Hi
Shortly im going to be redoing fencing around our smallholding and have got a tensioner for single strand wire but is there any tricks or tools for stock fencing???
Concrete or wooden posts??
See if you can follow thins ..it is late i mucht have missed a step .
This is for wooden treated posts ... wear gloves , learn how to work in them , tanalized wood is carcenogenic and so is creosote .Even the best of us get splinted occasionaly
This method is done only using fencing pliers and another hammer , but if you are going to use a tensioner device such as a ratchet strap or chain make your anchor point quite a few feet past the last post .
.Brace all corners on both sides of the corner , make the corner post a bit thicker than the other posts , every six or seven post in a straight run brace the post either side using nothces as described later on and again make this main post a bit thicker than the rest. On the intermediate braced posts wrap the wire twice round the braced post again staple each turn at least once ... this gives you a length of wire to play with in the future such as putting in a gate or a repair to the fence without having to get silly and make it all look a mess .
Bracing the posts .. dig a narrow trench 2 foot long and 18 inches deep ..put a square cut end in the hole using a brick as a stop pad ( increased surface area ) and lean the brace back to the post cut the angle 1/2 inch longer then your marks . Notch the main post to take the brace ..refit both sides refill the holes .. use only one nail ( if needed ) tamp the brace post hole soil down . ( Or concrete them in if you feel fit enough to do it to all brace posts.)
Before starting off I'd advise you to make a simple dolly / reel/ drum for the coil of wire before you untie it. Done by using four equal lengths of lathe or board or thick sheet ply cut in to two disc , use four blocks as the spool axle or four short lenghts of pipe ... bolt it up so you can undo it for future coils of wire .
This helps stop you dropping the coil of wire and then having to pick it up with out any tangles in it it is also easy to unroll the coil if you bore out a centrral hole for a broomstick as an axle and walk out the wire with by two people . Do not be tempted to pull the wire off the coil unless it is unrolling off the spool for you will get twists galore and it all becomes rather hard work .
Two of you to walk out the wire off the drum for the length of the run .
Unwind off the reel when starting off , wrap the wire three times around the first braced post and staple it at least once in each trun .
Fold over the end to make a right angle tag , hammer this tag into the post to stop kiddies or stock poking their eyes out etc.
When making that last attachment to the final braced post do not fully hit home the staples on the posts from the last braced point , slip a staple part way in over the wire , hammer the staple in half way , use the tension pliers to jack the wire tight , knock the staple in , wrap the wire three times around the post , staple in as before , make the tag again , hammer in it in..go back and fully knock the staples in the other posts. ( This usually adds the right amount of tension on the last few spans . )
There are special fencing pliers that have an extractor , a cutter , plier grips become a hammer and have a curved head for tensioning when finishing thing off , they are not cheap but will last your life out.
Perhaps look on ebay once you know what they look like. look for fencing pliers or stock wire pliers .. I'll see if can find a picture somewhere...
[IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/Misterdavid/fencepliers.jpg [ IMG]
Here you are ... about a tenner off the ebay under the name of " fencing pliers " , or less for a car boot if your lucky.
Attaching other wire to the strainers .. use pig rings and pig ring pliers if possible but pig rings can be put on with standard pliers if you are careful.
Tension any chicken /stock wire by sliding a steel bar through it and use a braced post to gently pull it taught using ratchet tiedown straps attached to the bar at top and bottom