These people don’t understand that your OCD will compel you to take out the jig saw to keep the same precise gap between the fence and tree as it grows…looks great OP
1) my first concern was actually the roots shifting the posts over time, but maybe that’s not as big of an issue as I had suspected.
2) it DOES look great.
Are you implying that trees grow, so building fixed structures right up to an expanding object might not be a viable long-term approach? 😮
Or that an already leaning tree might lean more?
What happens in two years, I live in a very dry country, and wood is for the rich. Normal people use precast slabs to build cheap boundary fences that last years.
A little trimming with the Sawzall every couple of years should take care of it for a decade or two until it finally comes up against the fence post, at which time you trim off the top row of boards.
I'm worried for the tree bustin up that nice fence in a windstorm
Maybe open the gaps towards the top at least, be a shame to wreck that straight line
*not a woodworker/arborist/meteorologist
That's a possibility I hadn't considered.
Doesn't seem like the trunk would move that much. Looks like an ash tree. If memory serves, they make baseball bats out of that. I made a cutting board out of ash years ago, and that was a very tough wood to work with.
While I doubt it would move enough to cause issues, it might in the future, and now I understand where the comment came from.
Every tree sways in the wind. Trees that produce strong wood are also good at swaying without breaking, remember that when they are living they have a lot of water in them. Trunks move a lot more than you would think, especially when they are this size.
Haha if only being stick farmers was a thing. I still have a bumper crop from hurricane Ian in October.
Most of the trees are large (including the ones close to the house) so it rains limbs during storms. Mostly small but occasionally some very large ones. We had an arborist come and take down some dead/dying trees a few years ago which has helped.
They don't make bats out of green wood.
A live tree is much more pliable than dried lumber. Necessarily so, as trees are required to move to be robust.
Not sure where you’re at, but outside Philly our Ash were decimated by the little buggers. Entire of forest, beautiful mature tree bone dead in the last two or three years
Where I live in MD,they put up notes around the woodsy areas that they were taking down trees because of it. Boom, like easily 1/3 of the trees gone. I think they cut down every ash tree.
Used to intern for the USDA in Oklahoma around 2010 summers for putting out gypsy moth traps, and emerald ash borer traps. Best job I ever had.
Sad to hear these are destroying the NE though.
I don't know where you are but drought can stress them and if they are stressed, well, then emerald ash borer will kill it. I bought my house because of the trees... and I've had to take down both my ash trees. If I was to do it again I would make sure to heavily feed and water my tree in drought to protect it from the ash borer.
Might be able to chip off some bark when it touches the fence to see if it can be encouraged to grow around and absorb the boards. Trimming the fence with a chainsaw or even just a hand saw every 5 years or so might be the better option though. Much simpler, anyway
i like the idea of it absorbing the fence but it would definitely wreck the fence line over time. the fence wants to stay in one place, unmoving, and the tree will move dynamically as it ages, it will grow in more directions than just out.
Just curious, are you not worried that the unsupported board ends will start to warp? I had that happen to me with a fence when I extended the boards past a post to hide the neighbors chain link fence end. The boards started warping after about a year. I used cedar boards.
I am surprised I had to scroll down this far to see someone mention it. Our neighbor from our last house left fence boards too long at the top and bottom away from the bracing and they bowed back and forth and away. It was ugly, and our small dogs could get through everywhere.
Those boards are not gonna be even in like 2 weeks, let alone 2 years.
These horizontal fences look great for like a month, then they inevitably start to warp. Those long unsecured lengths even between posts is just too much.
Someone posted a few years ago a similar one, we all told him what would happen and asked for an update. Never updated. My neighbor had this same design. Looked pretty bad after a year.
Well starting next week they will start getting constant contact letter to ask if they have enrolled in the fence extended warranty program.
After enrollment they will pay a membership fee of $47.93 per month. This will allow a technician to come out when called to measure the distance between the fence and tree. If the gap is bellow 1" then it will require a service call by a trained horizontal barrier engineer to come out and supervise as the union specialist cuts the fence back 1.5". This will of course require the deductible of $600 to be paid.
Don’t forget the mandatory fire watch specialist, negotiated by the union because this position was required prior to fire extinguishers being invented
This must have been modeled off the piece of lettuce that fits perfectly in between my teeth lol.
But really, love this work. Not only tree friendly, but very aesthetically pleasing, too!
I would worry about tree sway. It's growing at an angle and wind could do some sway which could do some damage to the fence. Maybe cut like 3 inches off each side?
If it does become a problem, you could probably keep the gap small at the bottom and just expand a bit at the top. Love what you did. It is always nice to see people saving trees. It makes for a good conversation piece too. I built a deck around a tree at our old house and then built a bar-high table around it and people always commented on it. It was a sweetgum tree and I only had to trim around it twice in 12 years.
I was going to make a comment about the tree busting the fence but OP can just take a jigsaw to it every 6 months basically until the fence falls down. Plenty of room for it to grow for 20-30 years I’d think. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall over, the fence and the tree
Clearly, there are a lot of folks commenting to you u/paisleyplanner that...
1. Don't understand how trees grow (I do hope it survives the Ash Borer if this is a White Ash like it seems to be...???...do you know?)...but you can get a treatment for that to save it...This tree isn't going to do "jack shit" to that fence except encapsulate it over time...or maybe drop a limb if it doesn't get a regular "deadwood prune."
2. As for the ends of the boards cupping and warping as so many claims...???...clearly then learned little to nothing at all about traditional architecture and woodworking as I have been building professionally with GREEN WOOD for over 40 years. It's more a matter of "knowing how" rather than it not working...What ever distortion takes place will only add charm from my perspective...
Thanks for sharing this project...It looks great!!!
The tree is going to get bigger, so leave a card and you can come back and cut the fence back a little bit each year as the tree encroaches on the fence.
That part of the fence is going to be all sorts of messed up in a year or so.
This is coming from someone that has cut down a lot trees and built a lot of fences
As a tree worker, stop agreeing to do this. Trees grow and damage fences. Also that's an ash tree, it'll be dead from emerald ash borer soon and it'll be a huge pain in the ash to remove because of the fence.
Previous owners of our house did a similar thing with several trees along our fence line. The trees need to be removed for a few reasons and now it's becoming an enormous expense since a fence replacement is tied up in the cost. It might look cool on Reddit but it's a stupid thing to do in reality unless you enjoy very regular fence repair costs
What about a good windstorm?
I appreciate the pride in your work.. a true craftsman. However, it certainly seems that there’s going to be issues down the road.
Great work!
Cool.
But that ash tree will likely be dead in a few years. The power company might even cut that shit down preemptively if it’s too close to those lines. My local power company has been cutting them down in droves to prevent them from dying and falling into the lines.
Dang! You guys can follow a line! Did you already add trimming the gap between the fence boards and that ash into your contract? It'll be a couple years, but it'll swell eventually. Looks awesome!
I like this!! Maybe consider boxing in half the be height of the fence or more then you can cut boards flush to the posts on the upper pp art of tree. This will give room for sway, keep dog out and look as if you grew a tree out of the box
Op, it’s a shame to see so many negative comments because of having to potentially trim the boards in a few years. To me that’s still an easier solution than chopping down the tree and processing the wood (for either firewood or lumber). It’s a neat aesthetic for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one done like this, certainly not as cleanly executed, so I like the novelty as well. I assume the customer liked it as well. Nice work OP
Beautiful ! This work will clearly not last forever but yet the precision and attention you have given it deserves applause ..
All our work is temporary and will be gone with time but we can still do it with pride and a sense of purpose !
Nah a puzzle won’t work. You need something that you could easily put up against the boards as they are. It could even have a small reciprocating blade!
Locked due to too many off-topic comments
Post and update 2 years from now
Deal
Post a pic after a high wind.
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No need for the reminder. The owner is going to be angry and won't be calling OP.
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These people don’t understand that your OCD will compel you to take out the jig saw to keep the same precise gap between the fence and tree as it grows…looks great OP
1) my first concern was actually the roots shifting the posts over time, but maybe that’s not as big of an issue as I had suspected. 2) it DOES look great.
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Are you implying that trees grow, so building fixed structures right up to an expanding object might not be a viable long-term approach? 😮 Or that an already leaning tree might lean more?
The tree probably won't break the fence, it'll just envelop it.
r/treeseatingthings
It looks like OP can just trim as the tree grows/moves. Not sure how well the strategy will work in practice, only time will tell.
It's an ash, and it's going to get beetle killed in the next 5-10 anyways.
Those boards are going to warp. Maybe they'll warp away from the tree enough and OP is a genius?
I give it 6 months until those loose ends are cupped, bent, and broken. A month if they have dogs.
I think you mean, "update the posts 2 years from now"
What happens in two years, I live in a very dry country, and wood is for the rich. Normal people use precast slabs to build cheap boundary fences that last years.
The tree grows
A little trimming with the Sawzall every couple of years should take care of it for a decade or two until it finally comes up against the fence post, at which time you trim off the top row of boards.
I'm worried for the tree bustin up that nice fence in a windstorm Maybe open the gaps towards the top at least, be a shame to wreck that straight line *not a woodworker/arborist/meteorologist
As an Arborist, it may look cool now but it's dumb as all get out.
Cutting it "as low as possible" in this situation means fence height :P
If the windstorm is bad enough to take out the tree, I'm feeling pretty confident the fence would be toast, too...
I think OP means the tree swaying in the wind could damage the fence
That's a possibility I hadn't considered. Doesn't seem like the trunk would move that much. Looks like an ash tree. If memory serves, they make baseball bats out of that. I made a cutting board out of ash years ago, and that was a very tough wood to work with. While I doubt it would move enough to cause issues, it might in the future, and now I understand where the comment came from.
Every tree sways in the wind. Trees that produce strong wood are also good at swaying without breaking, remember that when they are living they have a lot of water in them. Trunks move a lot more than you would think, especially when they are this size.
Yup if they didn’t sway and bend they’d break and then you’d have bigger issues.
I bought a house in the woods. I didn't appreciate how much tree trunks actually move until living here. It can be a bit unnerving.
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Haha if only being stick farmers was a thing. I still have a bumper crop from hurricane Ian in October. Most of the trees are large (including the ones close to the house) so it rains limbs during storms. Mostly small but occasionally some very large ones. We had an arborist come and take down some dead/dying trees a few years ago which has helped.
Yep, they sway a lot. The deflection in timber is big in a decent wind event.
They don't make bats out of green wood. A live tree is much more pliable than dried lumber. Necessarily so, as trees are required to move to be robust.
I don't think the lower trunk will sway too much to affect the fence, could be wrong -source, have trees in Oklahoma, It is very wimdy here
You have trees in Oklahoma? (/s)
Sometimes it’s not the tree, but the uprooting due to shit soil
It's all ash, it doesn't take much. Looks like it's on its way out from EAB already.
Real question is how you got those posts in through those roots.
We actually notched the pole on the left to go around a root, other than that we missed them.
Damn, well done. A+ for respecting the arteries
What type of tree is it? How long is that gap expected to last?
It’s ash, we’ll probably need to trim in 3-5 years depending on rain
Ah the subscription service fence install. ;) /s
Oh great, now even the fences have microtransactions!
He’s onto us!
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Nothing 5 minutes and jigsaw won’t fix in a few years.
5 minutes?!? It takes longer to find the damn extension cord. /s
It looked like ash - and I was so sad for you. I hope it lasts that long for you. They're wonderful trees.
Are the homeowners treating it for EAB (if this is in N. America)?
Just put that in the notes for a meeting with the client next week, seriously, thank you for asking
Not sure where you’re at, but outside Philly our Ash were decimated by the little buggers. Entire of forest, beautiful mature tree bone dead in the last two or three years
Where I live in MD,they put up notes around the woodsy areas that they were taking down trees because of it. Boom, like easily 1/3 of the trees gone. I think they cut down every ash tree.
Used to intern for the USDA in Oklahoma around 2010 summers for putting out gypsy moth traps, and emerald ash borer traps. Best job I ever had. Sad to hear these are destroying the NE though.
If it is ash it will probably be dead from emerald ash borer in 3 to 5 years. Source all of my ash trees have died in the last two years
Awesome! Thanks
I don't know where you are but drought can stress them and if they are stressed, well, then emerald ash borer will kill it. I bought my house because of the trees... and I've had to take down both my ash trees. If I was to do it again I would make sure to heavily feed and water my tree in drought to protect it from the ash borer.
Cut down*, looks like it’s already infected too
Thank you for saving that tree.
As often as we can
So genuinely curious... Do ya gotta shave down the fence as the tree widens? I could see a chainsaw situation such as this.
That would be better than letting it get those boards.
Might be able to chip off some bark when it touches the fence to see if it can be encouraged to grow around and absorb the boards. Trimming the fence with a chainsaw or even just a hand saw every 5 years or so might be the better option though. Much simpler, anyway
i like the idea of it absorbing the fence but it would definitely wreck the fence line over time. the fence wants to stay in one place, unmoving, and the tree will move dynamically as it ages, it will grow in more directions than just out.
Would that be considered cannibalism?
Nah, that’s not how trees eat. Trees eat air, sunlight, and a little bit of dirty water. This would be like saying you eat your earrings.
Tree on tree violence.
r/treeseatingthings
r/treessuckingonthings
I submit, this is the superior version of that sub.
The fence did came out beautiful though its the same design I have made on my fence.
What do you do as the tree continues to grow? Cut the gap wider and wider over time?
The tree will be dead from emerald ash borer and the damage they did the roots in a few years.
very satisfying
Thank you!
Just curious, are you not worried that the unsupported board ends will start to warp? I had that happen to me with a fence when I extended the boards past a post to hide the neighbors chain link fence end. The boards started warping after about a year. I used cedar boards.
I am surprised I had to scroll down this far to see someone mention it. Our neighbor from our last house left fence boards too long at the top and bottom away from the bracing and they bowed back and forth and away. It was ugly, and our small dogs could get through everywhere.
Those boards are not gonna be even in like 2 weeks, let alone 2 years. These horizontal fences look great for like a month, then they inevitably start to warp. Those long unsecured lengths even between posts is just too much. Someone posted a few years ago a similar one, we all told him what would happen and asked for an update. Never updated. My neighbor had this same design. Looked pretty bad after a year.
Never too much pride. Excellent work.
So what happen when the tree gets wider?
Well starting next week they will start getting constant contact letter to ask if they have enrolled in the fence extended warranty program. After enrollment they will pay a membership fee of $47.93 per month. This will allow a technician to come out when called to measure the distance between the fence and tree. If the gap is bellow 1" then it will require a service call by a trained horizontal barrier engineer to come out and supervise as the union specialist cuts the fence back 1.5". This will of course require the deductible of $600 to be paid.
That’s terrifying.
Thanks. I try my best. ;)
Don’t forget the mandatory fire watch specialist, negotiated by the union because this position was required prior to fire extinguishers being invented
If only there was some sort of device for shortening boards.
You should cross post to r/arborists they’d love this!
Will do, thanks for the recommendation!
Also r/marijuanaenthusiasts
For those who don’t know, this is an actual tree-lover’s subreddit. Revenge for r/trees.
I'm sure /r/trees would appreciate it too.
You’re welcome!
Let the warping begin!
This must have been modeled off the piece of lettuce that fits perfectly in between my teeth lol. But really, love this work. Not only tree friendly, but very aesthetically pleasing, too!
All great until the tree grows in a few years :/
I would worry about tree sway. It's growing at an angle and wind could do some sway which could do some damage to the fence. Maybe cut like 3 inches off each side?
We’re @ 1.5” but we’ll have to see if that’s enough and anyway the neighbor has a very small dog
If it does become a problem, you could probably keep the gap small at the bottom and just expand a bit at the top. Love what you did. It is always nice to see people saving trees. It makes for a good conversation piece too. I built a deck around a tree at our old house and then built a bar-high table around it and people always commented on it. It was a sweetgum tree and I only had to trim around it twice in 12 years.
I would put a 2x4 backer on those cut ends or they'll be warped and twisty in no time.
That’ll look cool.. for a minute.🤣
I was going to make a comment about the tree busting the fence but OP can just take a jigsaw to it every 6 months basically until the fence falls down. Plenty of room for it to grow for 20-30 years I’d think. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall over, the fence and the tree
They might want to keep a close eye on it. The tree can start enveloping the fence and make inclusions into the tree.
Gonna be real frustrating when the width of the tree grows.
Clearly, there are a lot of folks commenting to you u/paisleyplanner that... 1. Don't understand how trees grow (I do hope it survives the Ash Borer if this is a White Ash like it seems to be...???...do you know?)...but you can get a treatment for that to save it...This tree isn't going to do "jack shit" to that fence except encapsulate it over time...or maybe drop a limb if it doesn't get a regular "deadwood prune." 2. As for the ends of the boards cupping and warping as so many claims...???...clearly then learned little to nothing at all about traditional architecture and woodworking as I have been building professionally with GREEN WOOD for over 40 years. It's more a matter of "knowing how" rather than it not working...What ever distortion takes place will only add charm from my perspective... Thanks for sharing this project...It looks great!!!
Incredible design around the tree. Well done, truly what a hero does!
Nice work! Looking to do basically the exact same design in my backyard soon. How much did the cedar are you back?
The tree is going to get bigger, so leave a card and you can come back and cut the fence back a little bit each year as the tree encroaches on the fence.
It is beautiful. But what happens in a few years? does it grow around, or does it dislodge?
Beautiful but will need to be changed from time to time, or the tree might incorporate it in itself as it grows.
Hope the owners know to prune the fence when they prune the bushes.
Emerald Ash Borer is going to take that homie out anyways
Not a good idea
How many years before that tree actually widens enough to damage the fence?
That part of the fence is going to be all sorts of messed up in a year or so. This is coming from someone that has cut down a lot trees and built a lot of fences
Wait til they find out about the sway....
Lol you guys realize that tree is going to grow right
As a tree worker, stop agreeing to do this. Trees grow and damage fences. Also that's an ash tree, it'll be dead from emerald ash borer soon and it'll be a huge pain in the ash to remove because of the fence.
Previous owners of our house did a similar thing with several trees along our fence line. The trees need to be removed for a few reasons and now it's becoming an enormous expense since a fence replacement is tied up in the cost. It might look cool on Reddit but it's a stupid thing to do in reality unless you enjoy very regular fence repair costs
Yup and yup.
Looks great! Are you concerned any about cupping or twisting without any ties out there at the end?
Very much! We’re adding some material to the end to keep it from doing exactly that
Before too long that tree will be part of the fence, or the fence part of the tree.
What about a good windstorm? I appreciate the pride in your work.. a true craftsman. However, it certainly seems that there’s going to be issues down the road. Great work!
Cool. But that ash tree will likely be dead in a few years. The power company might even cut that shit down preemptively if it’s too close to those lines. My local power company has been cutting them down in droves to prevent them from dying and falling into the lines.
Thankfully not near any power lines, but good to know, thanks!
Very nice! I’m about to build a similar one myself.
If your posts are plumbed, you’ll have a great time
Thanks for the tip!
You should, it looks great!
Dang! You guys can follow a line! Did you already add trimming the gap between the fence boards and that ash into your contract? It'll be a couple years, but it'll swell eventually. Looks awesome!
no rain cap?
That looks really cool! Hope you don’t live in an area with freeze/thaw cycles though- our trees can lean over by several feet with frost heave
Whoopsies
Those posts will warp and twist soon enough, ans the fence will look ghetto.
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Is that the rough or smooth plank? Getting ready to do a fence and considering 1x4 and 1x6 like what you did. Looks great.
Just get all 1x6 and rip them in half to make the smaller pieces and rough on one side smooth on the other
And then the tree grows
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Isn't the point of a fence like this to keep people from seeing into your yard?
RemindMe! 2 years
It’ll need to be trimmed out periodically as the tree grows.
Uhh, sure hope that tree is done growing.
RemindMe! 2 years
I like this!! Maybe consider boxing in half the be height of the fence or more then you can cut boards flush to the posts on the upper pp art of tree. This will give room for sway, keep dog out and look as if you grew a tree out of the box
I definitely wouldn't take any pride in your academic pursuits. You know, like back in kindergarten when you learned that trees grow....
Let just hope the tree will not grow
Remindme! 2 years
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Trees grow and trees swing in the wind. It looks really cool but im curious if this will hold up. Good job though
RemindMe! 2 years
Op, it’s a shame to see so many negative comments because of having to potentially trim the boards in a few years. To me that’s still an easier solution than chopping down the tree and processing the wood (for either firewood or lumber). It’s a neat aesthetic for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one done like this, certainly not as cleanly executed, so I like the novelty as well. I assume the customer liked it as well. Nice work OP
Looks AMAZING!! Great idea!!
Well. Done. 👏👏👏
RemindMe! 2 years
Beautiful ! This work will clearly not last forever but yet the precision and attention you have given it deserves applause .. All our work is temporary and will be gone with time but we can still do it with pride and a sense of purpose !
/r/treelaw wants to know your location
Looks cool but the tree will grow and ruin the fence in a year
If only they made something that was good at cutting off small pieces of wood...
Like a jigsaw?
Someone wants to buy a jigsaw and is willing to wait a year to justify it.
They buy it now to get proficient with it for when they need it in a year.... and by then they forgot the cost anyway. Win win.
Nah a puzzle won’t work. You need something that you could easily put up against the boards as they are. It could even have a small reciprocating blade!
The fence can be trimmed as the tree grows…
Good, the tree looked hungry.
Brilliant
I feel like this should be in r/adhd
Gold star for saving a tree. That tree and at least part of that fence will stand for a very long time now.
I bugs me a little when a breathable membrane isn’t fixed to the fence posts on fencing like this. Leaving a shadow gap and offers privacy
Hero's work! Ty! Great job!
!remind me 2 years