# Fences and Posts



## Unk (Dec 10, 2003)

use longer rebar and let the grass grow. 

I don’t even hard link my fence sections together. The longer rebar will keep it in line.
But hey if it does lean a bit it will give it the old decrepit look


----------



## sisvicki (Jan 30, 2004)

I am making my cemetary entrance and fence from twigs (as in like twig furniture, not short pieces that fell off the tree in a wind storm, hee). I have the start of the arbor, which I plan on finishing by filling it in with peeled willow bent in half circle patterns. Then I want to stain the willow in either red or yellow and the main frame of the arbor, made with beech, in something dar - almost black. then I will have a bent willow gate with similar details and beech fencing. 


HHH


----------



## Thedarktomb (May 10, 2004)

You can get 24" finnial fence top sections at Walmart for $1.00. Each piece has 4 finnials and really cool gothic architecture to it. You shouldn't have a problem integrating it into your PVC cemetery fencing. I use rebar also to link fence sections together. I run the rebar about 18" into the ground. We have a hard clay soil here in Texas so it holds really good. 



The Dark Tomb - Psychological Terror at it's best!
www.mansionofterror.com/props.htm


----------



## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

I am considering making a fence this year and cant decide between the "metal bar" look or the wooden spiked fence. If I made a wooden spiked fence Id have them crooked. I am not sure If I will get to it this year even though it is a relativly small project. Does anybody know how much those wodden fence spikes cost. They are like 1X3 with a pointed top.

Michael Ball

Check out my photo album!
http://halloweengallery.com/index.php?cat=10014


----------



## blackwidow (Jun 13, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Thedarktomb_
> 
> You can get 24" finnial fence top sections at Walmart for $1.00. Each piece has 4 finnials and really cool gothic architecture to it.
> 
> ...


Not at my Wal-Mart 

I don't suffer from insanity but enjoy every minute of it - Edgar Allan Poe


----------



## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Just have a brace that goes from about 12" up the post angled down to the ground. This is common on rought Iron fences so it won't look out of place.

I can't picture how you have you sections attached. How did you make the fence? I think I might be able to help you if I had a little more detail. Any pictures?


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by rweso_
> 
> Just have a brace that goes from about 12" up the post angled down to the ground. This is common on rought Iron fences so it won't look out of place.
> 
> I can't picture how you have you sections attached. How did you make the fence? I think I might be able to help you if I had a little more detail. Any pictures?


Yeah, I have some, and have been resizing them for the last year.  No, it's not a REALLY slow computer, just haven't had time at home, and didn't have them available at work. Have transferred most of them and will actually POST them soon.

The angling post is a great idea, I might do that.

I'll look at Wal-Mart for those finnials. I'll post as soon as I get the pictures up. Thanks!

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## Vikeman (Oct 17, 2003)

Stryker,
I made my sections 8' long. I connected the pieces by using rebar and 2 inch pvc. I glued a 1/2 inch piece of pvc inside the 2 inch piece. Cut the rebar about a foot longer than the poles. Bang your rebar in the ground, then slip your pole over the rebar. I cut out slots for the 1x2 to slip in and used a small L bracket on the bottom to stiffen it up. It held up fine. I have a couple pictures in my album. Hope that helps!

_________________________

Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost- Jimmy Buffett


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Ahh! Ok, I didn't think about cutting slots in the 2 inch piece. My rebar was only about 2 feet long, and I think that's what let the fence lean so much. I also had others doing it that might not have been as into the job as I would have liked, so that might account for it too. Probably hammered the rebar in at odd angles.
I'll check your album to see how those slots looked.

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## jcarpenter2 (May 30, 2004)

Are any of you concerned when putting so much rebar into the ground? What about underground lines going from the street to the house. I move alot and that is a big concern for me since i don't feel like paying the township, electric, water a bunch of my money for puncturing a hole in some underground line.

Life is full of choices - if you don't like your life - make better choices


----------



## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

Try this site http://www.decorativeiron.com/?a11=...age=plastic_products_spears__finials__capsfor cheap finals....the one below is .21 if you buy 100 or more or .29 for 99 or less


----------



## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

You can always call dig safe that is free service. TO be hones I am not worried about sticking stuff into the ground. It is not a problem for me because all the lines(excluding elctric overhead) are very deap. All the pipes come in through the basement around the floor area. so as long as its not a long piece I am not concerned. There is no way rebar will puncture any of the lines going to my house unless I had a sledge hammer. We had an addition put on and I saw the enderground lines, They would be very hard to puncture. If you are concerned by all means call Dig safe.

Michael Ball

Check out my photo album!
http://halloweengallery.com/index.php?cat=10014


----------



## blackwidow (Jun 13, 2004)

Thank you so much Madmax for that link. I was planning on using the two steel finials I have and try to make a couple molds. I wasn't sure about trying to use spray foam in a mold. You just saved me lots of time and probably more than a few headaches.

I don't suffer from insanity but enjoy every minute of it - Edgar Allan Poe


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

How long are the rebar poles that you all have used? are they expensive?

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

I think rebar is pretty cheap. A few bucks for a decent amount. Nothing you cant afford.

Michael Ball

Check out my photo album!
http://halloweengallery.com/index.php?cat=10014


----------



## Vikeman (Oct 17, 2003)

Boo,
I bought 4 ft pieces of 1/2 inch rebar. I cut about 1 ft off. I used the 3 ft section for my posts and the 1 ft piece left over was used to hold my tombstones. Got the rebar at Home Depot for around 2 bucks a piece.

_________________________

Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost- Jimmy Buffett


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

MadMax, that's AWESOME!! That's EXACTLY what I was looking for, and extremely reasonable prices!

As to rebar, yeah, it's pretty inexpensive. My Home Depot (or Lowes, I forget which) sells 2 foot segments for a buck or two a piece. I forget which but it was very inexpensive.

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*Those plastic finials rock! But, dumb question -- most fences are made of round PVC, so how would one get the square-bottomed finial to fit in the round hole? Would you just cut the whole thing off, or try to shave down the sides, or something else? 

Thanks!*

*Beth Ryan
[email protected]*


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Well, if you get the right size, you can slide them over the top... round pegs will fit in a square hole if the diameter is smaller than one side. So if you got 3/8" pvc, and the finnial fit over a 3/8" post, it should slide right on.

If not, Liquid Nails, baby! 

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*BTW, I don't bother trying to tie my fence pieces together to make them look like they are one continuous piece. I just let them go a little crooked/leaned.

A second BTW: I used dowel rods instead of the rebar and it worked out great. I used three, two foot high pieces of dowel rod per each eight foot fence section. (If your fence pieces are higher than 48", you probably want to use a longer piece of dowel.) I simply broke the dowel rods in half, then pounded them into the ground with a small sledge and slipped the fence right over them. (The dowels had a tendency to split when I broke them in half, which worked out well because then I had a nice sharp point to drive into the ground.) Never had a problem with the fence staying up (had the whole thing up for over 2 weeks), and I didn't have to haul a bunch of heavy rebar around. *

*Beth Ryan
[email protected]*


----------



## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*oh ... duh! [8)] Good point. Sheesh. Sometimes, the ol' grey matter gets soft on me.*

*Beth Ryan
[email protected]*


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by groovethang_
> 
> *oh ... duh! [8)] Good point. Sheesh. Sometimes, the ol' grey matter gets soft on me.*
> 
> ...


Hehe, happens to the best of us, dear!


-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

I made every 4th piece of my fence a foot longer than the other PVC pieces, on the bottom.

I take a 1/2 piece of PVC drive it into the ground 1 foot(pull it out) and stick the longer pvc pieces in the holes. I never had a problem with it falling in the 4 years I used it.


----------



## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

Anyone who watches junkyard wars knows that fitting a square peg in a round hole is called blodging or something like that

Michael Ball

Check out my photo album!
http://halloweengallery.com/index.php?cat=10014


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Another excellent idea by MadMax! Bravo!

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

Ok so being that this will be the first time I am going to do a fence I just wanna get you guys who have all these great ideas to tell me if you think this will work. The sides of my yard are easily divisible by 5 so I am thinking of 5 ft. sections. Then last night I had a DUH! moment and at first I was thinking 2 larger post on each end of the 5 ft section but then I can't do that b/c you then end w/ 2 large posts together. Do you just leave one side of the section all unhooked looking until you attach it ( IiiiI vs Iiii Iiii )will this make it weaker? Is 3 ft tall about what you all find works best? Dowels are a great idea for holding it up. I cleaned out my garage in planning for the amount of storage I will need and my honey just gave me rolled eyes. tee hee. Thanks everyone!

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Boo, the way most build them is =i=i=i= in 8 foot sections, which is the standard length for a 1x2. Now, how easily divisible by 5? Is it also divisible by 8? How much space is left over? Is the yard bounded on one side or more, say, by your house?

I would say build some simple 1' posts out of wood and a concrete cap. These can be either in between sections of your fence, or you can have your fence not take up QUITE as much space in the yard itself. In other words, sacrifice a length of fence and have a little but of grass in between the fence and the cement.

My fence last year had 2" PVC pipes in between the sections of the fence and at the corners. This year I'm going to change the corners to the 1' wooden "posts". Aside from building extra lengths of fence...



-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## crazymjb (Oct 27, 2003)

You will waste a lot of money if you use 5 foot sections and not 8 foot section.s If I were in your situation I would make all the sections without the posts at all. Make the posts after the rest is done. so build all you iii's and then you I's

Michael Ball

Check out my photo album!
http://halloweengallery.com/index.php?cat=10014


----------



## woodcarr (Oct 21, 2003)

Beth,

I brought item number 16.2029 from DecorativeIron.com last year (http://www.decorativeiron.com/item/?i=651908). If you use 1/2" schedule 40 PCV you will have a very tight fit. In fact, I had to use a heat gun to soften the PVC so the finial would slip on. It created a very good fit as it hardened. (I can't pull them off.)

Shipping was a bit high from DecorativeIron to Virginia at $14.53, keep that in mind if you order.

BUT... they look fantastic.

Check out a picture of one of my sections here:

http://halloweengallery.com/displayimage.php?album=45&pos=1

Woody


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

Thanks! I was really trying to make the math easy. But, I am so open to ideas and not spending too much $$. I only plan on putting the fence around 2 sides of the yard the front and on one of the sides where the driveway is (that is the way to the porch). The mesurements are 15' and 30' so maybe I can make a gate or something on the shorter side. hummm

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Yeah Boo:
I would make 3 8-foot sections on the 30' side (24') and 4 1' square posts of wood/foam. (4 more feet, 28' total). This puts 1 post in between each of the segments, and then the first one acts as the corner for the 15' side. This leaves 14'. If you then make 2 more 1' posts, , drops you down to 12' left. This is one segment of fence and a 4 foot gate. (get one 1x2 and cut it in half for the top and bottom segments.

The gate I made was pretty simple, in this style: =i=|=I=I=|=i=, so that the center of the gate has the highest pvc posts, and it gets shorter to the normal post size on the ends.

This gives you "standard" 8-foot segments, so that it's less expensive for you in the long run. However, it does require 6 1' square posts, 4 feet tall. This means 3 sheets of standard 4x8 plywood or particleboard or foam, 12 2x2's, and 6 concrete caps. I'm not sure what prices are in your area, but the ones I made were particle board (about 13 dollars a sheet, the most expensive part) and 2x2's. Each post should cost you about 10 dollars, plus screws and paint. I'm not sure if you'll be able to save money by going with foam or not.

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

To cut down on the price and work, you could replace the post with 4 or 6 inch PVC pipe (Lowe's has it in 10' sections for 5 to 7 dollars) and put a skull on each post. Big Lots will have some skulls for a buck each. This wont look as good as the 1' square posts Stryker is talking about but it will be cheaper and cheaper is a good thing


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

WOW! That is all i can say WOW. I love you guys **gushing**!

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Welcome, Boo... Oh and one other thing that I found last year. Check with your local dump for "recycled paint". It comes in greys and browns as it's mixed from all colors; I got 10 gallons of grey latex paint last year for FREE. And since it was perfect stone color anyway... I mixed 1 five gallon bucket with cornstarch and "wall stone texture" from the hardware store, and so have a bucket with textured paint and one with straight grey.

Good ideas MadMax... Boo, those ideas would certainly mix well. I used 2" PVC for my inter-segment posts, and the 1' posts around the gate itself... So mixing and matching is quite alright as well!

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## pandora (Jul 15, 2004)

For the skulls, I'd check out Boneyard Bargains - www.boneyardbargains.com. They're $5.99 for 12 that are black. Attach to the PVC with putty silicone and paint over. Works like a charm and they're very realistic.


----------



## jcarpenter2 (May 30, 2004)

Stryker, I picked up 2 five gallon buckets of joint compound at my local recycling center. I remember reading that is what is used for monster mud. Don't know how long it last though. To bad i have no immediate plans to make a prop requiring mm.

Life is full of choices - if you don't like your life - make better choices


----------



## Zombie-F (Jul 23, 2004)

Thanks for the link to the plastic finials. I'll have to give that a try, as the foam-core board that I cut into the points is really easy to bend over and ruin.

Unpleasant Street
"Because Mad Science is the best kind of science!"
Halloween Yard Haunt and Info


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

I started it! In about 3 hours I have 3 8' sections that are almost done!! I'm so happy! Thnaks for all your help! Now when that is finished I am gonna start big posts. I will try to do the photo thing but my computer skills are pretty sad. I will find someone who can show me how to get the photos up.

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Wow! Boo, 3 sections in 3 hours! That's excellent work!

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## Nightshade (Jul 18, 2004)

Hi Stryker- I too have used the iron points from Decorative Iron. Mine cost .28 each. I epoxyed a half inch dowel to the inside of the iron point then screwed the other end into the pvc sections. The dowels were 2 inches long. This worked great and looks awsome. I'll try to post some pics later. Hope this helps.

As darkness falls and shadows loom I bid you welcome to my tomb.


----------



## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

Perfect, thanks Nightshade! I'll be placing an order as soon as my address is fixed, and I figure out how many I'll need including the new segments.

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


----------



## Tom Keller (Jun 17, 2004)

I would also recommend the skull or pumpkin whistles. Toyguy on Ebay sold them in years past by the gross (144) for fairly cheap. Also at every Dollar store around the holiday. I used the pumpkin whistles from Toyguy, had plenty left over, and they fit right into the PVC pipe.

t.k.


----------



## BOOgrrl (Jul 15, 2004)

Hey all! Well I started my pillars! I found a great price at home depot. I used pre-cut shelves, they are 1ft x 4ft. Perfect for my pillars. It is heavy pressboard. 2.50 each. It was cheaper than any of the plywood I could find. It makes it so the pillars not exactly square but that just means you have a larger front! tee hee. We have screwed on plastic hollow bat decorations. They are spooky!! I have been taking pics I just gotta do the whole posting thing.

All Halloween needs is a gift exchange!


----------



## Jennifer Person (Aug 21, 2015)

groovethang said:


> *Those plastic finials rock! But, dumb question -- most fences are made of round PVC, so how would one get the square-bottomed finial to fit in the round hole? Would you just cut the whole thing off, or try to shave down the sides, or something else?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> ...



You can also heat them up with a heat gun and slip them on then take a wet cold rag and cool them down molding them to the pvc


----------



## texmaster (Aug 25, 2008)

I used rolled steel bars for our fence but whatever you use I found that burying some pvc pipes where your fence posts will be with a larger dimension than your fence posts so they just drop in makes set up a lot quicker the next year!


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

What I did when just using 1/2 inch pvc was use the rebar style Electric fence posts, which are pretty cheap and came almost to the top of the pipe. The past couple of years my end posts are 1.5 inches and using the plastic electric fence posts with the pointed metal bottoms which make a pretty tight fit, was using strapping to connect which I'm trying to figure out how to redo that aspect.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

I just ordered up some finials from https://www.kingmetals.com/Home.aspx. I got the 3/4 square thinking they should fit over the 1/2 PVC. .22 each (before shipping). Will be a week or two before I get to start construction. Plan do document the progress, I will post back here on how well it goes.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

The PVC will either need a little trimming or heat gun as the PVC is a little to thick, finally ordered mine and came a couple of weeks ago. Havent had time to work on them yet but a little testing. I was thinking of doing the sowel method I seen posted by somebody as mine sit outside and travel so can take them out. From what I found out with that should have went with 1/2 inch as the 5/8 dowel is way to small for them. Figure will put the dowel in then fill space with hot glue.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

xredge said:


> The PVC will either need a little trimming or heat gun as the PVC is a little to thick, finally ordered mine and came a couple of weeks ago. Havent had time to work on them yet but a little testing. I was thinking of doing the sowel method I seen posted by somebody as mine sit outside and travel so can take them out. From what I found out with that should have went with 1/2 inch as the 5/8 dowel is way to small for them. Figure will put the dowel in then fill space with hot glue.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


I anticipated needing to do a slight modification, I'm hoping the heat gun will work and give a tighter fit. The plan is to use 2" PVC pipe as fence posts on the ends, I have fence T-Posts that those should easily drop over, giving good support and easy assembly. I'm planning a 3 rail fence, 1 bottom, then 2 top rails 4" apart. Plan to use simple corner angle brackets to attach the fence to the posts. Want to top the posts off with Skulls. I've got it all drawn up. need to finish a few home projects before I can start on my Halloween work. I just moved so getting a late start this year.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

I finally have all my supplies, I had a little time to do my proof of concept last night. Cut my first 3 verticals out of PVC, getting 3 lengths out of a 10' section. Used the heat gun to soften the end, did not take long at all. Finials went on with little effort. Were snug when it was still warm, but once cooled they slip off. Will glue and/or screw them on. Here is a snapshot of the results.


----------



## robin19871 (Jan 27, 2019)

I used King metals for the finials a few years ago when I made my fences. If you quickly use a heat gun on the top of the pipe, you instantly put the finial on.. It will mold to the pipe. I used the 4 foot rebar because my fence sections are 8 feet long and 4 feet high.. Nothing will knock over my fence and no one can get in.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

Update on dowel idea at least for me wasn't a great idea, haven't had much time but did a proof of concept with one of them. The hot glue into the base and then dowel worked great, but either the 1/2 pvc was to thick or it was the little bit of paint the dowel did not really want to go in. Going to be much quicker just to use the heat gun method. Wish I had time just to redo them and satin them this time instead of paint as they need to be redone but don't see that happening with how busy I am.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

xredge said:


> Update on dowel idea at least for me wasn't a great idea, haven't had much time but did a proof of concept with one of them. The hot glue into the base and then dowel worked great, but either the 1/2 pvc was to thick or it was the little bit of paint the dowel did not really want to go in. Going to be much quicker just to use the heat gun method. Wish I had time just to redo them and satin them this time instead of paint as they need to be redone but don't see that happening with how busy I am.


Sorry to hear it is not going well. I managed to cut my 90 pieces and get tops on about 1/2 of them in about an hour today. Hope to have the rest done today. I think I'm just going to put a screw in to hold them on rather then deal with the mess and questionable results of gluing.


----------



## kyleshelton (Sep 7, 2010)

Here is a link to some finials





__





King Architectural Metals - Search Results for finial







steel.kingmetals.com


----------



## kyleshelton (Sep 7, 2010)

I built mine with a pretty simple design. 

1" x 2" x 10' pre primer'd boards at home depot
1/2" x 10' gray electrical pipe at home depot

Cut boards in half
Drill 5/8" holes at even spacing in top of boards. I think mine were about 9 inches apart 
Cut pipe into thirds.. 39" ( if my math is right)

Painted everything with charcoal and black flat paint.

I fed the pipes into the holes and had two boards for each section. I screwed the boards to the pipes
However, I left the holes at each end empty.

When I use them, I over lap two sections at those empty end holes. I drive a piece of rebar thru that and then feed another section of pipe thru those hole to cover up the rebar.

I typically zig zag the sections for more stability if in a long run.

I have attached a couple pictures that kinda shows it on the left side. 

These pictures are quite old. I have added finials and such, but this has lasted for 12+ years.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Status Update: First Section of fence has come together well. Built out a Jig on my Drill press to do the holes in cross members, 9 holes across 30 boards, it was well worth the setup time. I did switch from a spade bit to a Forstner bit. the Spade bit was tearing up the holes and even split the wood a few times. The Screws I have are a bit long for the finials but work well for securing the wood/PVC. I may get rivets for the Finials. I need to be more efficient with the spay paint. doing one 'pipe' at a time wasted a lot of over-spray. Plan on grouping them together for the rest of the setup.
One section of fence (making 10)
3 - 1x2x8' Firing strips
3 - 10' 1/2" PVC (Cut to 36", 40" & 44")
9 Plastic finials
36 screws
1- can black spray primer.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

Therewolf said:


> Status Update: First Section of fence has come together well. Built out a Jig on my Drill press to do the holes in cross members, 9 holes across 30 boards, it was well worth the setup time. I did switch from a spade bit to a Forstner bit. the Spade bit was tearing up the holes and even split the wood a few times. The Screws I have are a bit long for the finials but work well for securing the wood/PVC. I may get rivets for the Finials. I need to be more efficient with the spay paint. doing one 'pipe' at a time wasted a lot of over-spray. Plan on grouping them together for the rest of the setup.


Smart idea about using a Forstner bit had the same issue when I did mine, and when I used a really good spade bit that curved at the ends really had issues, but I also bought a Harbor freight cheapie as I'm not a woodworker and will hardly ever use it. Had the same issues with the spray paint also, even though i had several sort of close together more paint I think went airborne then on the pipe. I ended up just buying flat black exterior paint and doing it that way. Wish I would have had more time for prep work or just stained them wouldn't be repainting them now or as much to redo.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

xredge said:


> Smart idea about using a Forstner bit had the same issue when I did mine, and when I used a really good spade bit that curved at the ends really had issues, but I also bought a Harbor freight cheapie as I'm not a woodworker and will hardly ever use it. Had the same issues with the spray paint also, even though i had several sort of close together more paint I think went airborne then on the pipe. I ended up just buying flat black exterior paint and doing it that way. Wish I would have had more time for prep work or just stained them wouldn't be repainting them now or as much to redo.


I actually had a high speed boring spade bit, it has the screw tip that pulls it through the wood, it was 'too good'. My old drill press did not have enough torque for it. I still used it in my hand drill for the first center hole, but everything after that one the forstner did a clean job. The Jig let me flip the board over and drill from both sides with accuracy. Did 30 boards, so 270 holes in about 45 minutes. Setup out n the deck under a canopy so it was nice and cool. You can see the Vac duck taped to the press to help with the mess.

Now I have to paint and assemble the other 9 sections, then build the End Posts. Can't wait to get it all done. If the whole looks anything like the one section I will be extremely happy. Going away for the weekend so it will have to wait a week or so.


----------



## pfunky (Sep 21, 2017)

I built my fence out of two 1x2's drilled 8 times for 4 foot long PVC. Then on each piece, I drilled a small hole about 1 foot from the end of each pvc and then put in a self tapping screw. Then I put one of the 1x2's over each of the 8 pieces and then put in the top screws and then put on the top 1x2. Each end I pounded a 2 foot piece of rebar into the ground and slid the end pvc post over it. I then used black duct tape to connect the 1x2's. The finials are 12 packs of skulls from party city that I drilled through the bottom and stuck on the top of each pvc. 

It isn't perfection, but it does the job and it breaks down easily for storage. I'm trying to get my wife to let me paint the skulls black.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

Therewolf said:


> I actually had a high speed boring spade bit, it has the screw tip that pulls it through the wood, it was 'too good'. My old drill press did not have enough torque for it. I still used it in my hand drill for the first center hole, but everything after that one the forstner did a clean job. The Jig let me flip the board over and drill from both sides with accuracy. Did 30 boards, so 270 holes in about 45 minutes. Setup out n the deck under a canopy so it was nice and cool. You can see the Vac duck taped to the press to help with the mess.
> 
> Now I have to paint and assemble the other 9 sections, then build the End Posts. Can't wait to get it all done. If the whole looks anything like the one section I will be extremely happy. Going away for the weekend so it will have to wait a week or so.


Too funny same thing with my bit but then just bought a cheap spade bit that worked. I cheated I just got the point through flipped it over and centered it that way. Some might have been offf but got most of them. I have my sections in diffrent sizes and only have a couple 8 ft sections and had one section recently through out as it had a lot of tree sap on it and just didn't want to deal with it. Since I do my big haunt at the campground it changes up some, really hoping to nail it down more this year as I have been getting the same site the past few years and works pretty good. Just wish I could remember from year to year what I used, lol. But want to chnage it up again a little but not 100% sure as I might need to build some more sections. Maybe next year and just write stuff down better as my pics don't tell me what I need to know. It is like I have an idea but not 100% sure, lol. And with the change it effects the fog that I do, why not sure. Need time to setup at home and test but don't have it. Wife pretty much has plans for me most weekends even though at the same time she is encouraging me and saying that I need to go through thing instead of ending up taking everything out again. usually takes me several trips.


----------



## Eerie Erie Haunts (Oct 8, 2013)

Those of you who have used furring strips--how have they held up over time? A fence is an upcoming project, and I'm concerned that there will be too little wood on either side of the hole, and it will be brittle.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Eerie Erie Haunts said:


> Those of you who have used furring strips--how have they held up over time? A fence is an upcoming project, and I'm concerned that there will be too little wood on either side of the hole, and it will be brittle.


Just in the build process on mine. Since a 1x2 is actually only about 1 1/2" wide, and the OD of 1/2 PVC requires a 7/8 hole, that leaves with just a little over 1/4 of wood on each side. Other than the piece my bit tore apart, they seem to be holding well. I'm also screwing in each connection between wood and PVC for added strength. 

I am curious to hear what others with some time on theirs have to say. wondering if a 1x3 might not be better in the long run.


----------



## Eerie Erie Haunts (Oct 8, 2013)

If the pipe were glued in with an epoxy glue, that would probably make it strong enough, but it also means that each section can't be disassembled for storage.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

Mine have held up pretty good over 3 years from the original build with just 1x2s and 1/2 pvc pipe. Mine are all screwed in, wanted to have everything come apart at first and changed my mine. When assembled they are alot better and not as fragile when unassembled I did break one or 2 but mostly my own fault. The only one that I have to replace is because of pine tree sap it was leaning against storing it was really bad. Mine also travel to the campground so do get beat up pretty good.

My biggest tip would be to prep the PVC before painting or staining, I didn't have the time and regret it now. Have been debating rebuilding them and using the stain method, also thought about just doing it all with PVC but really wouldn't look right. Mine will also be used for something else this year after halloween as I'm thinking about putting a bar bottom on them so more moveable and putting them under my camper to keep tge dog out from getting hung up and stuck and then have to go out and untangle him.


----------



## pfunky (Sep 21, 2017)

I went back and looked at my Flickr account and the first year with my fence was 2012 so they've been going strong since 2012. I've added more pieces since, but I think that's pretty good. Nothing special or ornate but easy to put together, take down and store away and I don't have to have someplace to hang them in the garage.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

With what pfunky said, mine sit outside all year long against something. Like a pine tree one year why the one had so much sap on it, and wasn't worth it to try and clean it up.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

I don't have a place inside to store my new fencing, so it will need to survive outside all year between the garage and 'real' fence. I've had to do this with other fencing and props in the past. Most have survived well, and a year of weathering tends to add character to them. The big problem I've seen is when wood is left in contact with the ground. Since most of the fence is PVC and only the rails are wood, I should avoid that issue. I've used 'broken' props in the past, and then tend to add to the authenticity and creepiness of the the display, not detract from it.


----------



## xredge (Oct 24, 2012)

Therewolf said:


> I don't have a place inside to store my new fencing, so it will need to survive outside all year between the garage and 'real' fence. I've had to do this with other fencing and props in the past. Most have survived well, and a year of weathering tends to add character to them. The big problem I've seen is when wood is left in contact with the ground. Since most of the fence is PVC and only the rails are wood, I should avoid that issue. I've used 'broken' props in the past, and then tend to add to the authenticity and creepiness of the the display, not detract from it.


I'm in the same boat, no real garage have a portable one, but with my race/show car in there and camping stuff and some other odds and ends not much room and now with the wind dragon in there really no room. My Halloween totes and skeletons that go out to the campground sat in the trailer al winter long and then had to just be outside in the spring. I bought another portable garage to replace the one I hav enow as snow as bent some pipes and cover is real fragile now and starting to go at the corners so going touse the old frame and cover it with tarps and or black plastic to store the halloween stuff.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Finished painting all the PVC 'bars'. Grouped them together, much more effeicient use of paint. Managed to do the remaining 80 with just 3 cans of spray paint. Now onto the wooden cross-bars.


----------



## OldLordSkull (Sep 27, 2013)

Followed you over here, Therewolf!

I finished building 72' of fencing just the other day. I still have to paint it all, and add the angle aluminum to fasten the sections together. I am going to try out some threaded softwood inserts and thumb screws to see if that will make setting up and tearing down easier, and so that I don't have to use wood screws to hold the sections together.

I have to say, investing in a proper PVC cutting tool made my life a bit easier during this build.

I will add another 72'+ next year, and more the year after that until I am able to fence the entirety of my front and side property, which is 146' in length, not including the run up the driveway and the edge at the back.

Now, on to building a column...I'm sure I'll be building more of those in the next couple of years!


----------



## OldLordSkull (Sep 27, 2013)

For a bit of context, I selected 1x2 furring strips at 8' lengths. Menards was offering them for like 94 cents each.

There are twelve pickets per fence section. The four tall ones are 3' - 8" in length, and the eight short ones are 3' - 4", and arranged as one tall then two short. The measurement between pickets is 8" on-center, except for the ones on the ends, which are 4" in on-center from the edge of the furring strip. In that way, I am guaranteeing that the fence looks uniform when fastened together.

I don't have a drill press (yet), so I just used my power drill with a 7/8" speed bore bit. Now, the thing I noticed that worked the best was to drill it about halfway through or until the tip of the bit pokes through the other side, then flip the board over and complete the drilling from there. The problem I had with the first few bores was that the wood was "tearing" once I drilled all the way through from one side. Flipping the board to finish the bore alleviated that. A pain in the rear, but we do what we can with what we have.

In hindsight, I probably should have painted the PVC first. However, I don't see it being a big deal.

I'm eager to see how the softwood inserts and thumb screws will perform. I'll probably get on that this weekend.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

OldLordSkull said:


> Followed you over here, Therewolf!
> 
> I finished building 72' of fencing just the other day. I still have to paint it all, and add the angle aluminum to fasten the sections together. I am going to try out some threaded softwood inserts and thumb screws to see if that will make setting up and tearing down easier, and so that I don't have to use wood screws to hold the sections together.
> 
> ...


I did not invest in the PVC cutter. Started with a regular pipe cutter, made clear even cuts but took forever. Switched to sawsall will hack blade. Went fast but not as clean, but nobody other than me will notice.


----------



## Summer (Aug 13, 2019)

Hello all! First timer on yard decorating this year! I managed to get my cemetery columns built over the weekend but I’m at a bit of a standstill. Any suggestions on painting methods to get these looking like stone?? Open to any suggestions! Thank you.


----------



## Summer (Aug 13, 2019)

Also, to add, I'm going a little simple with my cemetery fencing for this year. PVC pipes with chain. Could use some recommendations on how to link the chain to all the PVC pipes. I am rather clueless on how to get that done with it still looking relatively authentic. thank you in advance!


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Summer said:


> Also, to add, I'm going a little simple with my cemetery fencing for this year. PVC pipes with chain. Could use some recommendations on how to link the chain to all the PVC pipes. I am rather clueless on how to get that done with it still looking relatively authentic. thank you in advance!


Need a little more information on your intent. Just PVC verticals with chain hanging between them? What is the chain made of?
I used a real tow chain with 2x2 posts. I just put a long screw on the back of the post and hung the chain on it, not attaching necessary. The thing was so heavy, it was not coming off easily. For a lighter chain, and with PVC, I would consider drilling two small holes and just looping a Zip tie through and attaching the chain that way. I love Zip ties for quick but strong holds. Then cut them off at the end of season. You can buy the cheap in bulk at hardware stores or Harbor freight.

You can see the Chain fence in front of my cemetery. I wrapped some purple lights on it for after dark.


----------



## Summer (Aug 13, 2019)

Therewolf said:


> Need a little more information on your intent. Just PVC verticals with chain hanging between them? What is the chain made of?
> I used a real tow chain with 2x2 posts. I just put a long screw on the back of the post and hung the chain on it, not attaching necessary. The thing was so heavy, it was not coming off easily. For a lighter chain, and with PVC, I would consider drilling two small holes and just looping a Zip tie through and attaching the chain that way. I love Zip ties for quick but strong holds. Then cut them off at the end of season. You can buy the cheap in bulk at hardware stores or Harbor freight.
> 
> You can see the Chain fence in front of my cemetery. I wrapped some purple lights on it for after dark.
> ...


Of course, my apologies! Vertical PVC, I believe I got 1 1/2". The chain is plastic, small links, not too large.

Thank you


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

You might have already made your order for finials, but Kingsmetals is another popular option. https://www.kingmetals.com/Home.aspx They have a sale going on for 15% off now until the 8th. Use the promo code LABOR during check out. We used them to buy ours and like the quality of the plastic finials.

Rebar becomes even more inexpensive if you buy it in the 10 foot lengths and cut it yourself. It's not that hard to do with a simple hacksaw, and it allows you to buy thicker rebar at less expensive prices. That for us is a win/win option as we use rebar out in our garden as well as our haunt. Bigger rebar is sturdier, and so far it's been easier to pull up out of the ground when we have to. Can't promise that's the case as our thinner rebar has been in the ground for years and I'm sure that has something to do with how hard it is to remove.

Real chain of a size large enough to show up in the dark can be a bit pricey, but right now our Dollar tree has larger plastic chain that I think is a four foot length on sale. We use it in a number of different spots in the haunt and with a bit of faux rust, it looks like the real thing. It's easy to join lengths together. We bought up a bunch of it when it came out the first year and then it disappeared. We'll probably buy more this year just in case we find another use for it.


----------



## radu (Sep 26, 2009)

Stryker said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I'm going to make some more 1'x1'square corner-posts this year to allow for a more uniform appearance, but how did everyone join their segments of fence together into one unit?
> 
> ...



My fence is in 7ft sections. Each section is "hooked" to a 2'x'2 square wood post. Each post has an 18" hole drilled up from the bottom which then slides over a 36" rebar that is pounded into the ground. This solution has proven to be pretty stable over the month that the fence is up. Hope this helps...


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Summer said:


> Of course, my apologies! Vertical PVC, I believe I got 1 1/2". The chain is plastic, small links, not too large.
> 
> Thank you


Thank you for the info. I would go with what I put in the other post. Drill 2 holes in the side of the PVC about 1/2" apart at the height you want to the chain to start. loop through a Zip tie and connect the chain that way. but there are plenty of other options.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

radu said:


> My fence is in 7ft sections. Each section is "hooked" to a 2'x'2 square wood post. Each post has an 18" hole drilled up from the bottom which then slides over a 36" rebar that is pounded into the ground. This solution has proven to be pretty stable over the month that the fence is up. Hope this helps...
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 718773


Love the Diagram. I'm planning a similar end post but was going to use a 2" PVC and the Skull topper. going to try a simple corner angle to attach them.


----------



## Summer (Aug 13, 2019)

Got my columns covered in monster mud. Light gray base and went in with a darker tint for the mortar part. What do we think?


----------



## radu (Sep 26, 2009)

Summer said:


> View attachment 719083
> 
> 
> Got my columns covered in monster mud. Light gray base and went in with a darker tint for the mortar part. What do we
> ...


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Was away for Labor Day, then had to work the weekend, but I found some time to crank out the rest of the fence sections. Ended up using pop rivets on the Finials, very happy with the results.. Now just need to work on the End Posts, plus the Cemetery gate.


----------



## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

Therewolf said:


> Was away for Labor Day, then had to work the weekend, but I found some time to crank out the rest of the fence sections. Ended up using pop rivets on the Finials, very happy with the results.. Now just need to work on the End Posts, plus the Cemetery gate.
> View attachment 719569
> View attachment 719570


Everything is done and up. Pictures don't do justice but here is the whole scene with fence


----------

