Period Fence Rails

[swankgreg]

A friend of mine was telling me of a personal account of a soldier in the 72nd IN who talked of building "raider bunks" out of fence rails. It involves inter-weaving the rails so that they hold together, then throwing gum blankets over top. He describes it as an excellent rain shelter, suitable for six men, that can be thrown up in minutes.

My question relates to the construction of period fence rails as opposed to split rails you can buy at a local hardware store. Does anyone have any experience or references as to size, shape, length, diameter etc? I would like to try my hand at constructing one of these shelters, but I'm not sure these modern rails will work.

Thanks

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Period rails varied in length, a dozen feet more or less being typical. Shape depended on how they were split out, but was roughly triangular if split from small logs, or with some four-sided ones if split from larger logs so that more than one rail could be split from the radius.

If I'm thinking of the same ones as you are, the modern fence rails are about the same diameter, but are a little on the short side (though within period lengths), and of course are machine sawn or split so they don't have the same look but would function the same. However, the ends are generally scarfed down to fit into holes in posts. Some period rails were the same way of course, but the classic rail fence was just stacked, so the ends were the same as the rest of the rail. If you're stacking them to make a shelter, the thickness of the ends would make a difference in how far apart the rails stacked.

If you really want period rails and have access to logs, you can just split them by actually using period methods, and whatever they turn out looking like, will be what they would have been. :) You'll need a maul, wedges, plus an axe or hatchet for trimming them up as needed, and a saw or more typically an axe for cutting the logs to length in the first place. Whatever local wood that splits well, lasts in the weather and doesn't have a lot of knots is good.

More than you ever wanted to know about splitting rails and laying fences.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[David Fox]

Re: Period Fence Rails

...besides the list of items needed to split your own rails Mr Trent sets-out above, you need some skill, a bit of woodcraft knowledge, and a very great deal of brawn and/or patience. Lincoln really did split rails and, tho' scrawny in his fifties, was still famously strong. I've tried this in my checkered youth. I'd not try it again.

[Phantom Captain]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Howdy Greg, and everyone else!

I'm the one that was discussing this with Greg as we were thinking about various shelters for events and I just stumbled across this description in a book I'm currently reading. Figured I'd just post it for all to see.

This is taken from Lightning at Hoover's Gap, Wilder's Brigade in the Civil War by Glenn W. Sunderland

"Here it was that we first learned how to put up a raider's bunk, and as it served us a happy purpose on many occasions we will describe it. The raider's bunk was constructed of six rails and two men could put one up in less than a minute. With the addition of a rail at each side and our gum blankets thrown over them, the bunk had ample room under it for six men to sleep and keep dry, no matter how hard it rained. Lay three rails down parallel with each other and two feet apart. Lay a rail across these a foot from the ends, on top of the two outside ones and under the center one. Now raise this end of the three rails three feet high and cross two rails over the end of the center one, and under the ends of the outside ones, and the work is done."

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Fence Rails

The raider's bunk was constructed of six rails and two men could put one up in less than a minute.

Well, that's pretty clever. But I can't see how it requires six rails. The frame (not counting the crossed prop-rails) needs five. If you put crossed rails just on one end to make a lean-to, it requires a total of seven. Putting crossed rails on the other end also, or including "the addition of a rail at each side" makes it either nine or eleven. Am I missing something?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Period Fence Rails

I think it's six, or eight "with the addition" &c.

Three rails on the bottom, with one added a foot from one end (total four), then that end raised and rested on two more crossed (six).

I'm not exactly sure how it would hold together, but it would be interesting to try with full-sized rails of about a dozen feet in length. I imagine if you interleaved them correctly the weight would keep them in place.

I've split locust rails before; I think the ones I have are eight feet long. You use a sledge and wedge on the ends after stripping the bark with a draw knife. The quarters went easier than the halves, and it helped having had experience with splitting locust for firewood, but it was hot work and an awkward job making the initial split.

On the whole, the shelter would make an interesting experiment, but unless you had an actual rail fence at hand that you could pillage, I don't anticipate seeing many at events :)

[mtodriscoll]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Note that there is only one cross-rail.

"Lay a rail across these a foot from the ends, on top of the two outside ones and under the center one."

So it would look something like this before the 2 crossed rails are added t raise it up. Pardon the ASCII art...

____|
-----|-----------------
____|
---------------------
____|
-----|-----------------
____|

The left side is raised with the crossed pieces under the outside rails and over the inside rail, and the right side is left on the ground.

\____|
-\---|-----------------
__\__|
----X-----------------
__/__|
-/---|-----------------
/____|



You could do this with tree branches you find in the woods too. You wouldn't necessarily need rails.

[Phantom Captain]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Well, that's pretty clever. But I can't see how it requires six rails. The frame (not counting the crossed prop-rails) needs five. If you put crossed rails just on one end to make a lean-to, it requires a total of seven. Putting crossed rails on the other end also, or including "the addition of a rail at each side" makes it either nine or eleven. Am I missing something?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

Agreed! I was scratching my head on that one too until I drew it out. I do believe you have it correct mtodriscoll! Additionally an extra rail or two could be laid across the covering gum blankets to pin them down.

And I was thinking the same thing that it could be done with either cut saplings or really long straight branches instead of rails. Either way, it's a really interesting quick shelter and something our mess was talking about trying.

[tomarch]

Re: Period Fence Rails

If you're propping up the center rail with the two crossed ones, how do you keep the two outside rails in place, as they are underneath the cross rail, instead of on top of it.?..

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Fence Rails

"Lay a rail across these a foot from the ends, on top of the two outside ones and under the center one."

Aha! You're right. I was reading that to mean lay a rail a foot from each end, i.e. one rail a foot from the north ends, and another a foot from the south ends. But it makes more sense to read it as just one cross-rail. So that's four rails for the frame, plus the two prop rails, which equals six. Thank you!

If you're propping up the center rail with the two crossed ones, how do you keep the two outside rails in place, as they are underneath the cross rail, instead of on top of it.?..

Have you ever set up a shingle break? I think it's the same idea. Let me see if I can find an image online.

Well, no luck. Apparently it's not even called a shingle break, because I can't find that phrase at all. I can't even find it illustrated in a couple of Eric Sloane books. So now I have a slightly off-topic question: what do you call that thing which is a forked log held up by two crossed poles, that you use to hold upright wood being split very thin?

I've attached a drawing of how I think the raiders bunk works. And at the bottom is a drawing of the thingy that holds wood upright, which is also propped up on one end by two crossed poles. The only difference is that the poles press down on the tops of the forked log, rather than the top of the center rail. Bonus question: what is the wood splitting thingy called?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Marine Mike]

Re: Period Fence Rails

I'm not sure quite what you've got in your picture but to add to your explanation of 9:37 I'd add a glut. A glut is a field made wedge and usually considerably thicker than the iron wedges or maul that you'd be using for splitting. I split rails one summer to make my own fences. I'd start the split with the wedge and then follow up with the gluts. It went pretty fast. Woods I was splitting was cherry and cedar.
Mike Stein

[mtodriscoll]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Hey - great drawing! I was too lazy to draw it out and scan it in. ;)

Those rails would need to be long and/or thin, otherwise it would be really hard to flex the two outer rails to get the one cross beam under the center rail.

I like the idea of just using downed tree branches to make this. You could cut down small saplings too (1-2" diameter), depending on land owner permissions...

Gravity holds the thing up.

If you added another cross-beam at the other end and two more diagonal uprights, you could raise the other end too. Brings total poles required to 9. If one end is kept slightly lower, rain water would still run off. I bet you could fit even more pards under it then.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Fence Rails

Those rails would need to be long and/or thin, otherwise it would be really hard to flex the two outer rails to get the one cross beam under the center rail.

I don't think they need flexed. I think it would work even if all the rails were perfectly rigid. Okay, who's going to set this up in their yard and write a report and take pictures? :D

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[tomarch]

Re: Period Fence Rails

By Jove Hank, I think you've got'er figgered out! Nice drawing by the way

Tom Smith
Chineese Puzzle Mess

[swankgreg]

Re: Period Fence Rails

There will be a report and pictures after this weekend!