Help With Post and Rail Fence?

[Exit]

Hi Guys,

I am building a post and rail fence at present and am wondering if someone has a better way of doing the angled check outs than what I have been doing?

I am using 100 x 75 rectangular HW posts and 150 x 38 TP rails. I am checking the rails into the posts about 20mm which is easy enough on the straight sections but I have to go around some fairly tight curved sections which are proving more difficult!

It's proving very time consuming and difficult to check out the corners of the posts on the correct angle from each side so the rails fit neatly.

I have been marking the height on the posts and clamping a rail in position. Then I use the rail as a guide to run the circular saw along the top and bottom with the blade set at an appropriate depth. This provides the guide cuts for the check out but as they are 150 mm wide and I cannot do further cuts on the same line in the midle of the checked area without moving and reclamping the rail each time it's a bloody mission to chisel them out cleanly!

There must be a simpler way of doing this or an adjustable guide/jig for the job?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

[ian]

have you looked at using a chain morticer?

[Exit]

I am not putting the rails through the posts, just fixing them to the sides and letting them in a bit.

[mic-d]

I'm a bit confused from the description of how you are cutting and why you are cutting corners of posts. I would have thought that whatever angle the rail arrives, you would want to centre it on the post side and I can't see how that would require cutting the post corner. However I probably just misinterpreted your post. Anyway, this is how I would do it. Use an appropriate size forstner bit to cut out most of the waste. This is a simple matter for the straight run. For the angle run, clamp a rail in place and mark the angle of intersection on the rail (with appropriate excess to stick in the hole) Dock the rail off at that angle. The end of the rail comes to a point right? You're going to want to dock that point off perpendicular to the fresh end grain cut you just did so it leaves a blunt end 20mm wide. OK? Use a comb sqaure to set this out. Now mark a line parallel to the end grain cut, 20mm in, that intersects with the corner of the blunt end you cut off. Measure the length of that line. Select a forstner bit to match that width. Set out a central line for the mortice and top and bottom marks. Drill out the waste with the bit to 25mm and tidy up with a chisel. You're done.

Cheers
Michael

[ian]

Exit posted...
I am building a post and rail fence at present and am wondering if someone has a better way of doing the angled check outs than what I have been doing?

I am using 100 x 75 rectangular HW posts and 150 x 38 TP rails. I am checking the rails into the posts about 20mm which is easy enough on the straight sections but I have to go around some fairly tight curved sections which are proving more difficult!

It's proving very time consuming and difficult to check out the corners of the posts on the correct angle from each side so the rails fit neatly.

I have been marking the height on the posts and clamping a rail in position. Then I use the rail as a guide to run the circular saw along the top and bottom with the blade set at an appropriate depth. This provides the guide cuts for the check out but as they are 150 mm wide and I cannot do further cuts on the same line in the midle of the checked area without moving and reclamping the rail each time it's a bloody mission to chisel them out cleanly!

There must be a simpler way of doing this or an adjustable guide/jig for the job? -- a hand cross-cut saw a sharp wide chisel and a mallet. Mark the top and bottom cut line on the post and saw, with a little care, to the line and depth required. Mark a crayon line between the bottom edges of your first cuts and then make a number of cross cuts to that line in the waste area. Knock the waste out with your chisel.

Instead of the hand cross cut saw you could use a chainsaw (with a very short bar) or a reciprocating saw
and instead of a chisel you could use an angle grinder and power carving disk
HOWEVER these options entail a much higher level of risk of personal injury, even when appropriate PPE is used


If the posts are not already in the ground, you could use a router.

[Bushmiller]

The professional fencers use a small chainsaw (plunge cutting with the nose) and lever out the waste with a crowbar. They clean out the resultant hole with a large chisel. Problems with this method are

1. You may not have a suitable chainsaw
2. You need to be proficient/competent to plunge cut without de-limbing yourself. Do not let the top part of the nose contact the timber before it is well into the cut.
3. The finish may be too "agricultural" for your purposes.

Regards
Paul

[mic-d]

I have come to understand that you are not doing a mortice on the side of the post, just making a rebate on the side of the post that is open to the front of the post. If so I would dock the rail as I outlined above, use the measurement I spoke of to determine the width of the rebate, the depth of the rebate will always be 20mm and it is square sided, no need for angled cuts. Cut with a handsaw and chisel out. If done correctly there will be no gap anywhere and no need for angled cuts. Well there will be a hidden gap behind the rail...

Cheers
Michael

[mic-d]

Like this I mean...

[Exit]

Thanks very much guys, some very helpful ideas there. I think I can use a couple points from several posts there to solve my problem. Will give it a go tomorrow and see how I go.

[Michael Breen]

Sneddens Fencing Products make a chainsaw attachment for motricing without kickback.
You can find them at Sneddens Rural Fencing Products for Farm Fence Australia Quality Fencing Products Australian Made

They also go to country shows.
Cheers,
Michael