Installation
Traditional style
The running length of fence assumes a 1' overlap at each end of the rails (8' rails make a 6' section, etc.). For aesthetic reasons, especially on 8'rails, you may prefer a little less overlap (say, 8").
I'd lay out a little fence, say five or six sections, before you get started on installation. You don't need any posts for this, you're just trying to figure out the general look of the fence. Lay the first course out, zig-zagging back and forth about a foot or so. There are two ways of stacking the fence.
If you lay the fence in order (sections #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6), all the rails will rest at a slight angle. If you lay the fence in staggered order (sections #1, #3, #5, #2, #4, #6), all the rails will be level (or parallel to the ground) with every other section stepping either up or down. I prefer the latter - it's up to you.
Stack the rest of the sections up to full height. When you do this with posts, it will be a little easier to keep the spacing between the rails even, but I'll say more about that later. Try varying the amount of zig-zag (I'm still trying to come up with a technical term for this) from a minimum of 8" to as much as 2' or more. With 2' of zig-zag and about 8" of rail overlap, you can still get a full 10' of running fence line out of a 12' rail section. Any more exaggeration of the offset will begin to shorten the run of the fence.
The rails vary in a number ways - thick, thin, flat, square, twisted, tapered, etc. I usually start with a heavy or twisted rail on the bottom, a couple of pretty looking ones second and third, thin ones fourth, and medium sized straight or tapered rails for the top. No thin ones on the top - they're going to get leaned on. Tapered rails also work great on the ends where you finish without a post.
Once you've figured out how much zig-zag you're going to use, you can start laying out the fence. Using a 100' or 200' tape reel, lay the tape out in a line marking one side of the fence (the zigs or the zags). Drive temporary stakes into the ground next to the tape at every other rail junction. For example, in the case of 12' rails, drive stakes at 0', 20', 40', etc. At 10', 30', 50', etc., drive stakes to one side of the tape by the amount of your offset (say 18").
I try to mix up the section lengths rather than cluster all the same lengths together - this is a matter of personal preference. If a junction lands on a rock, too close to a tree or some other obstacle, change the lengths of a couple sections leading up to it to work your way around the obstacle.
Lay two posts next to each stake, at right angles to the fence line and several feet away from the stakes (leave room for a post hole digger). Lug rails of the appropriate length to each section. Group up the types of rails as discussed earlier (thin, thick, twisted, so on).
If the soil is soft enough, you can pound the posts in with a 10-20 lb. maul. Otherwise, you can rent a portable posthole digger (Little Beaver or similar) at most rental outfits for around $50 per day. You'll need a single 10" auger bit (no extension). If you've got access to a tractor outfitted for augering 10" holes, so much the better.
1 1/2' - 2' is plenty deep - remember, the zig-zag of the fence is what keeps it standing up. If you are making a right angle corner, you may want to finish out the hole by tipping the auger back and forth to the inside and outside of the corner to widen the hole out a bit.
Place two posts in each hole - one on the edge of the hole to the inside of the fence, one to the outside. The space between the inside of the posts should be about the same as the width of the bottom rail. Kick all the dirt back into the hole, holding the posts plumb and parallel, and tamp it down by foot. This will hold the posts in place while you lay in the first course. You can pound the posts in a bit with a maul or a mallet, but don't pound them home - you'll need to drive the posts about 6" more after the fence is installed.
However you choose to lay your bottom rails, place the stones to the side of the post that will have the lowest rail (closest to the ground). After all the bottom rails are laid out, I loosely tie off the very tops of the posts with a 3' length of clothesline rope. I tie a small loop in one end, then run the other end around the posts and back through the first loop. Tighten the big loop until the two posts are evenly spaced top to bottom, then tie off with a simple half hitch (easy to untie with one hand).
Lay in the rest of the rails. If it doesn't look "right", spin the rail, flip it end for end, move it up or down or to a different section of the fence. If you want to even up the spacing between the rails, use the cut-off post tops (see below) as shims placed at the junction of the rails between the posts. If they're too thick, split them to size with a hatchet or a spotter's axe.
When you've got a run of fence ready to be wired off, untie the half hitch in loop of rope, draw the loop as tight as possible and re-tie the half hitch. Cut a piece of the 9 gauge form wire about 40" long (a small set of properly adjusted bolt cutters will make this job go a lot easier). Wrap the wire around the two posts, leaving equal lengths of wire on the side of the fence opposite where most people will be walking.
Twist the ends of the wire three half turns to the right by hand (wear gloves). Snug the wire down against the top rail. Stick the end of a long screwdriver (12" or more) or steel bar through the wire loop behind this twist and, holding the ends of the wire with one hand, twist the wire loop one full turn to the left with the screwdriver. This should require a little bit of effort, the wire will cut into the wood of the posts and the temporary ropes at the top should be loose when you're done. Remove the ropes, cut off the excess wire (but none of the twists) and pound the ends back into the fence posts. This prevents someone from snagging one of the wire ends and getting a nasty cut.
When all the wires are on, cut off all the posts about 12" higher than the top rail with a chainsaw. Hint: If you do a short section of fence first, you can use these cut-offs to shim the rails (see previous page on rail spacing). Pound the posts in about another 6" - this should snug the wire down around the top rail, and the fence should be noticeably stiffer. At this point, I usually do a finish cut on the tops of the posts, anywhere from 6" to 12" above the top rail, one longer than the other (see brochure). If you're not sure about this, wait a few days and get used to looking at the fence. You can always cut some more off later, but you can't grow it back if you cut 'em too short.
