Build a Fence
So You'd Like To Build A Fence!
Firstly, your posts need to be about 5 and half metres apart (18 feet), with one dropper between. Droppers if made of wood need to be about 25mm x 50mm x.8 metres (1 x 2 x 33 inches) and fence strained every 100 metres (110 yards). Diagonal stays should not be less than 4 metres (13 feet) long and at least 150mm (6 inches) in diameter at the smallest end. A great tool is a post hole rammer, like the one pictured opposite. This packs the earth in around your posts to ensure they don't loosen in time and fall over. You can buy crowbars with a flat circular tamping end which also work quite well.
The block for the foot of the stay should not be less than 460 mm (18 inches) in the ground, and have a cross piece at the back, if less than 350mm (14 inches) across. The strainer post can be mortised or scarfed to carry the stay. The barbed wire needs to be tied off or stapled to every post. Gate posts really should be 1-5-1.8 metres (5 or 6 feet) out of the ground and 90cms (3 feet) in the ground.
Wire spinning jennies are good value if you are going to do a lot of fencing. They keep the wire coil intact and help distribute the wire without it becoming a tangled mess.
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Good fencing requires effective wire strainers for straining barbed or plain wire and trellising. Always treat wire and strainers with respect, both to prevent damage to the wire, and to ensure there is no risk to the handler or any bystanders. I personally know someone who had their eye taken out by a piece of wire whipping back. Strainers can also be used to pull out bogged cars, tree stumps etc.
