backyard fence, part 6

all that's left on the backyard fence is to mount the gate and gate latch!


making sure the gate latch hits in the right place.


with the help of matt t., we mounted a sweet lantern that andrea found as a warm welcomer.



the backyard fence it finished! no back to the laundry room trim!

"treasures"

one of my favortie parts of home renonvations is the hope to find some lost treasure. this afternoon was a treat! i was working on the backyard fence [adding some gravel drainage] and unearth the below: two photograph negatives [always my favortie and almost as good as money!], a poker chip, and bead.

backyard fence, part 5

in order to maintain the style of fence panels, i need to assemble the gate with mortise and tenon joints. not my favorite task, but i'll try to be patient and do my best.



i like to use a spade drill bit to remove as much material as possible before using a hammer and chisle to square off the corners. your other option is to buy a mortise press.


if all is done right, your should get a nice smooth joint. if all is not done right, chisel more out and add more glue!


i was surprise at how much i got done in just a few hours. i'd say the mortise and tenon joints will be well worth the time i spent. now all i have to do is add the screen and mount the gate.

townsend's tape measure

mom! dad! i wanna help you measure! just give me a second.

mom! dad! i don't have any thumbs!

there, i got it. will three inches do?!

favorite tools: ear plugs

i've acquired a few favorite tools over the years. these are my most recent: ear plugs. i use to try to 'man up' and just deal with it, but recently i've noticed some hearing loss. maybe it's all of those loud guitar amps and saws! i've grown tired of always saying 'what?' and 'huh?' so i've 'manned up' and have started using ear plugs. the best $6 i've ever spent. no more ringing ears, imagine that!

backyard fence, part 4

everything's done except for the gate!

backyard fence, part 3

andrea and i spend many hours flipping thru various magazines and books to fine a fence design we liked. our criteria was: natural looking, fairly transparent, simple to build, and inexpensive. we found a design in this old house's magazine that we thought would work if we adapted it.

here's our design:

start with a wood frame. we choose pressure treated. each panel consists of one 2x4x8 ripped down the middle. each piece is mitered and then a 1/4 inch groove is ripped down the middle of the cut side. corners are assembled with glue and one fence/deck screw.


this wire fence material is used within the frame.


sometimes you have to do a little jig on it to flatten it out!


the wire is cut and end to fit in each panel.


sometimes it take a while to get a perfect snug fit!


even townsend lent his expertise; 'looser dad! it needs to pop out easily!'



close off the forth end.


'enough of this fence stuff. let's go to the puppy park!'


this should hold the pup in.


once outside, the panels 'should' fit between the fence posts.


using the 1/4 inch groove, screw one fence/deck screw in and level and plumb the panel.


once level and plumb, screw in 3-4 screws on each side.

more updates to come!