Recent work

[sussex]

Borrowed my pals luton transit to drop some furniture down to a relative in Abbergavenny just setting up home,said i,d do a couple of jobs to help them out while i was there.Just got to bridge bloody cam belt broke,smashed engine cost £170 to get towed in £990 repairs,£300 van rental to get tools home then go back to wales to get transit home.The whole escapade not including time cost me the best part of £1700,all down to a £20 rubber belt !!! I hate timeing belts & transits

[lutonlagerlout]

we have all been there
the worst is when you are doing someone a favour
I have had 2 transits go on me,both times on the M1
LLL

[sussex]

Its funny how its the love job that always goes t*ts up, not got a bean in it to soften the blow,!!

[michaelthegardener]

worked till 7 on this yesterday

[lutonlagerlout]

looks neat and tidy as usual michael
could you not have run the gradient in 1 long diagonal line?
I know panels have to be stepped but feather edge is ideal for sloping grounds

here is a question for you michael?

I priced a fence 4 years ago and was too dear by £500,i proposed concrete posts ,concrete gravel boards and close boarded panels
the guys put a fence up in 4 by 4 posts with 2 inch V's cut into them and arris rails nailed into the V ???
to me that has to be a serious weakness?
is that right?
anyway this happened saturday night

the poor woman rang me
I asked what happened to the blokes that put it up and they didnt want to know
thing that shocked me was that the posts although 600mm in the ground were completely rotten after 4 years
I put new 4 by 4 posts in but used galvanised arris brackets and 55 mm plax screws

weird eh?
LLL
ps one for the heights people
had to get the ridge ladder out and put a cowl on 2 chimneys this AM
great views

[dig dug dan]

tony, (apologies for stepping in michael), but the reason you were so dear is that they have not quoted for the same job.
That sort of fencing is called Vnotch (or cheats fencing, as its put up by people who don't know how to closeboard using morticed posts).
The posts are usually 5 x 4, which counteract the v's being cut into them
If those are 4 x 4, then the contractors have made them themselves, and by cutting into the timber, they have exposed an untreated area which will allow moisture in, hence they have rotted quickly. thats assuming they used pressure treated timber?? ???
there also appears to be no centre stumps ??



Edited By dig dug dan on 1354135701

[michaelthegardener]

what he said the steps in the fence are where the decking steps up did think about doing it on the diagonal but would have been a bit tricky on the 4 stupid little steps ???

[lutonlagerlout]

i thought as much dan and michael
the lady asked could i put concrete in now but I told her its too late, at least she has 4 by 4 posts now instead of 4 by 2
i seem to remember you using wooden dowels as well dan
they used 3 inch wires
the V's were definitely hand cut as most didnt fit the arris rail at all
pay cheap ,pay twice
we hear it over and over again
LLL

[mike builder/landscaper]

up here you can get a galvanised brackit that fits the harris rail and you fit the rail between the posts so there is no need to butcher the posts. them posts dont look like 1.8m spacings lll.

[lutonlagerlout]

thats what i used on the repair mike
but they are about 2 quid each,which i guess is why they weren't used
spacings were more like 2.8m,with the featheredge lapping by about 15mm
LLL

[dig dug dan]

those brackets are called arriss rail repair brackets. and they are just that, used for repairing, not building, so in no event use them to construct a fence

[lutonlagerlout]

the repair ones actually slot into the morticed hole
the ones i used have about a 250mm flange that covers the arris rail and then 2 splayed bits that go to the post
about 15 screws per bracket
cheers LLL

[dig dug dan]

Those ones you describe are for repairing arris in concrete posts, the metal lugs grip the concrete post as this cannot be nailed.

[local patios and driveway]

I always use the arris brackets. Cheaper than buying morticed posts and if you screw them instead of nails you can remove or repair sections easily, plus they are galvanised.

[lutonlagerlout]

i know the ones you mean Dan,kensworth sawmill sells them,they have a lug that goes into the mortice
these just fix the arris rail to the post without chopping half the post away

as opposed to

cheers LLL