Split rail is the oldest fence design still being built, and around Lake Livingston it is as common on new lake houses as on old homesteads. Rough cedar rails slide into mortised posts with no nails, no concrete showing, nothing to paint. It is the fence for a property that wants to look like it has always been there.
Reasons to choose split rail
- It keeps the view. Two or three rails and a lot of open air, which is why it is on so many lake lots and driveways.
- Almost no upkeep. Cedar weathers gray and keeps going; there is nothing to stain unless you want to.
- It fits the land. Rails step and flex with a slope and run around trees without fuss.
- It takes wire. Welded or woven wire behind the rails turns a decorative fence into a dog or goat fence while the rails still show from the road.
- It is repairable. A broken rail slides out and a new one slides in.
- It reads as country on a ranch entrance, an RV park, a storage facility or a lake house.
What it will not do
Give privacy, stop a determined animal without wire, or hold cattle on its own. It marks and frames; the wire does the holding. For a pasture fence, see farm and ranch fence; for a formal look, cross buck.
Best construction practices
- Lay out to the rail length. Posts are spaced to the rails, typically eight to eleven feet, so every bay uses full rails and the fence looks even.
- Set posts in concrete below the soft soil, with ends, corners and gate posts deeper. Split rail posts are held by their mortises and their footing, and a post that moves loosens every rail in it.
- Keep the runs level or cleanly stepped. On a slope, each bay steps so the rails read as a line; the mortises allow some rack but not much.
- Rails tapered end to end through the mortises, two or three high, with the top rail at a consistent height.
- Wire inside, stapled to posts and rails, stretched on braced ends where the run is long, if the fence has to hold animals.
- Gates built to match: a split rail walk gate, or a tube or wood drive gate on heavy posts at the driveway.
- Keep brush off the line so the rails dry after rain.
Finish
Leave it to silver, which most owners do, or seal it clear every few years to keep the warm tone. Never paint split rail. See cedar split rail fence for where we build it and the photos.
Frequently asked questions
Why cedar and not treated pine for split rail?
Split rail is rough-split, not sawn, and cedar is the wood that splits well, resists rot in its raw state and weathers to an even gray. Treated pine rails are sawn and look like a different fence.
Will the rails loosen?
Rails sit in mortised posts and are held by their own taper and weight. On a properly spaced line they stay put. A rail that works loose usually means a post that has moved.
Can I add wire later?
Yes. Welded or woven wire staples to the back of the posts and rails at any time, which is how many decorative split rail fences become dog fences a year after they are built.