GB2367309A

GB2367309A - Flat pack fence panel

Info

Publication number: GB2367309A
Application number: GB0021956A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alexander Kerr Brooks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-09-07
Filing date: 2000-09-07
Publication date: 2002-04-03
Also published as: GB0021956D0

Abstract

A fence panel 10 which can be assembled from a kit of parts is provided which, when assembled, has a top and bottom rail 12,14, a plurality of vertical rails 16, 16a extending between the top and bottom rails 12, 14 on the front and back of the fence panel 10, and a plurality of lapping boards 18 fixed between the vertical rails 16, 16a. The boards 18 are fixed to the vertical rails 16, 16a with wood screws which penetrate pilot holes 20 in the vertical rails 16, penetrate the lapping boards 18 and partially penetrate the rails 16a on the back of the fence panel 10. There is also disclosed a method of constructing a fence panel 10 from the "flat-pack", kit of parts.

Description

FENCE PANEL

The present invention relates to improvements in lap panel fencing and to a method of constructing said fencing from a"flat-pack", modular configuration.

Lap panel fencing has been in use for a number of years and is used primarily for providing boundary fences for private gardens and property. A complete fence is erected normally by securing each fence panel between two support posts which are fixed in concrete foundations or anchored to the ground by some means. Fence panels are available in a number of sizes, the largest typically being approximately 61 6'which necessitates special transport means to deliver fencing of such size to the intended site.

It is an object of the present invention to remove the requirement of a larger mode of transport by enabling the panels to be supplied in such a way that they can be easily and safely transported by a vehicle of average size, such as a family car, thus eliminating, or at least reducing delivery costs.

Traditionally, lap panel fences are made from wood and are constructed from top and bottom rails joined by horizontally spaced vertical rails to which overlapping slats are horizontally fixed. Normally, further rails are fixed against the bottom rail and the lowermost slat, and

against the top rail and uppermost slat which provide increased structural strength, particularly resistance to high lateral forces caused by strong cross-winds for example. The inclusion of such rails can perhaps be considered a disadvantage in terms of manufacturing time and expenditure. In addition it is standard practice to fix the components together using nails or staples which are prone to loosening, particularly in areas which experience periods of dry, wet and windy weather which can cause the timber to swell and shrink, and to cause separation of the components thus forcing the nails or staples to withdraw.

It is among the objectives of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages by providing a more suitable method of constructing fencing of the type described herein.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fence panel having: a top rail having a channel running along its length on its lower surface; a bottom rail having a channel running along its length on its upper surface; vertical supporting rails extending between the top and bottom rails; and overlapping boards extending between the vertical supporting rails with the uppermost and lowermost lapping

boards housed in the channels of the top and bottom rails respectively.

By virtue of having the channels in the top and bottom rails the need for fixing further horizontal rails to hold these panels in place is eliminated.

Preferably each channel is slightly wider than the thickness of the lapping boards for which they are provided to anticipate expansion of the lapping boards.

Preferably the channel of the the bottom rail contains a plurality of drainage holes therein to avoid said channel filling with water and damaging the wood.

Preferably the upper surface of the top rail is shaped in such a way that water is easily shed from it and does not lie stagnant thus penetrating and damaging the wood.

The top rail upper surface may be, for example, bevelled in shape.

Preferably also the vertical rails extend between the top and bottom rails, on either side of the lapping boards such that any fixing means may be driven through one vertical rail, through a board and finally, partially through the vertical rail on the opposite side. To aid this each of the vertical rails on at least one side are pre-drilled to the same"template"configuration and alternately inverted to produce a staggering of the holes.

This arrangement, in conjunction with any penetrative fixing means, results in only alternate lapping boards

being fixed to the same vertical rail, and adjacent vertical rails providing support for a different set of boards.

Preferably the components of the fence panel are fixed and held together by woodscrews penetrating pre-drilled pilot holes in the top rail, bottom rail and at least half of the vertical rails.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a fence panel supplied in a "flat-pack"kit form, the kit comprising: a top rail having a channel; a bottom rail having a channel; a plurality of non pre-drilled supporting rails; a plurality of pre-drilled supporting rails; a plurality of lapping boards; and a plurality of fixing screws.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of constructing a fence panel from the aforesaid"flat-pack"kit form, the method comprising the steps of: laying down the top and bottom rails and fixing the non pre-drilled supporting rails to them using the fixing screws; slotting a lapping board into the channel in the bottom rail and progressively laying subsequent boards, slightly overlapping, with the final board being positioned

in the channel in the top rail ; laying down and fixing the pre-drilled supporting rails to the top and bottom rails with the fixing screws ; and fixing the lapping boards to the supporting rails with the fixing screws penetrating the pre-drilled holes in the supporting rails.

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view of a section of a fence panel; and Figure 2 is an end view of the fence panel of Figure 1.

Reference is first made to Figure 1 which shows part of a fence panel 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The fence panel 10 comprises a top rail 12, a bottom rail 14, and four vertical rails 16 on the front (only two shown) and a further four on the back (only one rail 16a shown in Figure 2), between which a plurality of lapping boards 18 are fixed with screws.

Typically a 6'x 6'fence panel will contain twenty two lapping boards with approximately eleven screws used per rail. There is provided pilot holes 20 for these fixing screws only in those vertical rails 16 that are positioned on the front of the fence panel. These pilot holes 20 are

drilled in such a manner that when the vertical rails 16 are fitted to the top and bottom rails, the holes are staggered. This staggered arrangement means that adjacent rails are not fixed to the same boards, and the boards are fixed to at least two rails.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 which shows an end view of the fence panel 10 of Figure 1. The upper surface of the top rail 12 is bevelled in shape and contains a number of pilot holes 26 for positioning wood screws for fixing to the vertical rails 16. The bottom rail 14 also contains pre-drilled pilot holes 26. Both the bottom and top rails 12,14 contain a channel 22 running along their lengths into which the bottom and top lapping boards are slotted. In this embodiment, the lapping boards 18 are approximately 5mm thick with the channels being approximately 8mm wide. The channel 22 in the bottom rail 14 contains three (only one shown in Figure 2) equally spaced drainage holes 28 which allow the passage of water. The boards 18 overlap 24 each other by approximately 5mm and are fixed to the vertical rails 16 with wood screws.

The fixing screws penetrate the pilot holes 20 in the vertical rails 16; penetrate the lapping board 18; and partially penetrate the rails on the back of the fence panel 10.

For ease of transport the panel 10 is provided in "flat-pack"kit form which comprises:

one top rail 12 ; one bottom rail 14 ; four pre-drilled supporting rails 16a; four non pre-drilled supporting rails 16; twenty two lapping boards 18; and sixty wood screws.

Constructing the fence panel 10 from the aforesaid kit comprises the steps of: laying down the top and bottom rails 12,14 and fixing the for non pre-drilled supporting rails 16a to them using the fixing screws; slotting a lapping board 18 into the channel 22 in the bottom rail 14 and overlying the non pre-drilled supporting rails 16a and progressively laying subsequent boards, slightly overlapping 24, with the final board being positioned in the channel 22 in the top rail 12; laying down the pre-drilled supporting rails 16 on top of the lapping boards 18 and fixing the rails 16 to the top and bottom rails 12,14 with the fixing screws; and fixing the lapping boards 18 to the supporting rails 16,16a with the fixing screws penetrating the pre-drilled holes 20 in the supporting rails 16; penetrating the boards 18; and partially penetrating the rails 16a.

Claims

1. A fence panel having : a top rail having a channel running along its length on its lower surface; a bottom rail having a channel running along its length on its upper surface; vertical supporting rails extending between the top and bottom rails; and overlapping boards extending between the vertical supporting rails with the uppermost and lowermost lapping boards housed in the channels of the top and bottom rails respectively.

2. The fence panel of claim 1, wherein each channel is slightly wider than the thickness of the lapping boards for which they are provided to anticipate expansion of the lapping boards.

3. The fence panel of claims 1 or 2, wherein the channel of the bottom rail contains a plurality of drainage holes therein to avoid said channel filling with water and damaging the wood.

4. The fence panel of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the upper surface of the top rail is shaped in such a way that water is easily shed from it and does not lie stagnant thus penetrating and damaging the wood.

5. The fence panel of claim 4, wherein the top rail upper surface is bevelled in shape.

6. The fence panel of any preceding claim wherein the vertical rails extend between the top and bottom rails, on either side of the lapping boards such that any fixing means may be driven through one vertical rail, through a board and finally, partially through the vertical rail on the opposite side.

7. The fence panel of any preceding claim, wherein each of the vertical rails on at least one side are predrilled to the same"template"configuration and alternately inverted to produce a staggering of the holes.

8. The fence panel of any preceding claim, wherein only alternate lapping boards are fixed to the same vertical rail, and adjacent vertical rails provide support for a

different set of boards.

9. The fence panel of any preceding claim, wherein the components of the fence panel are fixed and held together by woodscrews penetrating pre-drilled pilot holes in the top rail, bottom rail and at least half of the vertical rails.

10. A fence panel supplied in a"flat-pack"kit form, the kit comprising : a top rail having a channel; a bottom rail having a channel' a plurality of non pre-drilled supporting rails; a plurality of pre-drilled supporting rails; a plurality of lapping boards; and a plurality of fixing screws.

11. A method of constructing a fence panel from the "flat-pack"kit form of claim 10, the method comprising the steps of: laying down the top and bottom rails and fixing the non pre-drilled supporting rails to them using the fixing screws;

slotting a lapping board into the channel in the bottom rail and progressively laying subsequent boards, slightly overlapping, with the final board being positioned in the channel in the top rail; laying down and fixing the pre-drilled supporting rails to the top and bottom rails with the fixing screws; and fixing the lapping boards to the supporting rails with the fixing screws penetrating the pre-drilled holes in the supporting rails.