IN THE FIELD
How to build a sturdy wooden stile
C
limbing over, or
through, wire fences is
a bad habit but, sadly
one we are all too familiar
with in South Africa. Anyone
on a smallholding will have
been told how this damages
or weakens fences a little bit
every time and will eventually
compromise the whole
structure of the fence.
There's also a chance you'll
hurt yourself, or rip your
clothing, in the process,
particularly as you get older.
And if there are electrified
strands in the fence you'll
probably get a good wallop
from that as well.
A gate is the most obvious
way to allow access from one
area to another, but there are
times you want an easy way
for humans to hop over a
fence, without the expense of
adding a gate.
If you aren't looking for a
wheelchair friendly option,
then a
simple
and cheap solution is a
traditional stile. A stile is an
arrangement of steps through
or over a fence, which allow
you to climb over it, but
which won't allow animals the
same facility.
Continued on page 31
Prevent fence damage with this simple two-step stile.
27
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