Wood Privacy Fence
Cutting the Posts
The tops of the posts were cut to the same height using a circular saw. We tried using a guide, but found that it was far easier to cut freehand. (Of course, we used a square to mark the cutting line...)
Finishing Touches: The decorative scroll
The decorative top board was designed by my neighbour. He used a hole saw to cut out the middle of the board. He then cut the board in half (mainly to save on storage space).
The curves were cut using a jigsaw.
We used this template to trace the cutting lines on the board. It was positioned to line up with one end of the board and traced. It was then flipped over and lined up with the other end.
All the boards were cut by hand using a jig saw. The result is that no two boards are exactly the same. If we were opting for perfection, we would have made a full size template out of quarter inch thick hardboard and used a flush trimming router bit...
The tops fit into the dadoes and are attached to the top rail using dowels and exterior wood glue.
Finishing Touches: The molding
The moldings were milled at the router table from fence boards that had been ripped to width at the table saw. The moldings are fastened to the underside of the top rail using 1 1/2 inch deck screws in pre-drilled holes. No attempt was made to conceal the screws which are not very noticeable. The molding serves two purposes: it looks good, and it conceals the space between the fence board and the top rail.
Finishing Touches: The post cap
I used pre-assembled post caps consisting of a ball on a base plate. I drilled a pilot hole in the center of the bottom of the base plate and screwed in a dowel screw (threads at both ends, no head). I then drilled a pilot hole in the center of the top of the post and screwed the cap in place.
Finding the center of the post and cap was simple: just use a straight edge to connect opposite corners. The center is where the lines intersect.
The end result of our labour is a fence that is a little bit different than the styles that most people tend to build.
Wood fences, though more stylish than their chain link cousins, carry a hefty price tag. Not only is the initial cost more, but they do require periodic maintenance (water sealer) and will likely need the occasional repair. We used pressure treated wood. Cedar would have been considerably more costly.
Wood fences also take longer to construct than chain link since they require more prep work (treating cuts with preservative, etc).
Simply put, a wood fence is a lot of work.
The design of our fence allows for some seasonal expansion and contraction. And we made sure we treated all the cut surfaces with preservative. Unfortunately, we did set the posts in concrete, so the fence will likely not last as long as it could have.
One final note: this is a solid panel fence and as such it does not allow much air flow. I wouldn't recommend it for more than one side of a yard, or else the yard will not get much of a breeze.