I'm working building a small dog run on the side of our house and was wondering if y'all had any thoughts on how to best stretch the mesh wire so it's tight and not sagging.

I'd rather not spend a bunch of money on fancy tools to do this since it's a one time project. Also, most seem to be for 1" spacing or larger fencing. I'm using 1/2" wire mesh, so I'm not sure what the easiest/best way to do this is.

Here's what I'm using: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-25-ft-Hardware-Cloth-308226HD/204331883

Take 2 2x4s and make something like this. You will need something stable to pull towards.



This is an inexpensive tool for tightening

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What he said!

I built a dog run using the 1" x 4" wire. Had some friends who built about 5,000 feet of that kind of fencing, so they helped out a lot.

Keep the fencing single piece as much as possible. I put the 4 major posts in, with 4 support posts (2 x 4 layout) and stretched the material to each post with the roll. Put a piece of pipe in the middle and pull.

I tied it to the post I stretched it to, several points up and down, then stretched to the next post. Essentially did 4-5 foot sections at a time.


Another hint, since it is a dog run, is to prevent digging, fold about 4-6 inches of the bottom so it lays on the grass going into the run. The fence, when looking at the side, should make an "L". Can put a few tines around the posts and manhandle it so that it lays flat around them.


Also, if you have a gate, make a big loop (big being relative) where the gate will latch. This will cover any holes from the gate that the dog might be able to wiggle through.


I thought I created a thread about it; I do have photos if you want to see.

~egon

Try something like this.