# Forum Home Renovation Fences & Screens  best way to join timber fence rails mid way??

## wozzzzza

im having an issue where i need to place some posts at 2.7m spans meaning i have to either have a lot of rail timber wastage or i have to join the rails together.
i opt to join rails together an far less expensive. might take a little longer but far cheaper.
the fence is 1800mm high with steel posts, 100x50mm rails.
how would i go about this?

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## Bros

What you were doing that fence in March should have had it finished by now.

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## wozzzzza

yeah being held up by body corporate committees of neighboring properties. as expected. they have come through faster than i thought though. i was thinking it would have to wait until later in the year. but all approved, just overcome this problem now.

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## phild01

I did a HW paling fence with mid join rails.  Used gang nail plates and that fence held up until it was time to demolish it.  I wouldn't bother doing that agein, just plan the post spacing's.

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## wozzzzza

cant really, some posts need to be 2.7m apart, some 2.4m and cant get 5.4m rails up here 100x50 that is needed for them.

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## wozzzzza

looking at maybe getting one of these and glueing the joints when i put them together?? what ya reckon?? should be plenty strong enough surely. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Woodwork...MAAOSw8Spa~ZY6

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## phild01

Looks nice but I reckon any glue would be hopeless on a fence. Don't want to butt join with the gang plates then!?

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## cyclic

Light gauge angle 1.2mm or greater, and maybe 40 x 40 x 400 long drilled and screwed with 40 long hex screws to the rail joins.
Mind you, you don't say what you are attaching to the rails, so I assume battens.

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## Whitey66

Can't you just buy them in the right length you need? I though most timber places sell timber in multiples of 300mm ?
I personally hate wooden fence frames with a passion, they bend, split, rot, twist and require painting more often than steel framed fences and are not as strong.
Is there a reason you can't use  gal RHS? If you can't weld that would be a bit of a problem I suppose. 
The only timber I like on fences is pickets, slats etc. 
You can very easily make a steel framed fence with timber look like an all timber fence if you do it properly.
Another option if you don't want steel and can only buy in certain lengths is to find another project to use the offcuts on  :2thumbsup:

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## doovalacky

> 100x50mm rails.

  Compound/Mitre saw and take a 50x50 notch out each end. 6mm gal bolt, or predrill (to avoid splits) and a tek screw to hold in place and it will be quite strong.

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## wozzzzza

i will do this lap joint probably, with liquid nails and probably 4 screws going through it to hold it together. would that work?? 
or even how about a scarf joint with about 6 screws in it??

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## Uncle Bob

> i will do this lap joint probably, with liquid nails and probably 4 screws going through it to hold it together. would that work?? 
> or even how about a scarf joint with about 6 screws in it??

  Possibly for a year or two or the next hurricane, which ever occurs first. 
My farm learnt way of joining two pieces of tree carcass is to join like Doovalacky method above then wrap sheetmetal around the joint and extending well past the joint and nailed down with lots of clouts. That join then is even stronger than the wood before joining.

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## Marc

> Looks nice but I reckon any glue would be hopeless on a fence. Don't want to butt join with the gang plates then!?

   Absolutely. It's a fence not furniture!
Butt joint not lap joint and bolt a piece of rail either from behind or below. 2 x 10mm bolts or 4, up to you. no glue, no fancy cutters.

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## sol381

why not buy 5.4m or 6m rails.. will span over 3 posts..by joining between posts you lose quote a bit of strength in the rail..

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## phild01

> why not buy 5.4m or 6m rails.. will span over 3 posts..by joining between posts you lose quote a bit of strength in the rail..

  see post #5

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## wozzzzza

ok worked it out after calling around to find out what i can and cant get. reason i cant get 5.4m rails up here is there is not a lot of market for them and when a supplier gets them in they sit around for ages and buckle. BUT, talking to one supplier i can get a full pack of 100x50x6000 in but cant get just 22 that i wanted.
so what i have decided to do i get this pack of them, then make all the rails 5400 long and post spacing 2700 for all instead of just half this spacing and the rest 2400. this will work ok, i will have few less posts and a few less holes to dig and will be good now to go.  i hate living in rural locations.

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