Stock Fence Clamp recommendations?

[jnoon]

I like a nice big flat stone buried and then I lever the strut into it and bang it down- wedges proper tight in there. I don't want you to think we're picking your work apart when youv'e been brave enough to post pictures. But those short struts and high placement are just asking for trouble if you pull up the netting tight enough. Had many posts pull out of the ground in the early years- so frustrating when your just pulling up the wire tight at the end of the day! I like to over engineer all my stock fencing with 8ft 8-9 inch telegraph pole strainers banged in and box struts in weak ground or just standard strut in good ground- reckon the wires would snap before the strainers shifted.

All good fun the fencing game- so many people have different techniques.

 

 

I don't mind mate there's plenty of people out there that have there own way, I just try to take the best info from the best as said previously though the struts were high as it meets the precious fencing, so the customer wanted it to match visually as was not that bothered by the structural side of it as she plans on selling the property so just wanted it all to look right,

[doobin]

^ Fair enough. I hate jobs like that. I'm such a bloody perfectionist, that's why I never make any money

[spikeymikey]

I again would have the struts lower about half way down the strainer at least, but I would never cut a notch like that with a chainsaw now. Chisel a hole out and cut the strut to fit, that way a bullock cant rub against it and knock it out. I also would never strut against the next post, if im not using box strainers which I normally do I will dig the strut in a good foot or so and scoop a bit of a half moon out the end with the saw so it cant slip and then drive the fattest 6ft round post I can find all the way in with the knocker (at least 4ft) at the same angle as the botton of the strut if that makes sense. I would then wire it in a figure of 8 or use a g-pac and pull back round the bottom of the strainer, gripping the strut at the same time. You can actually get the strainer to pull backwards like this if it is soft. This works well for me if digging is easy going but if its a ballache I will use box strainers as its easier and quicker to drive in another strainer and not much more expensive. I have had problems with gripples but compared to how many I use it is minimal and I find they work well, if you use them on box strainers though, make sure you use jumbos or large ones with a g pack.

[doobin]

Chisel a hole out and cut the strut to fit, that way a bullock cant rub against it and knock it out. I also would never strut against the next post, if im not using box strainers which I normally do I will dig the strut in a good foot or so and scoop a bit of a half moon out the end with the saw so it cant slip and then drive the fattest 6ft round post I can find all the way in with the knocker (at least 4ft) at the same angle as the botton of the strut if that makes sense.

 

 

I used to do the same. Then a Kiwi fencer pointed out that, as aesthetically pleasing as the above is, it takes much longer and more importantly rots much quicker

 

The strut won't move if you notch the post and nail it. And a half round lengthways in the ground means you just turn it until the flat face is at the right angle for the strut, no messing about. Much more surface area resisting the push of the strut also.

[Matthew Storrs]

I quite often do what I call a half box strainer- knock strainer in then about 6 foot away I knock a stake in leaving 2ft out of the ground, then mortise the strut into the strainer braced against the top of the 2ft stake then do the retaining wire back to the base of the strainer, I nearly always use telegraph poles and sweet chestnut so I don't worry about stuff rotting too much. I know a nailed strut does the job but I do like the look of a neatly mortised strut so I do that. Also I have a big chisel which is 50mm wide and designed to be hit with a lump hammer (similar to a bolster but for wood) so it doesn't take long to notch out the mortise.

[pycoed]

Back to the OP:

 

I use two 3 ft lengths of 6mmx50mm angle iron. Drill two holes through the apex of one angle and weld 2 10mm bolts so that the heads are inside the vee of the angle & the shank sticks out of the apex. Drill matching holes in the second length and nest the angles like this -<<

Now weld a short length of rebar to to each 10mm nut and you have your clamp setup. Bend a couple of loops up from rebar and weld to one angle where you think will suit. The stockfence is securely clamped between the two angle irons with only moderately tightened nuts.

 

Whole thing can be made from scrap in less than an hour - it's worth it's weight in gold!!

[Woodworks]

I have a fair few but not thousands of metres of stock fencing to do for a gamekeeper, anyone recommend a set of clamps for someone on a budget and not in a rush?

 

Have used the red ones with the ally clamps but they are a fair investment and can't remember the make

 

Thanks

 

You could make your own for next to nothing. I made these some years back for some fencing on the farm. Two sold bits of wood bolted together with netting in the middle. Then tighten with a couple of winches like these 2 TON HAND CABLE WINCH BOAT CAR OR CARAVAN HOIST | eBay Then connect the wire with Gripples and their tool for a really nice tight netting

[countrryboy]

But how long does it take to tighten all thoose bolts on the clamps?

Most metal 1's it's 2 or 3 bolts and usually with a captive nut welded 1 side and a bar welded on the other so u don't need any spanners

 

If u fixed 3 pieces of re-bar to them (2 on 1 side 1 in middle of other)might get away with fewer bolts

 

Far better to buy a proper set of pullers than those things, there absolutely useless for anything other than occasional use

[doobin]

I quite often do what I call a half box strainer- knock strainer in then about 6 foot away I knock a stake in leaving 2ft out of the ground, then mortise the strut into the strainer braced against the top of the 2ft stake then do the retaining wire back to the base of the strainer, I nearly always use telegraph poles and sweet chestnut so I don't worry about stuff rotting too much. I know a nailed strut does the job but I do like the look of a neatly mortised strut so I do that. Also I have a big chisel which is 50mm wide and designed to be hit with a lump hammer (similar to a bolster but for wood) so it doesn't take long to notch out the mortise.

 

Top tip- match your chisel to a wood bit (idealy Forstner bit) of the same size. For example, if I am asked to do morticed struts then I drill a row of 3 holes 30mm in diameter then use a SHARP 30mm chisel to take away the tiny bit that's left between them and at the edges. Match this to a jig (I found a metal rule was 30mm wide and therefore ideal) and you can mark the ends of struts quickly for cutting also.

[doobin]

Back to the OP:

 

I use two 3 ft lengths of 6mmx50mm angle iron. Drill two holes through the apex of one angle and weld 2 10mm bolts so that the heads are inside the vee of the angle & the shank sticks out of the apex. Drill matching holes in the second length and nest the angles like this -<<

Now weld a short length of rebar to to each 10mm nut and you have your clamp setup. Bend a couple of loops up from rebar and weld to one angle where you think will suit. The stockfence is securely clamped between the two angle irons with only moderately tightened nuts.

 

Whole thing can be made from scrap in less than an hour - it's worth it's weight in gold!!

 

I think nesting the angles like this - << - is a lot harsher on the wire than using scaffold pole and an angle like this - <o

 

I'd say that would might make the wire liable to snap. I've never had an angle and scaffold setup slip.