Mesh netting for a long time serves as a reliable and sought-after material for the construction of fences and fences. No matter what you want to protect - a chicken coop, a transformer, a sports ground or a piece of land, such a grid will always be useful. It is not at all difficult to make a fence from a chain-link with your own hands, it is enough to have the necessary minimum of tools.
Which network should I choose?
Before building fences, you first need to choose the type of material. A mesh netting is a large canvas that consists of wire spirals woven together. Such a design makes it possible to easily combine individual fragments. The size of the cells varies from 20 to 100 millimeters. The most common type is 30-50 millimeters. The height of the roll is 1, 1.5 and 2 meters.
What are they made of?
For the manufacture of the network used wire with different diameters - from 1.2 to 5 millimeters. It is worth noting that the most popular are models with 1.5-2 millimeters in diameter. The wire may also have an additional coating:
- No coverage. It is better not to take such a network for solid fences, since its service life is relatively small, there is no possibility to qualitatively repaint it in a different color, no matter what you are told.
- Zinc coating. This is the most popular species. Such a netting will eventually become dimmer, but it will not begin to rust, serving you faithfully for several decades.
- Stainless steel. Yes, this option does not differ in cheapness, but such a network looks great and serves almost your whole life and even more.
- Polymer shell. This species appeared relatively recently. However, the network is in high demand. It is famous for its long service life and makes it possible to choose the most diverse colors at its discretion.
You can make your own fence from a chain-link and the network itself. Nowadays, many drawings of hand-held machines for weaving such a network are available. However, to create such an installation, it will be necessary to carry out several simple turning, welding and milling operations. One person is able to produce up to 10 meters of net per day if he has enough wire.
There are many options for installing a fence from the netting. One of the main and most difficult tasks is the layout of the site for work and the installation of support poles.
How to conduct training and find support?
Before starting to build a fence from a chain-link, it is necessary to determine the boundaries of the future fence as accurately as possible according to the documents for the site. First decide where the gate will be located, as well as the gate. The place for installation of the fence is cleaned of various debris and weeds. Next, hammer the poles (stakes of metal or wood) into the places where the corner posts will stand, and also mark the supports for the gate and the gate.
To determine the position of the intermediate posts, pull a strong cord from the stake to the stake and determine the distance between them. Racks should be placed in the range of 2-2.5 meters. So divide the resulting distance by 2.5 and round up.
So we determined the required number of corner posts. We get the exact distance between them when we divide the recently obtained distance by the number of posts. Positions where in the future there will be a support are also marked with stakes.
From what soil you will work on, what materials are used and what thickness of the columns, it depends on what method of installation of supports will be used. Columns made of wood do not live long, and supports made of concrete or asbestos-cement pipes cause difficulties during the fastening of the network.
The best solution for posts for netting would be metal racks. It can be a round or profile square pipe with a diameter of 60 millimeters.
Mounting methods
Metal racks can be installed using the following methods:
- drive them into the ground;
- to forget - to prepare in advance a pit where the support is placed, covered with stones or large gravel, rammed well;
- partially (if the end of the support is driven into the ground) or completely concrete in the pits that are prepared in advance.
There are a large number of methods for calculating the length and depth of the underground part of the supports. It is necessary to determine the type of soil, how groundwater passes, what is the depth of soil freezing. To install an easy fence from a chain-link with your own hands without welding, small deviations in height are insignificant. So the following rule often works: at least 40% of the column should be underground. Thus, the stand for the future fence with a height of one and a half meters should have a length of 2.1 meters.
How is this process going?
So how to install:
- Corner racks are placed, their vertical placement using the level is clearly traced.
- Pits for intermediate racks are prepared on the basis of previously made marking. To work with soil without large stones or roots, it is more convenient to use a drill.
- Once the concrete has hardened, pull the cord over the posts to control the level of the intermediate supports installed. The same cord is drawn from below to monitor the placement of pillars along one line.
- To facilitate the process of leveling the posts, the bottom of the pits is covered with fine gravel or sand. You can change the height of such a pillow by adding or removing material.
- The racks regulated on height are filled in with concrete, controlling the level. If necessary, place stands or stops.
The subsequent installation process of the fence from the netting can be performed after the concrete has finally hardened. It takes about one week. Racks are certainly primed and painted.
Instructions for the construction of fences
Before you begin to build a fence from the netting with your own hands, you need to clearly understand why this fence is generally required, what are the requirements for it regarding aesthetics and strength. On the one hand, it is necessary to have a strong fence for the place where livestock will walk, and on the other hand, an attractive fence in front of the cottage may be required. Each option has its own secrets.
The simplest type of fence
You can install the fence from the netting in the country house with your own hands simply - attach it to the supports. For such work, you should definitely call at least one assistant.
- Before starting work, roll the net on the ground a little more than one section between the supports.
- Check the height of the spirals. If necessary, unscrew the offset ones or, conversely, screw it in. In the roll itself it is impossible to see whether they are on the same level. Only after the grid is pulled, this nuance can be noticed.
- Use a pair of pliers to bend the edges of the spirals to avoid personal injury or weaving during installation.
- Gradually unwind the net further.
There are many ways to attach a network to a rack. However, it is best not to fix the network so as not to deform it, but a metal rod inserted into its link. Its diameter can be from 6 to 10 millimeters. For another similar pin, which is placed a little further, the assistant will pull the entire canvas.
No blocks, complex structures or levers are needed to complete such a task. It is worth noting that if you overdo it too much, the network can be easily deformed and stretched, which is undesirable to do.
Mounting Methods
The main fastening methods include:
- Just tie it with soft wire. This is not the most aesthetic way, but very fast.
- Use not with wire, but with special clamps.
- Put the pin on the detached hooks and bend them. You can get hooks from pieces of wire that are welded to the rack with an interval of 40-50 centimeters.
- Weld the rod (but by no means a cloth) to the pole in several positions to obtain non-separable joints.
- Sew the spiral of the net with the rod, placing it in the pre-welded parts of the pipe with a diameter of a quarter of an inch. They must be placed on the supports in the same interval as the hooks. This option is aesthetic.
Corner and end racks are constantly under load due to a stretched network, so be sure to make stops.
Extension guard
To make the combined fence with a do-it-yourself mesh net more stiff and with increased resistance to wind, as well as to prevent sagging, pull one or more next to a rope or wire, the thickness of which is from 4 to 6 millimeters.
You can install on the supports and pull such cables with various methods. The most practical way is to use tensioners or special ties.
To install a fence from the netting with your own hands using stretch marks, the distance between the supports must be increased to three meters. It is important to consider that with a stretch the load on the angular and extreme supports increases several times. It is necessary to increase their rigidity and stability.
The most successful option for fixing the network will be through its flashing along the entire length. However, this technique is distinguished by its complexity and time consuming. It is worth noting that the larger the diameter and stiffness of the cable, the more complicated the whole process.
Thus, the strings themselves are first pulled, after which the fence sections from the chain-link are installed, as described above, and after 20-30 centimeters the network is tied to a stretch using a special galvanized knitting wire.
Fortified lag method
To strengthen the main frame of the fence, lags made of profile pipes must be attached to the placed racks. The main load in the fence will be compression, so that the cross-section of the log will ensure that the entire frame does not fall during tension and with the further use of the fence. This installation technique allows you to get rid of the use of braces on the end and corner racks.
Due to the fact that most of the effort will go to the upper part of the fence, you can safely replace the lower and intermediate lags with ordinary reinforcement, wire rope or tensioned strings, as in the method described earlier. The canvas of the network must be screwed with wire.
Such a fence is a great option for the future if you decide to improve the design by attaching additional materials to it.
Practical approach
Fencing from sections, which is a framework of corners with a grid fixed inside, is considered one of the most complex. Nevertheless, it provides many important advantages:
- Such a fence has an attractive appearance, which is important in the artistic aspect.
- Each section is a rigid structural component, so you will not have questions regarding possible sagging or reducing the protective qualities of the fence.
- If necessary, you can easily remove the section and use the installed poles to erect a new fence.
- You can carry out installation with a significant slope on the site. It is generally accepted that the netting is only allowed to be pulled if the ground level rises by no more than 6 °. If such indicators are higher, the best solution would be to put a sectional fence with a uniform ledge.
How is everything going?
To install the sections, a one-piece steel corner is used, the shelf of which is from 4 to 5 centimeters.
- Using a grinder or an installation saw, cut the required number of parts of the correct dimensions.
- Lay out the frame on level ground, carefully measure the diagonals. It is necessary to cook it in opposite angles in order to avoid possible twisting.
- On the finished frame, carefully clean all the seams, apply a primer and paint it. It’s much easier to update the areas scorched after welding than to paint the whole corner!
- You need to put the web of the net through the rods that can be welded or put on hooks. It is worth noting that the first pin is fixed on the side frame, and after tensioning, on its opposite side. Then above and below.
- Do not be too zealous when pulling the net, because the section can develop. Mounting on each side, even with minimal tension, will not allow the canvas to sag.
- The distance between the supports should be calculated so that there is a gap of 4-8 centimeters between the frames and the support.
- To fix the sections, it is recommended to weld metal dies in advance.
- Mounting can be done using electric welding or with bolts.