Another post about posts... Now I am working on the north face of the fence. I did the complex parts first. The Gates, and the Corners were the more difficult parts of the project, and well as the parts that broke down the most. With the gates it is traffic that breaks them down. The corners on the original fence were kind of feeble, and there were too many fasteners in a post that was not structurally adequate.
The thing that kept the old fence standing was the steel joiners that I added to the fence. These allowed me to attach all the boards at a joint to the post with multi directional fasteners. The wind has knocked this fence over many times, and each time I try to find ways to hold it together better. But, after all the impromptu fixes really what I want is a fence design that is not going to break in the first place. This starts with posts...
Its kinda of a standard the way posts are used in fences with a post at each end of the panel. Almost all pre-built fences are like this. You buy panels, and posts, and then assemble in your yard. That is great if you property is flat, level, and square. I live on a slope, and matching the slope requires scratch making panels. It is just a fence panel right?
So any construction starts with a foundation, Mass, the bigger the better. But these are fence posts, and I don't want to pour a lake of concrete in my back yard. So what do you do? How do you make many? I want to have a uniform shape to my fence post Slugs. I want significant mass, and compact size. I have seen foam footing for posts, and I won't do that. I would make the Slug out of Ultradensium if I could get it. A lead slug that weights three or four hundred pounds would be great, but it is not practical. So what is a high density material that is cheap, and plentiful? That's right it's your old friend Mr. Concreto.
I have seen all the kinds of WTF? when it comes to Post Slugs. I quit trying to figure out why they are like they are, and just fix it. So back to the standard fence design for a moment, posts at each end of the panel. So the panels are sharing posts. There are two panel ends on each fence post. So each end of the panel is really only getting half a post, and if you add both sides then you have one post per panel, plus one post at the end of the line. OK, for aesthetics that gets an A+, but for strength if fails hard, like flat on the ground.
There is a physical weight that is supported by the fence like the runners, pickets, and hardware. But that weight is small compared to the force exerted by the wind. A fence is subject to forces that are similar to a Sailboat. The wind is pushing sideways on the fence, with dynamic vectors. This exerts force on the fence, and if you want to fence to stand, it has to resist this force. With a Sailboat your resistance to the force of the wind is the Keel. Likewise for the Fence its resistance to the force of the wind is the Post Slug.
We have a measure of mass with each post. The easiest way to add more measures of mass is to add more posts. So, first, lets just double the mass, two posts. But, also make the posts a superior material. I wish I had a way to simply calculate the increase in strength. Its also impractical to test it. But I think I can say this will significantly increase the strength of each panel.
But, no, I want it stronger. The answer is already there. Increase the mass, add more posts. So, on the North Side of the Fence I have four existing, and in good condition, posts that I am going to bind into this run of panels. This adds one more post to each panel, and joins the panels together at the ends.
In this process of restoration I am going for sort of an OEM Plus upgrade. I want an contemporary six foot wooden fence, but constructed with advanced materials, coatings, and hardware. The idea is to make it look like it did in 1978, but made out of 21st century materials...
In the shot above I am setting the posts. The grey old fence is cross braced, and supported in the correct position. I am using the old fence to hold the new posts in position while Mr. Concreto cures. Setting posts is a task, and I am usually really tired after doing that. The posts will have a few days to setup before I attach the new dog boards, and runners.
While Mr. Concreto is curing I am converting other panels from a closed fence to the Shadowbox Fence design. This is the west side of the fence, by the driveway. These were the first couple panels I built back in July with the closed panel design. It was after that set when I decided to go with the Shadowbox Design, so now I have converted those panels. Something neat about the Shadowbox Design is that you can see though the fence a little at acute angles. It is an interesting feature. There is depth to the fence, and you can see further a little. It plays with your eyes. Your peripheral vision sees the fence change as you walk past it.
