December, 1909 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
471 
Concrete Ornaments for the Garden and How to Make Them 
Wee CONCREME RENCE 
By Ralph C. Davison 
ONCRETE fences are becoming more 
in favor every year, for the reason that 
they always look substantial and neat, and 
at the same time require practically no 
expense for maintenance. The accompany- 
ing illustrations are suggestive of what is 
and can be done in concrete fence work. 
The first thing to do in building a fence is to prepare a 
good foundation or base for it to rest on. Care should 
always be taken to see that the base is placed deep enough 
in the ground to obviate all trouble which may arise from 
frost or the heaving of the ground in the spring of the year. 
The depth of the foundation depends largely upon locality 
and the nature of the soil, but usually a depth of from 18 
inches to 3 feet from the surface of the ground is sufficient 
to overcome any trouble from frost. 
To prepare the foundation, a trench should first be dug, 
Fig. 1—Concrete foundation 
as shown in Fig. 1. This should be about 14 inches wide. 
The depth depends, as stated above, upon the locality and 
nature of the soil. The bottom of the trench should be well 
tamped down, so as to make a good solid bottom on which 
to deposit the concrete which should be composed of 1 part 
Portland cement, 3 parts of sand, and 5 parts of broken 
stone or gravel. This mixture should be placed while fairly 
wet, and should be well tamped down and leveled off. The 
foundation, after having set or hardened for from one to 
three days, will be ready to re- 
ceive the fence-posts and rails 
or panels which may be of va- 
rious designs. 
The fence-posts are usually 
made in wooden molds, and set 
up and cemented in place on 
the foundation after they are 
finished. The posts and post- 
caps are cast separately, as 
shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A de- 
tail of the post-mold is shown 
in Fig. 2. It consists, as shown, 
of a square box built up of 
¥%4-inch to 1-inch boards braced 
by 2-inch by 4-inch studding. 
These posts can be made of 
any desired dimensions. As a 
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Fig. 2—Wood mold for posts 
Fig. 4—Latticed panel design 
rule, a good size is about 12 inches square by from 3 feet 
to 4 feet high. A mixture composed of 1 part Portland 
cement, 2 parts of sand, and 4 parts of broken stone or 
gravel should be used for making the posts. 
The post-mold should be placed on end, as shown in 
Fig. 2, and the concrete should be deposited while in a 
pasty state. It should be well tamped down, and by work- 
ing the heavy stone away from the sides of the mold, while 
depositing, by means of a wooden paddle or pitchfork, thus 
allowing the finer particles of cement and sand to come to 
the face of the mold a smooth surface will be obtained on 
the cast. It would be well to shellac and grease the mold 
before depositing the concrete. Be sure to get the top and 
bottom of the mold square with the sides, for if this is not 
done, more or less trouble will be had in truing the posts 
up when placing them in position on the base or foundation. 
The caps, as stated above, are cast separately from the 
Top of post showing locution of 
grooves in sides of post to receive 
ends of panels 
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Fig. 3—Mold for post cap 
posts. A simple form or mold for the post-caps can be 
made as shown in Fig. 3. This is composed of a wooden 
box made to the desired dimensions of the finished cap. The 
bottom or curved portion of the cap, shown at d, can be 
produced by securing to the inside bottom edges of the mold 
strips of wood molding of any desired shape neatly mitered 
at the corners as shown. ‘This molding comes in standard 
sizes and shapes, and can be procured in long strips at almost 
any carpenter’s shop. Shellac and oil the inside of this 
mold well before placing the 
concrete, for if one neglects to 
do this, trouble will be had in 
stripping the mold from the 
cast. When stripping or re- 
moving the mold from the cast, 
remove all four sides first be- 
fore attempting to remove the 
bottom. It will be noted that 
the molding is secured to the 
bottom of the mold only, the 
four sides merely resting snugly 
against it when the mold is as- 
sembled. Care should also be 
taken to level off and trowel 
smoothly the top of the cap 
after the concrete is placed in 
the mold. Use the same mix- 
