How to Make Stringers for Building a Wooden Fence
- 1). Place a carpenter's level against the sides of the adjacent posts where you plan to install stringers to determine if the posts are plumb. Measure and mark one post at the vertical levels where you plan to install the stringers. Tie one end of a string to the marked post at the stringer-level. Ask an assistant to hold the other end of the string against the adjacent post at approximately the same vertical level. Place a line level on the string. Advise your assistant to adjust the position of the string on the second post until the line is level. Mark the vertical position of the leveled string on the second post.
- 2). Measure and mark the transverse centers of the posts at the vertical levels of the stringer marks. Measure and note the distance between the marks on adjacent posts. Transfer that dimension to mark the length of the stringer on a 2- by 4-inch plank. Place the plank on the table of the chop saw with the mark aligned to the center of the saw blade. Hold the plank firmly against the guide fence and trim the plank to length.
- 3). Measure, mark and cut stringers to complete the fence section. If the adjacent posts are plumb, cut all of the stringers for that section to the same length. If the posts are not plumb, you will have to use the line level to mark the posts, then measure between the marks to determine the length of each stringer.
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