Tip #16
Fences and Shutters (continued)
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Pg. 1-3, Pg 4-6

Making the Siding

Cutting a "carpenter gothic" fence board on a router arm.

Making the Siding - Cut all your siding boards to size and true the edges on a jointer. Both rough-cut and finished lumber will have slight bends that will make it hard to align the pieces if they are not joined.

Cutting decorative designs in the siding is a tedious job at best, especially if you have a large yard to fence. But there are several ways to make this chore go faster.

To cut simple pickets, stack the boards 4 deep and mitre them at the desired angle. Turn the stack over and repeat the mitre cut. If your design is slightly more intricate, stack the boards 6 deep and cut them on a bandsaw. For very' intricate or 'carpenter gothic' designs, cut out a masonite pattern on a jigsaw and reproduce that pattern in your siding boards on a router arm.

A section of a "carpenter gothic" fence and the router arm template used to make it.

Simple nailing jig -- horizontal board rests on top crossmember, vertical board spaces fence boards.

When nailing the siding to the crossmembers, a simplejig (built as shown) will help you get the spacing even. If you are building a privacy fence or windscreen and don't want any spaces between the boards, use your jointer to put a rabbet in the edges and lap the boards as you put them up. When attached to the fence, the siding should clear the ground by at least 2".

Using the jointer to make a rabbet cut.

Lapped Fence Boards.

Continue to Gates & Stiles
Back to Attaching Crossmembers