Fence construction system for sloping terrain

A fence construction system for simple and rapid construction of a wooden fence on level or sloping terrain. The system includes an adjustable lower metal bracket for fastening the lower rail and kickboard to the fence posts and an upper bracket for fastening the upper rail to the fence posts. The upper and lower brackets may be adjusted at the construction site without special tools to accommodate sloping terrain with a ground angle up to 45.degree. from the horizontal. Also disclosed is a fence post cap which may be used in place of the upper bracket to fasten the upper rail to the top of the fence posts. With the system, a durable traditional style good neighbor fence may be rapidly assembled on varying terrain.

This invention relates to a system for simple and rapid construction of a 
fence on sloping terrain, including a system of angled metal brackets that 
can be adjusted for changes in the slope of the ground. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Decorative or traditional style wooden fences are often used in landscaping 
for visual appeal, to mark boundaries, or for privacy and security. As the 
material and labor costs of housing construction have risen in recent 
years so, too, has the cost of constructing a fence. This is especially 
true for traditional wooden fences such as the "good neighbor" fence 
because of the large amount of skilled labor involved in the traditional 
construction. It is desirable therefore to devise a method for rapid and 
economical assembly of a wooden fence with a minimum of skilled labor 
while maintaining the sturdiness of the construction as well as the 
traditional visual appeal. 
A good neighbor fence, the type to which this invention is directed, is a 
traditional style of solid board fence which is constructed to look the 
same from both sides. That is, there is no "good" or "bad" side. Both 
sides of the fence are equally attractive. Assembly brackets have been 
suggested for post-and-rail fences, metal fences, and chain link fences, 
but as far as the inventor knows this is the first approach that has been 
suggested to make the construction of solid board fences and especially 
good neighbor fences more efficient and economical. 
The inventor's copending patent application for a Fence Construction System 
discloses a system of metal brackets for rapid and sturdy construction of 
a solid board fence of the good neighbor type. The system as disclosed is 
suitable for construction of a fence on level ground or ground with a 
slight slope up to about 5.degree. from the horizontal. The present 
invention extends the usefulness of the fence construction system for 
constructing fences on more steeply sloping terrain by providing angled 
brackets that are adjustable in angle and in depth to accommodate the 
varying changes in slope. 
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,989,226 to Burgess, 4,114,861 to Long, and 4,280,686 to 
Wack all disclose metal brackets for the assembly of wooden post-and-rail 
fences. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,688,769 and 4,792,122 to Smrt and 4,899,991 to 
Brunkan disclose metal brackets for assembling a combined wooden and metal 
fence. U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,860 to Parisien discloses a fence system 
including brackets for assembling a chain link fence which may in the 
alternative include fence boards or panels. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,951,925 and 
4,986,513 to Schultz et al. and 4,923,176 to Heinz disclose connectors for 
assembling metal fences that can be angled to accommodate changes in the 
direction or the slope of the fence. None of the foregoing patents 
disclose, nor are applicable to, an improved method for constructing a 
traditional solid board fence or a wooden good neighbor fence on sloping 
terrain. 
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
In keeping with the foregoing discussions, one major objective of the 
present invention is to provide a means for rapid and economical 
construction of a solid board fence on sloping terrain. To this end it 
should minimize the need for time consuming assembly techniques that 
require a high degree of skill or specialized tools such as dado joints, 
mortise-and-tenon joints, or miter joints. Concurrently another major 
objective of the invention is to provide a rapid means of assembling a 
fence that enhances (or at the very least, does not diminish) the 
structural strength and the visual appeal of the finished fence. 
Secondary to these objectives, it is also an objective to provide a simple 
and convenient means to hold the fence together temporarily until the 
final attachment means such as nails or screws are driven in.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, which shows a segment of a good neighbor fence 
assembled with the fence construction system, we can see why there is a 
need for special brackets for constructing fences on sloping ground. 
Section of the fence on the left is constructed on level ground, the upper 
bracket 1 and lower bracket 2 join the upper rail 3 and the lower rail 4 
and kick board 5 to the fence post 6 at right angles. The righthand 
section is built on sloping ground so that the fence must be constructed 
at an angle .theta. with the horizontal. It can easily be seen that the 
upper bracket 1 and lower bracket 30 must be angled to accommodate for the 
fact that the upper rail 3 and the lower rail 4 and kick board 5 meet the 
fence post 6 at an angle .theta.. It is less obvious, however, that the 
depth of the lower bracket 30 must also change to accommodate the change 
in effective width, W', of the kickboard 5 when it is mitered at the angle 
.theta.. The effective width, W' is also equal to the measured length 
along the miter cut. When a kickboard of width W is miter cut at an angle 
.theta., the effective width of the kickboard W' which the lower bracket 
must fit becomes W/cosine.theta.. This poses no problem for small angles 
from 0.degree. to about 5.degree., because the difference between W and W' 
is so small that special brackets might not be needed. However, as the 
angle .theta. increases, W' becomes significantly larger than W so that 
the bracket will have to be made larger to hold the kickboard. Column A of 
Table 1 below shows how W' changes with the change in angle .theta.. 
Column B shows W' for a kickboard made from a standard one-by-eight board 
which measures 71/2 inches by 162 inch. Rather than making a different 
size bracket for every possible angle .theta., it is preferable to have 
one bracket that may be adjusted at the construction site to accommodate 
the change in angle and the change in depth needed for varying slope 
terrain. 
TABLE 1 
______________________________________ 
Column B 
Ground Angle 
Column A W' for a 
.theta. W' = W/cosine.theta. 
one-by-eight kickboard 
______________________________________ 
0.degree. 
W 7.50 inches 
5.degree. 
1.004 W 7.52 inches 
10.degree. 
1.02 W 7.62 inches 
15.degree. 
1.04 W 7.76 inches 
20.degree. 
1.06 W 8.09 inches 
25.degree. 
1.10 W 8.28 inches 
30.degree. 
1.15 W 8.66 inches 
35.degree. 
1.22 W 9.16 inches 
40.degree. 
1.31 W 9.79 inches 
45.degree. 
1.41 W 10.61 inches 
______________________________________ 
FIG. 1 shows how the present invention may be used to construct a good 
neighbor fence on level ground or on a slope. In the lefthand section, the 
upper bracket 1 and lower bracket 2 are used to join the upper rail 3 and 
the lower rail 4 and kickboard 5 to the fence posts 6 at a right angle. In 
the righthand section, the angle of the upper bracket 1 and the angle and 
depth of the lower bracket 30 have been adjusted so that the miter cut 
upper rail 3 and the lower rail 4 and kickboard 5 join the fence post at 
an angle .theta.. 
Compare this to FIG. 2 which shows a segment of a good neighbor fence built 
in accordance with the prior art. This figure shows a fence built using 
traditional assembly methods. For structural strength the rails 3 and 4 
are attached to the vertical posts by dado joints 9. Even on level ground 
as in the lefthand section, this is a complex, labor-intensive assembly 
process requiring special tools and a high degree of skill. When the dado 
joints must be angled because of sloping ground, as in the righthand 
section, the process becomes infinitely more complicated. The usual 
approach to save time and avoid this complication, is to replace the dado 
joints with butt joints and toe nail the ends of the rails to the vertical 
posts. Though this saves some time and money, it greatly compromises the 
structural strength of the fence because the butt joints are much weaker 
than dado joints. This is especially undersirable because a solid wood 
fence presents a lot of resistance to the wind compared to other styles of 
fences and therefore must have a lot of structural strength to stand up to 
the force of the wind. 
The present invention addresses this problem directly. The system of metal 
brackets 1, 2, 30 in FIG. 1, provides a rapid and sturdy method for 
attaching the upper and lower rails 3 and 4 and the kickboard 5 to the 
vertical posts 6 without the need for costly or time consuming assembly 
methods. The level portion of a fence can be assembled quickly from precut 
or standard size lumber without much cutting and fitting on site, while 
the sloping portions of the fence can be made with lumber which is roughly 
miter cut to match the slope of the terrain. 
The adjustable lower bracket, shown in FIG. 3, is made from two pieces of 
sheet metal. FIGS. 4 and 5 shows the parts of the adjustable lower bracket 
30 as they are cut or punched from the flat metal sheet. The body 31 of 
the bracket which holds the kickboard 5 is formed from the part in FIG. 5, 
and the lower rail channel 32 which holds the lower rail 4 are formed form 
the part in FIG. 5. FIG. 3 shows how the two parts slide together after 
they are formed to complete the adjustable lower bracket 30. From the 
sheet metal pattern in FIG. 4, the body 31 of the lower bracket 30 is 
formed by bending the flanges 33 downward at a right angle along lines K, 
then bending the sides 34 180.degree. inward along lines L, leaving a 
space 35 between the back 36 and the sides 34 wide enough for one 
thickness of sheet metal. The straps 37 are bent upward at a right angle 
along lines M, then the bottom seat 38 is bent upward along line N to an 
angle that matches the slope of the terrain. From the sheet metal pattern 
in FIG. 5, the lower rail channel 32 is formed by first bending the top 
saddle flanges 39 upward at right angles along lines P, then bending the 
the top flanges 40 downward at a right angle along lines Q, then bending 
the top seat 41 upward from the slider 42 along the line R at an angle 
that matches the slope of the terrain. The slider 42 is then inserted into 
the space 35 between the back 36 and the sides 34 of the body 31 to 
complete the adjustable bottom bracket 30. The sliding action between the 
body 34 and the lower rail channel 32 allows for adjustment of the height 
from the bottom seat 38 to the top seat 41 to accommodate the change in 
effective width W' of the kickboard 5 at different slopes to plus or minus 
45.degree.. 
A second embodiment of the adjustable lower bracket 30 is shown in FIG. 6. 
Analogous parts of the second embodiment are labelled with the same 
numbers as in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 shows the sheet metal pattern to make the 
lower rail channel 32 of the bracket 30, and FIG. 7 shows the sheet metal 
pattern to make the body 31 of the bracket 30. The lower rail channel 32 
of FIG. 8 may also be used with the body 31 of FIG. 4 to form an 
adjustable lower bracket 30. 
In the finished lower bracket 30, the bottom seat 38, straps 37, flanges 
and top saddle 39 work together to create a channel to hold the kickboard 
5 which is adjustable in angle and depth. The upper part 32 of the lower 
bracket 30 including the top seat 41 and the top flanges 40 form the 
shallow U-shaped lower rail support channel 44 which is adjustable in 
angle. 
Holes 45 are provided in the back 36 and the top flanges 40 for attachment 
of the lower bracket 30 to the vertical fence post 6, as with nails or 
screws. In addition, holes 46 are provided in the straps 37 and flanges 33 
for attachment to the kickboard 5 and in the top flanges 40 for attachment 
to the lower rail 4 and the nail board 8. It should be noted that it is 
preferable on all of the brackets to stagger the placement of the holes so 
that the nails or screws do not intersect when they enter from adjacent or 
opposite sides of the wood. It is also important to avoid placing too many 
holes in any line parallel to the grain of the wood as this would 
encourage splitting of the wood when the nails of screws are driven in. 
The upper bracket 1, shown in FIG. 9, is made from a single piece of sheet 
metal. FIG. 10 shows the upper bracket 1 as it is cut or punched from the 
flat metal sheet, while FIG. 9 shows the completed upper bracket 1. To 
form the upper bracket 1 the bottom flange 10 is folded downward at a 
right angle along the lines marked A in FIG. 3. Then, the upper reversible 
flanges 15 are bent upward at a right angle along lines C. The bracket is 
completed by bending the side flanges 14 upward at a right angle along 
lines B. The seats 12 together with the side flanges 14 form a shallow 
U-shaped upper rail support channel 16. There is a space 13 between the 
two seats 12 to accept the thickness of a fence board 7 so there will be 
no gaps in the fence. Holes 11 are provided in the bottom flange 10 and 
the upper reversible flanges 15 for attaching the bracket to the vertical 
fence post 6 as with nails or screws, and in the side flanges 14 for 
attachment to the upper rail 3. 
For use on sloping terrain, it is preferable that the upper reversible 
flanges 15 may be left straight or straightened in the field as shown by 
phantom lines 15b for attaching to the sides of the fence post 6 rather 
than to the face. It should also be noted that the angle between the 
bottom flange 10 and the seats 12 may be adjusted in the field without 
special tools if angulation of the top rail 3 is necessary due to varying 
terrain along the fence line. Because of this feature, small changes in 
angle can be accommodated without the need to miter the upper rail and 
larger changes of angle can be accommodated by rough mitering without any 
sacrifice in the strength or aesthetics of the fence. Exact mitering would 
be necessary in the traditional construction to accommodate any change in 
angle at all. 
FIG. 11 shows a right angle lower bracket that may be used with the fence 
construction system for sections of fence built on level ground. The right 
angle lower bracket 2 is also made from a single piece of sheet metal. 
FIG. 12 shows the lower bracket 2 as it is cut or punched from the flat 
metal sheet and FIG. 11 shows the completed lower bracket 2. To form the 
lower bracket 2, the bottom side flanges 20 and the intermediate flanges 
22 are folded downward at a right angle along lines F and H, respectively, 
and the lower reversible flanges 24 are bent upward at a right angle along 
lines J. Then the top side flanges 23 are bent upward at a right angle 
along lines I and top seats 21 are bent downward along lines G. The 
bracket is completed by bending the ears 19 upward at a right angle from 
the bottom seat 18 along lines E. 
The finished lower bracket 2 assumes a T shape overall. The lower portion 
of the T formed by the bottom seat 18 along with the ears 19 form the 
U-shaped kickboard support channel 17. The upper part of the T formed by 
the top seats 21 along with the top side flanges 23 form the shallow 
U-shaped lower rail support channel 25. Holes 11 are provided in the 
bottom side flanges 20, the intermediate flanges 22, and the lower 
reversible flanges 24 for attachment of the lower bracket 1 to the 
vertical fence post 6, as with nails or screws. In addition, holes 11 are 
provided in the ears 19 for attachment to the kickboard 5 and in the top 
side flanges 23 for attachment to the lower rail 4 and the nail board 8. 
As with the upper bracket 1, the top reversible flanges 24 of the lower 
bracket 2 may be left straight in the field as shown by the phantom lines 
24b for attachment to the sides of the fence post 6 if desired. 
FIG. 13 shows a fence post cap 80 that may be used with the fence 
construction system. The cap 89 may be used as a decorative addition to 
the fence construction shown in FIG. 1, or it may be used structurally as 
a substitute for the upper bracket 1 in certain other fence constructions 
where the upper rail 3 is joined to the top of the fence post 6 rather 
than the side. 
The preferred embodiments each of the upper and lower brackets are made 
from sheet metal, preferably 18 gauge galvanized sheet steel chosen for 
its strength and weatherability. However, other thicknesses or materials, 
such as aluminum, brass, stainless steel, or wrought iron, may be chosen 
for their availability, visual appeal, or other properties. Other 
coatings, such as paint, anodizing, or plastic coating, may be used in 
addition to or in place of the galvanization to provide weatherability or 
visual appeal. Other changes may be made in the form of the brackets to 
enhance their visual appeal. For instance, the brackets may be formed with 
scalloped or scroll-shaped edges, or with a textured surface so that their 
presence enhances the visual appeal of the traditional fence rather than 
detracting from it. It may be made skewed at any angle to conform to the 
perimeter angle of the fence. 
In addition to the features listed above, each embodiment of the upper and 
lower brackets may include one or more quick attachment means for 
temporarily holding the fence together until the final attachment means 
such as nails or screws are driven in. This feature is very convenient for 
holding the fence components in place during assembly, especially if the 
job is being done single-handedly. 
The upper bracket 1 in FIG. 9 may include a number of tab locks 26 
extending from the side flanges 14 that may be bent down with a hammer to 
hold the top rail 3 in place. In addition, the upper bracket 1 may also 
include a number of speed prongs 27 formed integrally with the bottom 
flange 10 or the reversible flanges 15. These speed prongs 27 are made by 
cutting or punching an elongated vertical U-shaped slot to make a strip 
that is still attached at the lower end. The strip is then bent upward at 
an acute angle from the flange and the end portion is bent downward at a 
right angle and the end is sharpened. Once the upper bracket 1 is in the 
correct position the speed prongs 27 may be driven like nails into the 
fence post 6 to hold the upper bracket 1 in place. 
Analogously, any of the lower bracket constructions in FIGS. 3, 6 or 11 may 
include a number of tab locks 28, 43 extending from the top flanges 23, 40 
to hold the lower rail 4 and the nail board 8 in place. As well, any of 
the lower bracket constructions may include a number of speed prongs 29, 
as shown in FIG. 11, formed integrally with the lower bracket that may be 
driven like nails into the fence post 6 to hold the lower bracket 2 or 30 
in place. 
ERECTING A GOOD NEIGHBOR FENCE USING THE FENCE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM FOR 
SLOPING TERRAIN 
Please refer to FIG. 1 for an understanding of this fence assembly 
procedure. First, wooden fence posts 6 are erected at preselected 
intervals along the fence line. The bodies 31 of the adjustable lower 
brackets 30 are affixed at the appropriate height on the opposing faces of 
each fence post 6. The kickboard 5 is miter cut to the correct angle by 
measurement or by aligning the board with the fence posts and tracing the 
line to be cut. The top seat 41 of the lower bracket 30 is then raised 
until there is enough clearance for the mitered kickboard 5. The kickboard 
5 is then inserted into the bracket 30 and the bottom seat 38 is bent to 
the correct angle and the straps 37 fastened to the kickboard 5. The top 
seat 41 is then bent to the correct angle and the lower rail channel 32 is 
lowered until the top saddle 39 rests on the kickboard 5 holding it in 
place. The top flanges 40 are nailed or screwed to the fence post, then 
the L-shaped lower rail 4 is mitered and inserted into the lower rail 
support channel 44 and fastened. The lower flanges 10 of the upper 
brackets 1 are affixed to the fence posts 6 at the correct height. The 
upper rail 3 which is shaped like an inverted U is placed into the upper 
rail support channel 16, the seat 12 is bent to the correct angle, the 
flanges 15 are fastened to the fence posts, then the upper rail 3 is 
fastened in place. One by one miter cut fence boards 7, which may be plain 
boards, ships lap boards, or tongue-and-groove boards, are placed between 
the upper rail 3 and lower rail 4 until the fence is solidly filled. Then 
the fence is completed by dropping the nail board 8 into the lower rail 
support channel 44 and fastening it to lock the fence boards 7 in place. 
Variations of the procedure outlined above may be used to construct 
alternate styles of fences using the fence construction system. Examples 
of these are shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16. FIG. 14 shows a stepped fence 
built on sloping ground. The slanting lower rail 4 and kickboard 5 are 
held in place by the adjustable lower brackets 30. The uphill ends of the 
horizontal upper rails 3 are fastened to the fence posts 6 at right angles 
using the upper brackets 1. On the downhill ends of the upper rails 3, 
they are fastened to the top of the fence posts 6 using the fence post 
caps 80. FIG. 15 shows a construction for a sloping fence that uses no 
upper brackets 1. The slanting upper rails 3 are instead fastened to the 
top of the fence posts 6 using the fence post caps 80. FIG. 16 shows a 
construction for a fence on level ground that also uses no upper brackets 
1. In the two segments of the fence on the left, the lower rail 4 and 
kickboard 5 are held in place by the adjustable lower brackets 30, while 
in the segment on the right, they are held by right angle lower brackets 
2. This is to show the interchangeability of these two styles of brackets 
for construction on level ground. The upper rails of this construction are 
fastened to the top of the fence posts using fence post caps. 
The foregoing description should not be construed as limiting the scope of 
the invention but merely as illustrative of the presently preferred 
embodiments. Many variations or other uses for the invention, such as the 
building of railings, decks, or other types of construction, may be made 
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus the 
scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and not 
limited by the examples given.