Horses often chew on and sometimes kick their fences.
Just like anything made of wood and exposed to the elements, fence rails are prone to rot. Also, any animals you keep inside the fence may kick or chew on the rails, resulting in damage that might ultimately open a hole in the fence. In many instances, such damage means either partially or completely replacing the fence rail, but sometimes you can patch the rail instead. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cut out the damaged portion of the fence rail with a saw. Take off at least an extra 6 inches on either side of the damaged portion, especially if the rail is splintered or rotten.
2. Measure the gap in the fence rail. Add 12 inches to that measurement, and apply that to mark out a patching board on a leftover fence rail. Cut the patch with a saw.
3. Place the patch onto the gap in the fence rail so that the patch is level with the existing rail and overlaps it by roughly 6 inches on either end. Either have a helper hold the patch in place, or fix it into place with clamps.
4. Drill two screw holes through the patch and the rail at both ends, for a total of four holes.
5. Drive four screws into the screw holes with a screwdriver, fastening the patch to the original rail.
Tags: fence rail, damaged portion, inches either, patch rail, screw holes
