# Cemetery Fence Questions...



## Adcurium (Sep 25, 2005)

While I should be putting in the rest of my REAL fence posts for my 7 ft panel fence in the backyard (which was delivered last week and MUST be up by our Halloween Party on the 29th!), the rain is keeping me inside. Damn RI weather! Something about concrete not drying in the pouring rain... So I went to Lowes and bought my Furring (sp?) and 1/2 inch PVC to start the prop cemetery fence in the basement (which, after 8 days of constant rain, isn't as dry as it should be). I need to go back to Lowes before I can begin b/c I don't have the correct spade drill bit and realized that I need two more sections of PVC. But my question is this: Should I make each post the same length? I know it is a matter of personal artistic taste but 1) this is my first real prop (I made some rockin' tombstones, but they don't really count) 2) I am not very good when it comes to my carpentry skills, 3) once the rain ends sometime tomorrow or Monday (or Tues or Wed), I need to be out in the yard digging fence posts and 4) b/c of #s 1 2 and 3, I want to do this once and only once, so it is important that it likes good the first time.

Any suggestions? (That is, other than to just quit my complaining, grow a set and build the damn fence?)


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## Vlad (Aug 2, 2005)

Hi Ad. You can check here for some fence ideas. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.hauntproject.com/projdetail.asp?category=Fences

Here's what we made. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=39440033506&photoid=91632033506
I'm not too happy with ours, but we're using it again for this year. I'd suggest cutting the holes for the PVC, then take the pipe pieces all cut to the same height, and slide them up and down and decide what you like, then make the final cuts. It really is a matter of to each their own. Good luck with it and take some pics for us if you can. Vlad


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## Zombie-F (Apr 12, 2004)

It's a matter of taste and how much money you have to spend. If you use all the same lengths of say 40" each, you can get four pieces out of one PVC pipe. Once you start getting into differing lengths, you find yourself with more leftover scrap pieces and thus the need to buy another length or two of pipe to get all the pieces you need to finish up.


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## Vlad (Aug 2, 2005)

I took some of the shorter pieces and made fence sections about knee high to help keep people from wandering into areas they shouldn't be in. It really keeps the look of the haunt going throughout the yard. smaller pieces can also be the start of another PVC creature. No such thing as waste in haunting, lol.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Bumping this thread, because...I'm building a fence, and need advice..what size/type of drill bit you guys use for 1/2" PVC fences? Bear in mind, I only have a hand drill, so any advice along those lines would be great. I tried a spade bit, but it really chews up the pine, and gets dull fast. Any alternatives?


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Hi Doc,
For 1/2 pvc the outer diameter should be 5/8. this will change depending on if you have schedual 30 or 40 pipe. Frankly it would be best to take a sample of the pipe with you to the store and use it as a guide for the size of bit you need. A good irwin speed bore bit or also know as a spade bite should go through pine all day with only a minor amount of splintering. You will be painting this and it will be dark so any minor imprefection should go unoticed.


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## mrklaw (Nov 11, 2005)

I followed these instructions http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/smessin983/Halloween/Fence.html

My observations:
for schedule 40 pipe, you will need a 7/8' drill bit.
if you aren't careful, the drill bit can really chew up the wood. I used a handheld drill and sometimes it would catch and skip or split the furring strip slightly.
I used a nail gun to drive a nail through the furring strip and into the pvc to hold it still. I used a 5" long piece of thin walled 3/4" pvc to slip over the 1/2" pvc to keep the distance even when I drove a nail into the furring strip.
I also used a 1" nail from the nail gun to keep each skull whistle in the pipe. If the nail was too close to the end, the pipe would split and if it was too far from the end, it wouldn't hit the whistle. Screws probably would have been better but it would have taken forever.


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## ScareFX (Aug 18, 2004)

Dr Morbius,

If you can borrow a drill press, it will make things easier for you. I tried using a hand drill and it was very hard to get the holes straight. 

I wanted a very tight fit so I would not have to use screws to hold the pipe in place. For 1/2" schedule 40 PVC, a 13/16" bit is a little too small and a 7/8" bit is a little too large. So I took the 7/8" bit and used a grinder to narrow it down just a hair. It worked great and with a little "help" from a rubber hammer it fit together nice and tight.

I agree with Bone Dancer. An Irwin Speed Bore bit will work nicely. That's what I used.


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## krypt (Oct 25, 2005)

self feed bits are nice they are used by plumbers to cut holes in wood fast for pipe .....i think it would save your wrist from torgue hits also like if you get at a lil bit of a angle with a spade bit and it stops in wood and drill keeps going know what i mean?


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## Torgen (May 25, 2006)

I adapted Minion's plans from 6' sections to 8' sections, and hot-glued the skull whistles in the top. I used drywall screws to secure the PVC to the 1x2s. I couldn't get the scrap PVC to stay glued in the end posts, so just forced a regular 1/2" pipe onto rebar hammered into the ground.

The white skull whistles help prevent little terrors from running thruogh the dark and slamming into the fence.


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