This, that, and the other

[patrick_g]

I'm curious... The tall fence... are they keeping things (people or other animals) out or in? I haven't seen fence like that since I was looking at a buffalo pasture. A fence like that and you wonder if they were going to bid on a DOC contract.

Pat

That's standard eight foot board on board cedar privacy fence here in North Texas. Well, except the posts are pipe and not tubing, the post holes are three feet deep and twelve inches across instead of two by eight, etc and so on.

Our trees aren't that big. I'd guess eighteen to twenty inches at ten feet at best. I'll post some pictures tonight.

Harv, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear or more specific. I was referring to the tall wire fence with barbed wire on top (and on bottom?) Wondered what it kept in or out.

I am putting up 48 inch graduated field fence with a single strand of 4 point barbed wire on top to discourage stock from trying to reach over the top. I hadn't ever thought about putting a strand at the bottom but can see some advantages. Keep wire off the dirt so it lasts longer and the barbed wire will discourage trying to feed through the fence at the bottom. I'd down size to 42 inch if I put a strand at the bottom as that would be made up by that bottom strand.

Ordinarily, since I an not using the cedar for structural stuff, just for its looks, in order to make it easy at the mill, I just have them just saw it as it sits, no quarter sawing or other strategies, just slabs with the bark on that I can rip to dimension. Sometimes since one of the mills I use has lots of hydraulics I have the logs cut into dimensional lumber of my preferred sizes. Most mills, when cutting dimensional lumber cut off slabs with bark to square up the cant. They give me that stuff for free just to get rid of it. I will be using it for rustic wainscot.

Pat

 

[MF1455v]

Harvey, I sure would like to see some pictures of that powder coating process. Sounds very interesting. Looking foward to seeing the finished product to.

Both houses look great.

James

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Pat, that wasn't one of my fences. The deal is I have a friend who wanted to have a substantial barrier between his sixty acres and the blacktop road. So him and some friends set the posts and then I believe they realized stretching eight foot fence was beyond their capabilities.

I stepped in with my wife and stretched it, about eleven hundred feet. The gate of course is mine.

My perspective on livestock fencing is the smaller the pen the more substantial the fence. I don't recommend field fence for anything but cattle on large pastures. Your believing barbwire will keep livestock off of a fence I think is wishfull thinking. I've watched a large bull walk through a barbwire fence. It was painfull for me to watch him stuff his head and shoulders between two strands of barbwire and then the rest of him following. There was a part of me that literally ached at what could happen to some parts of his anatomy going through that fence. The only thing that will keep livestock off of a fence is electricity and or the grass being greener on the inside. If I was going to fence in pastures or property lines and it was my property I'd go with five foot high. Four foot goat fence fabric with two or three strands of barbwire on top would work.

I recommend at least five foot fence for horses for the same reason, intimidation. If it's less than five foot high they might consider an attempt to go over it. Five feet or more and they won't even consider it.

Those pieces of cedar made the first cut are sure pretty. I've wondered why someone hasn't started marketing those for vertical accents in rustic rooms. One of those floor to ceiling would give the appearance of log beams. Using the knots and flaws to a decorative advantage would really enhance some decors.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Harvey, I sure would like to see some pictures of that powder coating process. Sounds very interesting. Looking foward to seeing the finished product to.

Both houses look great.

James

I'll try to snap some photos of it when we're having our pieces powdercoated.

I had three James Smiths in my life. The one in Whitewright passed away this year. He was one ingenious great welding workaholic. The one in Oklahoma is doing fine and I hope you are too.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Yesterday I took a picture of a before where we're going to be putting the first big timber entryway. I also took a shot of the logs we cut Friday.

 

[patrick_g]

I had three James Smiths in my life. The one in Whitewright passed away this year. He was one ingenious great welding workaholic. The one in Oklahoma is doing fine and I hope you are too.

Harv, "MY" James Smith was a B-17 Tail gunner in the Eighth Air Force flying out of England to bomb Germany in WW II and was later a fireman, PI, homicide investigator, mountaintop radio relay service provider, ham radio enthusiast, and amateur historian and genealogical researcher and a Patriotic American.

He was a member of, attended conventions of, and had a subscription to the magazine of THE JIM SMITH CLUB a social club comprised of folks named Jim Smith. I'm curious if any of your Jim Smiths were members.

Pat

 

[Bird]

The Jim Smith that I knew best was a member of the Jim Smith Club, was owner of what was probably the best of 19 wrecker companies towing for the City, and owner of the last Mobil service station in Dallas to actually provide full service.

 

[patrick_g]

My perspective on livestock fencing is the smaller the pen the more substantial the fence. I don't recommend field fence for anything but cattle on large pastures. Your believing barbwire will keep livestock off of a fence I think is wishfull thinking. I've watched a large bull walk through a barbwire fence. It was painfull for me to watch him stuff his head and shoulders between two strands of barbwire and then the rest of him following. There was a part of me that literally ached at what could happen to some parts of his anatomy going through that fence. The only thing that will keep livestock off of a fence is electricity and or the grass being greener on the inside. If I was going to fence in pastures or property lines and it was my property I'd go with five foot high. Four foot goat fence fabric with two or three strands of barbwire on top would work.

I recommend at least five foot fence for horses for the same reason, intimidation. If it's less than five foot high they might consider an attempt to go over it. Five feet or more and they won't even consider it.

The 48 inch graduated field fence (Red Brand) with a strand of 4 point barbed wire on top is for fencing in pregnant cows and heifers and their newborn calves. My corrals and chutes are all pipe with cable and or sucker rod. I will be putting a couple strands of hot wire with a 12KV+ from a low impedance charger on it at intermediate heights on the inside side of the graduated field fence to keep them off the fence.

The really powerful charger will keep the stock from pushing on the fence. I prefer field fence around a neighbors house whose lot is surrounded by my pastures and also I prefer it along the highway where newborns will be, as much for keeping dogs out in both instances as calves in. Otherwise I use 5 and 6 strand 4 pt barbed wire fences with stays between posts with excellent results.

I will be trying something new soon, 3 rail vinyl "stock fence." I will be drilling the posts to accept a hot wire between the bottom and middle rail and between the middle and top rail. The wire will not be too easily noticed and not an eyesore detracting from the looks of the fence but should keep stock from pushing on the fence trying to reach a blade of grass on the other side.

I have had neighbor's bulls and bulls on my place just walk through 5 good strands of barbed wire to get at each other. If they start "bulling" at each other the fence required to separate them is not as cost effective as letting them get through and then later fixing the fence. At least my neighbors and I have never been too upset as it is just the way things are and accept it as an alternative to immensely expensive fencing. I have a mile of fence between my and neighbor's stock.

Pat

 

[patrick_g]

The Jim Smith that I knew best was a member of the Jim Smith Club, was owner of what was probably the best of 19 wrecker companies towing for the City, and owner of the last Mobil service station in Dallas to actually provide full service.

Bird, can you imagine the chaos that ensues when hundreds of Jim Smiths show up in Vegas for one of their conventions? Every one of them wearing a sticker that says, "HI, My name is Jim Smith." Then one of them goes to the hotel desk and has Jim Smith paged to take a call at the White Phone! ...or how about the hostess at a restaurant who gets 50 reservations for Jim Smith, all of which show up and sign in and the confusion about which Jim Smith gets the next free table...

Full service... There are still stations around here, well... in Shawnee and other large metropolitan areas exceeding a population of a thousand who offer full service at an increased price. (considerably increased)

Pat

 

[scgargoyle]

Any recommendations for keeping (potentially) bad dogs out? The neighbor on one side of my property in SC has two pit bulls that seem to think my land belongs to them. Once I start working up there, I'll carry a sidearm, but I'd like to be able to work without watching over my shoulder.