this summer's fence project...

[hubcapsc]

In June and July I spent a lot of time setting treated yellow pine posts around
the perimeter of the last field we have...

My buddy Kent came up from Charleston and we stretched a lot of the fence a few
weekends ago.

This weekend Carolyn and I stretched a couple of runs, there's only a little more left
to stretch.

I think most people stretch from one corner post to past the next corner post
down the line, using a tractor or truck or something as an anchor. Sometimes
there's no room to get a vehicle in position to use as an anchor, I wanted to
stretch from one corner post to the next one...



That leaves a few feet of "unstretched" fence at the second corner post. To fix
that, these giant channel locks have a "cam action" that makes it pretty easy
to stretch that last few feet real tight...



The fence isn't as tight as the E string on a guitar, but it is tight 



Carolyn wanted to hire this fence done, she started looking around in April
or so... as usual with contractors these days, there were some no shows. Then
a guy showed up who wouldn't do it like we wanted and couldn't do it when we
wanted, but he said he'd do it... that was when we decided we'd do it.

I like working around the place... there's more to do than I'll ever be able to
do, though... 

That's five foot tall fence and eight foot tall posts... they're all sunk into rock-hard
red clay and set with a bag of sakrete. I'll cut them off a few inches above
the fence tops, leaving enough room for insulators to run a hot-wire along
the top...

-Mike

[Hook#3287]

Nice job

looks good.

Can't really say the same for those shorts

[RDAbull]

That's a good looking fence job Mike.  It will keep those ponies in but it probably isn't strong enough to keep Lulu out if she sees your horses.
Roger - the don't tell Lulu you have horses guy.

[hubcapsc]

Can't really say the same for those shorts

I think they only sell shorts that hang down to your ankles and
backwards hats nowadays...

-Mike

[cookiedough]

Looks well done and should last your lifetime, but am curious as to why go thru all that work in the first place?  Are you trying to keep out deer or just setting a permiter of  your land vs. others?

I do like those penny loafers though,  real working man's shoes?  

[Jabba]

I want to know what little old lady's couch had to die so you could skin it and make those shorts...?

Jabba

[hubcapsc]

Looks well done and should last your lifetime, but am curious as to why go thru all that work in the first place?  Are you trying to keep out deer or just setting a permiter of  your land vs. others?

Carolyn has three of these things now...



We have awesome neighbors, they're welcome around here anytime... neighbor Dan
built half the barn... he was waiting for me every afternoon when I got home from
work, ready to nail up some more boards...



I do like those penny loafers though,  real working man's shoes? 

They're as comfortable as the ugly britches  ... I have two pairs
of shoes - the slap-worn-out-ones in the fence picture, and a good pair just
like them that I wear to work. And a good pair of Danner boots for the Valkyrie -
they've got around 80 thousand Valkyrie miles on them now...



-Mike

[hubcapsc]

That's a good looking fence job Mike.  It will keep those ponies in but it probably isn't strong enough to keep Lulu out if she sees your horses.
Roger - the don't tell Lulu you have horses guy.

Too late, I already told Carolyn Lulu wanted to ride them... 

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

Nice fence.  

Nice barn too.  

Those shorts are fine too....but I wouldn't leave the property wearing them  

What's the downside on just leaving the posts full length (seems like a lot of time on the chainsaw working kinda high)?      

[hubcapsc]

Nice fence. 

Nice barn too. 

Those shorts are fine too....but I wouldn't leave the property wearing them   

What's the downside on just leaving the posts full length (seems like a lot of time on the chainsaw working kinda high)?     

Ida know... they just don't look right that way.

It would be dangerous to run a chainsaw that near the fence, holding it up high like
that. I got a Dewalt 36-volt tool set - circle saw, sawsall and hammer drill - when I
was building the barn - no power over there. I don't think they sold well (Dewalt 36 volt
tools) but they are awesome, pretty much like plugged-in tools. The sawsall cuts the
tops off pretty easy, and I don't risk death if its blade hits the fence...

-Mike

[threevalks]

            Mike, good looking barn, fence, shorts, shoes, boots, and bike between the gas pumps.
            I'm not sure about horses, but I know cows like to scratch themselves on woven wire fence, and soon have if loosened and looking bad.  If you are already planing to run a stand of electric on top I would consider running another about waist high to keep them off the fence JMHO.
           PS , Carolyn's shorts and boots beat yours hands down.

[sandy]

Those shorts make me think that somewhere there's a Ford Pinto without seatcovers.

[hubcapsc]

I'm not sure about horses, but I know cows like to scratch themselves on woven wire fence, and soon have if loosened and looking bad.  If you are already planing to run a stand of electric on top I would consider running another about waist high to keep them off the fence JMHO.

They absolutely will lean over the fence, and mess it up, if the electric wire is turned off
for very long. A couple of hits from the charger, though, and they pretty much avoid the fence...

           PS , Carolyn's shorts and boots beat yours hands down.

Ariat horse boots... and, for some reason, girl's comfortable clothes don't
all look like clown suits   ...

-Mike

[hubcapsc]

Those shorts make me think that somewhere there's a Ford Pinto without seatcovers.

I haven't seen a Ford Pinto in a long time... until yesterday... there were some old
cars in a parking lot in town, I guess the Pinto was with them. I wish I had taken a
picture of it. It had big nice wheels on it, a made-over hot-rod Pinto...

-Mike

[Robert]

Great job on the fence, looks good 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Nice job

looks good.

Can't really say the same for those shorts

Hey I had some shorts like that. They disappeared mysteriously . I would go with higher socks though  (and maybe a striped shirt if I was looking for some action)

[Motor City Lulu Belle]

Whoo Hoo.....Carolyn, we're gonna have to make a day of it! Great fence & don't  listen to them.....you guys look right a home in them, there outfits & nat.

[Thunderbolt]

Mike I don't have any room to comment on what people wear.  I am still wearing some old shorts from work most every day and very seldom wear a shirt unless I am expecting the FedEx or UPS people.  I am NOT a farmer or fencing expert but if you cut the posts off you might be exposing some untreated wood to the elements and would probably be a good idea to put some of those metal or plastic covers over the tops of the posts to prolong their life expectancy.

[hubcapsc]

you might be exposing some untreated wood to the elements

That's a good call...

I made the first fence, almost 20 years ago, from raw red cedar posts... they're
just the opposite - "treated" (cedar heart wood) in the center and untreated
sap wood on the outside. It is starting to have trouble. I've dug up and reused
treated yellow pine fence posts... they're comparatively indestructible.

I might go around and oil the tops a couple of times, but I'll be pretty
old in another 20 years  ...

-Mike

[Black Pearl's Captain]

-Mike

those boots seem to be overkill for that big bike. Just sayin'

[hubcapsc]

those boots seem to be overkill for that big bike. Just sayin'

gotta have  big boots at Deals Gap 

-Mike