Thread: Screw or Nail Pickets

Originally Posted by Ishin

Hi..just puting up a new picket fence...

I see conflicting reports on whether I should nail or screw the pickets onto the rails...

I have obtained some roundhead hot gal ring nails (2 1/2") for my Paslode gas framing gun when I was over in the US (they don't appear to be sold in Aus) and was wondering if they would be adequate for fixing the Tas oak pickets??...or shoudl I pre-drill and screw?

Yes they will be fine.

Cheers
Michael

Hi Ishin

Agree with Michael that galve ring nails should be fine provided the fence rails are Tas oak or similar hardwood.

Have you thought of pre-painting the pickets, rails and posts before you nail on the pickets? Much easier. The you only have to touch up over the nail holes (and any hammering distress...) to finish up.

Painting around pickets is a PIA unless you spray.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

. . . (and any hammering distress...) to finish up.
Graeme

Love that euphemism - my dear departed Dad used to call them 'two bob's' and until I could nail without causing them rarely he was very selective on the work he would allow me to do! I got plenty of practice as he didn't even like to see them on radiata framing! Of course he was a bloke who would say such phrases as 'that's close enough for the bush' and 'rough enough is good enough', but actually mean less than .25 mm in a metre of framing out of plumb and make dovetail drawer fronts even in the workshop that'd be such fine workmanship that you'd leave the drawer part open just to see them!

we always screw pine p[ickets as they will come of easily if knocked but hardwood should be fine nailed.

"near enough for a sheep station" is my fathers favorite expresion when sompthing perfect.

HI...good input thx...I'm nailing to trated pine rails though.....I was obviously a bit worried about :

1) Whether the Tas Oak pickets would nail and hold (using the ring nails) to treated pine and
2) Whether the Paslode gun may split the pickets

Originally Posted by Ishin

HI...good input thx...I'm nailing to trated pine rails though.....I was obviously a bit worried about :

1) Whether the Tas Oak pickets would nail and hold (using the ring nails) to treated pine and
2) Whether the Paslode gun may split the pickets

Fixing hardwood to pine you definitely need screws, the bigger the better.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Fixing hardwood to pine you definitely need screws, the bigger the better.

Cheers

Graeme

sorry, I don't agree, we can't go on agreeing too much can we?

Nah, in truth you would be better off screwing if that's the situation.

Cheers
Michael

Just to add to the mix - I have a fence out the back - 400 pine palings nailed into hardwood rails. The fence has been up for some 15 years, over the last few years I have noticed that a lot of the gal flat headed nails have actually backed out of the palings, some to approx 1/2 of the nail length. I'm now looking at using a gal roof screw [50mm] top and bottom between the nails to fix the problem.

Just something else to do.

Regards,
Bob