A fence near a private house helps protect your site from strangers. In addition, it allows you to divide the entire territory into zones. It is a decorative element that is involved in creating a unified image of the courtyard. Looking at the fence creates a general impression of the site and its owners.
On the other hand, most owners strive to combine several characteristics at once when erecting a fence: quality, attractive appearance, reliability and economy. All these qualities can be met by a fence made of a metal bar. How to make a similar design with your own hands, we will consider in this article.
General concept
First, let's look at what metal bar fences are. Photos give us the big picture. According to them, you can understand that this type of fencing can be of several types. Usually these are steel strips, to which blanks (rods) are attached by welding. Moreover, the rods can be both square and round.
As a steel strip, in some cases they use themselvesrods. Only in this case you need to choose them with a rectangular section. Most often, the role of the bearing strips is played by metal profile pipes. Their size depends on the type and size of the fence.
The metal bar fence has a number of advantages that explain its wide popularity:
Long service life
Easy to manufacture and install
Attractive appearance
Variety of possible decor
Another important factor is that this type of fence can be made in various sizes. There are no restrictions on height or width. And if you do all the work with your own hands, then such a fence will be much cheaper than purchased in a store. Moreover, sections can be made in one place, and installed in another. There are no difficulties with transportation.
Fence decoration
To improve the appearance, a metal bar fence is decorated. For this, various methods are used. Most often, various options for filling the frame are used. The top edge of the fence can be not only flat. It is made convex, concave, in the form of a wave. The top rods can be decorated with arrows, balls, rings and so on.
Another option is the arrangement of rods in the form of geometric (and not only) shapes. Moreover, they can be located not only in one plane. Popular options where the rods are arranged in a "cascade", that is, they have protruding wavy sections.
Decoratemetal fences and railings made of bar can be forged. Various leaves, flowers, curls can be used.
Preparation of materials
The first step in the construction of a metal bar fence, as in all construction work, is the preparation of raw materials.
Metal bars with a square section are more convenient. They are easier to work with. It is more convenient to measure the required distances on them. They bend more easily. As a material, rods made of ordinary steel (3-10 PS / SP) are suitable. Thickness depends on bearing load and pattern. Most often, sections from 10x10 to 16x16 mm are chosen. It should be borne in mind that a thinner rod bends more easily. For small fences separating garden areas, even a rod with a section of 8x8 mm will do.
When choosing round bars, preference is given to those whose section diameter is in the range from 10 to 24 mm. Again, if you plan to bend blanks, it is better to choose thinner metal.
For the crossbars that will connect the rods, use a profile pipe or a metal strip. The first option is a thing of the past. It is usually used when creating a frame around each section. In such cases, pipes with dimensions of at least 30x30x2 mm are suitable for vertically located racks. For horizontal guides choose pipes with a cross section of 40x20 mm.
As for the metal strip, its width should be 3 times greater than the section of the selected rods. For example, if round blanks with a section diameter of 10 cm are used, thenthe strip is chosen with a width of 30 mm and a thickness of 2 mm.
Metal pipes are used as support. When purchasing material, you need to correctly calculate the quantity. So, the posts should be on average 60 cm more than the desired height of the fence. For example, if the fence will have a height of 2 m, the poles are made 2.6 m long. This is necessary in order to bury them in the ground.
Required tools
To make a fence from a metal bar with your own hands, you will need the following tools:
Welding machine (at the same time, you must have at least minimal experience with it)
Electrodes (2-2.5 mm)
Bulgarian
Cutting and grinding wheels
Hammers
Roulette
Clamps
Metal brush
String (twine)
All this is prepared in advance so that during work you are not distracted by the search for the right tool.
Preparation of sections
To understand how to make a metal bar fence, consider an example of the simplest option. It is a frame, inside which bars are located in the vertical direction. The recommended section size is 2.5x3 m. First you need to draw a diagram. Special programs will help facilitate this process. The second option is to do everything manually on paper. Between the rods, a step of 10 to 20 centimeters is maintained. The scheme will help calculate the required amount of materials and their dimensions.
Production of sections can be divided intothe following steps:
Preparing the frame (frame)
Filling the inner space with bars
Adding decorative elements
In the same sequence, a section is prepared in cases where a different pattern is used. On the outside, "ears" are welded to fasten the section to the support posts.
Preparation of supporting pillars
A metal bar fence is held up by support posts. There are several options for installing them. The choice depends on the type of soil. At best, a columnar base will suffice. In more complex situations, foundation preparation will be required.
The pillars can simply be screwed into the ground (hammered or installed as screw piles) or poured with concrete. A mixed version is also used, when the pillar is deepened into the soil from below, and concrete is poured near the surface of the soil.
Painting the fence
The last step in installing a metal bar fence is painting it. This is necessary to protect the fence from climatic factors, which will extend the service life.
The first step is to clean the structure from dust and dirt. Then clean the welds and places of corrosion (if any). A protective primer is applied to the entire fence with the first layer. After it dries (as a rule, in sunny weather it takes very little time), you can proceed todirect dyeing.
