any
maintenance since I put them up.

Colin Bignell

Mindwipe wrote:
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to
each side) don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring
planks t&g and treating it,think it will look ok if i round the top
with my jigsaw is this viable guys?

It's viable, but why can't you just use featheredge board?

be !
Shop all amazing products and get our special offers!

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 22:29:34 -0000, "dg"
wrote:

Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the resulting gaps
will look rubbish.

snip

All wood will adjust to seasonal variations in humidity. Pick the
right type of fencing (I don't mean fencing material but the method of
construction)and it will cope with this problem


Paul Mc Cann

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Mindwipe wrote:

the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each side)
don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g and
treating
it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my jigsaw
is this viable guys?

If you're going to do that, buy pressure treated timber - it'll
last several times longer than non-treated.

I'd stick with the cheaper stuff, at the end of the day if your wall hasn't
withstood the local boots, I doubt that a wooden fence will either. A nice
prickly hedge may be the better option.

Jon

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:19:30 -0000, "nightjar" nightjar@insert my
surname here.uk.com wrote:


"dg" wrote in message
...
Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the resulting
gaps
will look rubbish.

The answer to that is to chamfer the edges, so that the gaps look
intentional.

As Grunff says, pressure treated timber will last far longer, but I would
also suggest that, if you do use that, also use a nail that will last too. I
made a couple of gates over 20 years ago with pressure treated timber and
bronze ring barb nails, from my local yacht chandler. Apart from needing to
replace some of the weather edge along the top, they have hardly needed any
maintenance since I put them up.

Colin Bignell



I have found galvanised nails very effective. I usually predrill for
them to reduce the chance of splitting and also to ease the strain on
the already planted posts

While I would definitely agree re pressure treated posts and for any
part that will be in contact with the ground, we have some fencing
where the intermediaries, which are well clear of ground level, are
just softwood (re-claimed, I'm a tight b*****d), have survived 15
years so far with nothing more than a soaking of creosote annually, if
I remember.

Paul Mc Cann

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 13:14:45 GMT, "jerrybuilt"
] wrote:

Mindwipe wrote:
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to
each side) don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring
planks t&g and treating it,think it will look ok if i round the top
with my jigsaw is this viable guys?

It's viable, but why can't you just use featheredge board?

be !
Shop all amazing products and get our special offers!

Or scrap wood like mine. :-)

http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/marknicesenior

Mark S.

Paul Mc Cann wrote:

While I would definitely agree re pressure treated posts and for any
part that will be in contact with the ground, we have some fencing
where the intermediaries, which are well clear of ground level, are
just softwood (re-claimed, I'm a tight b*****d), have survived 15
years so far with nothing more than a soaking of creosote annually, if
I remember.

Round here rough sawn pressure treated is extremely cheap -
pennies more than non-treated. You put it up and for get about
it for 25 years or so.

I reckon creosoting all our fences/gates/other outdoor timber
would take the best part of a week. I'm really not prepared to
spend one week per year doing that (that's 2% of the year!!).

--
Grunff

"Mindwipe" wrote in message
...
the local angels have kicked down my front wall
wife wants a fence up(just across the front ,i have hedges to each side)
don't like larch lap,was thinking of using flooring planks t&g and treating
it,think it will look ok if i round the top with my jigsaw
is this viable guys?

Unless you're very careful and use a jig to make sure all the boards are
identical, rounding off the tops is likely to look a right bodge IMO. The idea
of shaping the tops of fencing boards and posts is to shed water and so protect
the end grain from rot damage. It would look much nicer, be more effective and
be a lot simpler to just cut the boards straight across and nail a preserved
chamfered batten along the top edge.

Also, It's much easier and better looking to mark and cut the top edge of fence
boards after they're fixed using a chalk line, especially if the top edge isn't
level. You could even mark out and cut a curve, using a loose line.

I go along with jerrybuilt's suggestion to use feather-edge - much better than
T&G with its grooves that hold moisture.

Peter

Paul Mc Cann wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:19:30 -0000, "nightjar" nightjar@insert my
surname here.uk.com wrote:


"dg" wrote in message
...
Floor boards will contract and expand differentially and the resulting
gaps
will look rubbish.

The answer to that is to chamfer the edges, so that the gaps look
intentional.

As Grunff says, pressure treated timber will last far longer, but I would
also suggest that, if you do use that, also use a nail that will last too. I
made a couple of gates over 20 years ago with pressure treated timber and
bronze ring barb nails, from my local yacht chandler. Apart from needing to
replace some of the weather edge along the top, they have hardly needed any
maintenance since I put them up.

Colin Bignell



I have found galvanised nails very effective. I usually predrill for
them to reduce the chance of splitting and also to ease the strain on
the already planted posts

I think I'd go for stainless steel screws, no hammering required at
all and with a good cordless driver it doesn't take much more time.

--
Chris Green )