Basic List of Tools Needed for Various Fence Styles

By Texas Rural Fence, Inc. · Construction How-Tos and Fence Types

Whether you are building a fence yourself or just want to know what the crew is unloading, the tools tell you most of what the job is. Here is what each fence style takes, from a short picket fence to a stretched wire line. Rent the expensive ones; buy the cheap ones you will use again.

Every fence

• Tape measure, string line and stakes, a four-foot level and a post level.
• Post hole digger and a digging bar for roots and rock; an auger for anything more than a dozen holes.
• Wheelbarrow or mixer for concrete, a hose and a shovel.
• Circular saw, drill driver and a reciprocating saw for the odd cut.
• Gloves, eye protection, and a first-aid kit. Fence work cuts people.

Wood privacy, picket and horizontal fence

• Framing nailer with galvanized ring-shank nails, or a drill and coated screws for horizontal boards.
• Speed square and chalk line for level rails and trimmed tops.
• Clamps for holding rails while fastening.
• Spacer blocks for picket gaps.
• Sawhorses and a table or miter saw for a lot of cuts.

See building a three-rail privacy fence with a rot board for the method.

Chain link

• Come-along and a fence stretcher bar to pull the fabric.
• Pipe cutter or a grinder for rails and posts.
• Fence pliers and hog-ring or tie pliers.
• Socket set for tension bands, rail ends and gate hardware.

See chain link fence.

Barbed wire and field fence

• T-post driver and a T-post puller.
• Fence stretcher for barbed wire and a stretcher bar with a come-along for woven wire.
• Fence pliers, wire cutters, a crimping tool and sleeves for splices.
• Staple hammer or a long-handled hammer for wood posts.
• Brace wire, a twist stick, and a tamping bar for set posts.
• Chainsaw and loppers if the line needs clearing.

See barbed wire, field fence and building a proper H-brace.

Cattle and hog panels

• T-post driver, bolt cutters to trim panels, and panel clips or tie wire with pliers.
• A helper. Panels are two-person work.

See cattle panel fence.

Gates

• Drill with long bits for hinge bolts, wrenches for hinge pins, a level, and shims or blocks to hold the gate while hanging.
• For a wood gate, a square and a steel brace kit or stock for the diagonal.

See gates.

Worth renting

A tractor or two-person gas auger, a hydraulic post driver for a long wood-post line, a fence stretcher if you do not own one, and a trailer for the material. Worth buying: fence pliers, a good level, a post level and gloves. DIY versus professional fence installation helps decide whether to rent the tools or the crew.