The Fence….

These words are engraved on a plaque which hangs on the wall above my desk at home:

And I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
with skill and ability, to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.
(Exodus 31:3-5)

And here is my latest project that has kept me occupied lately…….

My wife and I had discussed the need for putting up a fence for quite some time. Mostly, because our little dog was confined to the limits of the long line every time she went outside. We had a small post which screws into the ground, with a swivel hook, attached to the long leash that we would hook onto her collar each time we let her out.

So, I took some measurements, made a rough drawing, marked the location of each post, put together a materials list, calculated the cost and found it affordable to do. Especially since I would be doing all the work myself.

A friend loaned me his post-hole digger (so I didn’t have to buy one) and on one Sunday a couple of weeks ago, I started installing the posts for our fence.

I put in 18 4"x4" posts this way, each one is eight feet apart, and planted 2 feet into the ground.
I only hit one big root near an old stump. It was too big to chop through, so, knowing I needed a new chain for my chainsaw anyway, I stuck the end of my chainsaw into the hole and cut the root out.

Once the posts were installed, I put up the framing for the fence (the rails). I built the rails out of pressure treated #2 pine two by fours and attached them to the posts with 3 inch long exterior wood screws.

Once those were in place, I put up the pickets, which are made from 1” x 4” x 5’ long cedar.

Even though my fence is only 4 feet high, I put up the pickets a little long for a reason. (You’ll see why in a minute.)
My wife made fun of my hat, but it kept the sun off of the back of my neck so I didn’t really care.

After all of the pickets were in place, each spaced at 2 ¼” apart (I used my 4’ level as a guide), I made some more measurements, made some marks, made a template, and trimmed off the tops of the pickets with my circular saw.
Okay, so I’m holding my driver/drill instead of my saw. Each piece of this fence is secured with heavy duty exterior screws. There are no nails. All screws.
I got a little creative with the gate entrance.
I finished just before it got dark, except for the gates.
It had been in the 70’s, sunny, with a light breeze all day.
It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Here it is after I built the gates.

And on the other side of the house……

The dog loves it. She can now run as much as she wants all over the yard, and not in just one small circle.

It has even met with the approval of the neighbors (I asked them about it before I started).

And now for my next project?

I have yet another antique table in the garage waiting to be finished.

Blessings.