Shadow Box Fence Stringers
Hello everyone, great forum! I am building a shadow box fence that will primarly be 4' in height, with one part of the perimeter being 5' high. This will be constructed using 4x4 treated posts, 2x4 treated stingers, and 1x6 slats (treated or cedar, not sure yet). Spacing of the 4x4 posts will vary but most have 7.5' between them. I want a uniform look on the interior and exterior (just a strong personal preference), so I plan to run the the stringers toe nailed between the posts laying flat. Laying the 2x4 flat will allow me to acheive a consistent width on both sides because the stringer and the post will be the same width. However, realizing it would eventually sag, I plan to run another 2x4 directly underneath it. This one would be standing upright (3.5 side of the 2x4 running vertical this time) for the extra support. The 2x4's would form a T shape between posts. My question is, to prevent the stringers from sagging over time, should I run the extra 2x4 under both the top and bottom stringer for support, or would just supporting the top stringer be enough? I'm not sure if the bottom stringer could even sag once all the slats are nailed to it, but I don't want to have to repair it later. Secondly, I know 2 stringers are recommended between posts for 4 ft fence, 3 are recommended for 6 ft fence. What is best for 5 ft fence ? Thanks ! I would do the T shape top and bottom and add the 3rd stringer to the 5' section. Easier to do now than after you have build the fence. Not sure what width the slats of the fence are going to be, but the extra stringer in the middle will keep them from bowing, twisting or whatever PT lumber does as it dries out. Thanks for the input, that's exactly what I did today and it worked out well. Very sturdy and solid run of fence. Thanks again. I just completed a somewhat similar fence. I have seen quite a few 6' fences with just two horizontal 2x4s providing the support, but after a few years they sag in the middle. I just finished my fence yesterday and I decided to add a pressure treated 2x6 as a kickboard with a 2x4 laying flat above it for the pickets to rest on. 4x4 posts are 7' apart. Before the pickets were installed you could easily stand on the stacked 2x6/2x4 bottom stringer and it felt extremely solid. The top 2x4 stringer probably isn't doing much except holding the top of the pickets when being side-loaded by winds. Here's how it came out: This was my first woodworking project. Would love to see how yours came out. You might consider leaving some gaps between vertical boards the next time you build a fence. With the tight spacing, yours will act like a giant sail, wanting to blow over in a high wind once the post bottoms start to rot.
Related Posts:
Using wet post anchors for 4x4 fence posts
Using Wet Post Anchors for 4x4 Fence PostsHey everyone, I've been a lurker here for a while, but I signed up because I could use a few tips on a fence fix project I'm working on. Background: I hav...
Suggestions on securing bottom of wire fence for dog
Suggestions on securing bottom of wire fence for dogI have an old wire type horse fence on 3 acres of land. It is old and loose, but it is going to have to work. The dog can easily push under the...
Trying to build a cedar fence and avoid problems
trying to build a cedar fence and avoid problemsAfter reading some of the previous posts I'm realizing how easy it is to mess up when you don't know what you are doing. I've come up with a design...
Vinyl fence repair
Vinyl fence repairWe moved to our home 2 years ago. The vinyl fence in the backyard has fallen apart. It is a 3 foot picket fence in a straight line from our house to garage. It consists of two co...
Where does one buy 25 stockade fence materials
Where does one buy 2.5 stockade fence materials?I'm looking to get a few more years out of a spruce stockade fence in my yard. Basically, I need to replace a 2' section of fence adjacent to a gate...
