Unfortunately, the T50 staples we used to fasten our fencing onto our posts have just not held up as well as we’d hoped they would. So in this video, we’ll0 test and rank the best replacements.
Table of Contents:
0:00 – Introduction
1:20 – The problem with T50 staples
4:35 – Alternatives to T50 staples
7:11 – Testing alternative fasteners
10:27 – Ranking the new fasteners
15:57 – Conclusion
18:23 – Bonus information
Related videos:
Garden Fence (Part 1): Garden Layout and Installing Natural Fence Posts without Cement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZUV5K6Xnk
Garden Fence (Part 2): Keeping out small digging animals AND rhizomatous grass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZUV5K6Xnk
Garden Fence (Part 3): Keeping out Deer and other large animals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FGInl2JFRM
The piece of wood could be held in place with construction nails instead of screws which should help with splitting. There are also far less expensive options for thin strips of wood, just need to shop around to see what is available in your area.
For our fencing to enclose out large property we used round pressure treated posts and livestock fencing. To attach the fence to the posts we used fencing staples and they have held up for 10 years with none coming away from the posts or wearing through the livestock mesh. Don’t use hardware cloth, it’s useless. The wood strips look horrible and doesn’t look all that good. Zip ties will wear from sun exposure rather quickly.
I liked the tests you did in the bonus. They were very interesting and helped me see just how good of a job each fastener would do.
Thanks.
P.S. Wasn't there supposed to be a part 4 to this series (and 3.1 doesn't count as part 4)?
Thanks for the deep dive.
Nice approach to this problem solving, and thank you for telling that those scores should maybe, and actually, be pondered in a way, giving that some factors are more important than others.
To me that would be very simple to chose: strapping all along. As the son (and also grandson and nephew) of a blacksmith, the times I saw them make anything similar to this, that was the way to go. Mind you, most of the wired fencing I saw them make was with wired mesh, so it required welding and therefore it's a completely different animal, but when it came to some kind of chicken wire that required some structure, this was the way to go.
Of course, that required (and it also was my first thought until you mentioned wood) something to strap the wire, and they would use some iron rod, usually the kind you use in construction sites. You just sandwich the chicken wire between the wooden post and the iron rod and that's it. The problem may be how to place the iron rod in place. As they would make it all out of metal, they would weld it in place (top and bottom and maybe a few tacks along the way) but this is not the way to do it here, obviously. So that would need a way to hold it in place, also top and bottom and maybe one to three points in the middle. But given that the posts might not be (and certainly not as time goes by) completely straight, that would render impossible what I think it's the main advantage of this method: holding the chicken wire from top to bottom and therefore distributing the pulling from the wind/animals more or less in an uniform mannter.
So, yes, here wooden strapping would be the way to go for me. Yes, wood is kind of expensive for this use but you might as well use reclaimed wood from pallets or whatever. It doesn't need to be a whole piece top to bottom, you may have several pieces in line. And yes, pallet wood is wider than you need (usually) and that would require you to strip them in half but… well.
Why would I choose this over any other? well, because, as I mentioned, this distributes the strengh all along the wood and all the nails/screws/whatever you may use, thus reducing the chances to having a "first one" to go and then another, and then another.
The problem I find with staples and screws is that, as wind (and animals) does its job, it creates a motion in the wire that, with time, will cause the chicken wire to break, no matter how strong the staple or screw. Distributing this all along the height of the post will make it last longer, also because it will rubbing against wood, which is softer than the metal, obviously, of both staples and screws (with or without washers).
And as for zip ties, in my experience, well, those are larger than the ones I use to tie my vineyard, but after one season, maybe after two, they still hold in there nice against wind, but I don't need too much strength in order to break them apart just by pulling the vine branch compared to a new one. Again, yours are kind of three times wider than what I use, but even if they're supposed to be UV resistant, they're still out there "in the wild", there's heat, there's cold (and you live in a place where it snows, not like me) and that will end up making that plastic brittle. Ah, and some animals may even chew on it.
So, that's my two cents on the subject, and therefore completely subjective.
Than you!
Even the so called UV resistant plastic ties will last 2 years at most.
Tie wraps cut through easy in wind, as UV makes it brittle.
I've used most of these methods. Screws has been hands down the winner. Zip ties and wires degrade until they break, neither lasting more than a year or so. Staples work, but are far more irritating to install, and … Not covered here … Screws can be easily removed to take down fencing, Staples can't. Relevant for reconfiguring, replacing damaged fencing, etc…
I also have opted to alternate screws top and bottom on the holding wire (typically welded wire or woven wire), holding it all up from climbers and down from goats/sheep trying to push it up from below.
If you have a compressor, a pneumatic stapler works really well, and is super fast. I would not use zip ties outside. The sun degrades them after a couple years, and they break.
Call it bias, but I would go with the fencing staples every time (I've always called them U-nails because that's what grandad called them). There are fences I helped put up as a kid using them that are still keeping cows where they need to be to this day. And I'm closer to 40 now than I care to admit.
As an added bonus of assembling something using a hammer, you get to say "So I finished smashing that fence together this weekend".
you look great!!!! I would love to see what your diet looks like and workout program if you have any cheers
You are really underselling the normal wire. Its being used in a lot of outdoor applications when animals are involved. Try fastening it like you did, but after 2 or 3 twists use the needle nose plier or bigger head tool (non english here… toolnames are hard) grab the wire and twist the 'knot' you just created. It will create more twists towards the fence post, creating a more tight fit. Also if you use the curve from the wire, you should be able to wrap the wire around the post really quickly.
The other used tactics look great too, but I'll stick with the wire for now. Its very cheap, readily available and in most cases I have it on hand when working on the electric fencing.
I've built several goat runs using T-post and welded wire along the way and 4×4 lumber for the door frames… One bent nail at the top and one at the bottom and then I attached 2x2s using deck screws… Holding nice in spite of the goats rubbing their backs against it! Chicken tractor has slats on the outher edges and fencing staples on inside supports… Worked fine for me…
Staples and screws will loosen and fall out in a year or 2 do to weathering on the post they also open the post up to bugs and rot each additional hole is a decay point. the 1x2s will rot pretty fast do to the holes plus rough. Sawn surface is just to open to weather so unless you are using old growth cedar they will fail probably in a year . The plastic zip ties won't last more that a year or 2 . because they are uv RESISTANT not proof.
Farmers have faced fencing has always been a ongoing maintenance issue for fence owners since fencing was invented.
The term riding fence was made up for western movies.
Personally I am curious about how black uv resistant zip ties would fair.
But for post life therefore over all fence life I'd use wire or zip ties and repair as needed .
I have used wire strips to hold a garden fence posts. The u staples are tough to put on and last best.
I will typically use the longest T-50 staples and give them a whack with a hammer to fully seat them. If I'm stapling something that I'm worried about the staple working its way through, I use little discs or squares of high mil plastic sheeting. Hold the 1×1" square in place and drive the staple through it. Whack it with a hammer and it generally lasts forever.
Learning is making mistakes.
Well, fencing and fasteners are the least of my worries. My husband is a Carpenter and has the compressor and guns and I chose a much thicker fencing. Now if I could just manage the bugs and the weeds! Good luck and as always, thank you for the wonderful videos!
why not nail a flat slat of wood over the fencing?
Staples with zip ties
Nice video.
I'm ready for part 4.0 when you are.
It's an electrified strand, isn't it? Blink twice if I'm right.
20 bucks on the lath screws
You’ve convinced me. Always go with heavier wire and the good ole hit-em-with-a-hammer fencing staples like I’ve always used successfully. LOL
Enjoyed the video. And just think, you can always do a 2.0 version with totally different types of fasteners. 🙂
I think both your fencing is to flimsy and your fasteners are not very robust.
All in all I think you should go with tried a true fence staples.
You really struggle with the scientific method dont you. You say you will try a method, then before you even test it you modify it and dont get good info. You do this all the time. I too have terrible ADHD, I recognize it. The wire didnt get tested properly did it, cause its lathe screws youre testing now not wire. Have you considered that a looser wrap in the wire may prevent wear from wind because the thin chicken wire isnt trapped and pivoting back and forth eventually snapping but allowed to move a little? Just my rant, thanks for listening.
no offense, the video was fun, but this is sort of insane. If you had 1000 times the amount of fencing all of the thought and energy you put into this would be justified. It would be sort of like if I made a 20 minute video on which brand of oatmeal I should eat for breakfast Wednesday morning. You also didn't consider that you can cut a single piece of wood strapping into enough 1×1 squares to service a very large number of screws. Essentially wood washers at that point.