Setting Wooden Fence Posts
Written by Kyle   
Tuesday, 09 October 2007
If you've never built a wooden fence before, you'll be surprised at just how easy it is.  In this article, we present simple, step-by-step directions to help you through the first phase of building a wood fence - setting fence posts.  Fence posts are the thick, upright, vertical boards that hold your fence together, and as we'll discuss, they need to be anchored carefully to make a sturdy fence.

  Your first step in building a wood fence is to purchase your fence posts (the type of board you will buy will depend on your desired type and height of fences - ask a customer service representative at your local hardware store.)  You will also need some brightly colored twine, a tape measure, a post hole digger, and a wood preservative.

First, set your end posts.  Dig a hole with the post hole digger.  Treat the part of the
post that will be in the ground with a wood preservative.  Approximately 1/3 of the post should end up buried in the ground in order to provide stability.  Insert your post, and tightly pack dirt around it to fill the hole.  Tamp a small mound of dirt around the hole to add stability.

After you have set several end posts, string your twine between them to give you a rough guide to help you line up the rest of the posts.  Space your posts about 6' to 8' apart, and use the tape measure to make sure they are all the same amount of space apart.  Line up holes and posts with the string, and make sure all posts are standing straight, not leaning in any direction.

You may wish to think about using concrete to fill in your holes for extra stability.  Another trick that can be useful if you forgo concrete is to take some extra boards and brace the end posts on all sides.  This will help them stay straight and be less likely to move due to wind, animals, weather, etc.

After you have set your fence posts, and waited for the concrete to dry completely (if you decided to use concrete) you will be ready to create rails, which is a bit more complicated but still easy to do by the amateur fencer.  

Stay tuned for our next article on railing your wood fence .