how should I attach the 1/2" hardware cloth?

[Mark & Nique]

I used U nails, which have served well.

 

[noodleroo]

Depending on the strength of your predators, zip ties work pretty good; that is unless you are keeping out bears or cougars...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Until Santa brings me an air-driven stapler & a compressor I will pound in the poultry staples using a needle-nosed pliers to hold the staple by one leg as I hammer it in. I also use the pliers to squeeze the legs together more, so they're more parallel. I use the poultry staples to fasten fence wire to posts. For hardware cloth, I prefer the screws & fender washers, or just screws through the batten of wood.

 

[twister]

screws and washers. it helped to bend the 1/2" hardware cloth exactly where i needed it first and then wrap it around wooden structure. ( we just built a tractor)
I read that staples were not raccoon proof and that they could pull them out, so we went with screws. Hope this helps.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I agree with everything Pat said. My preferred method is the wooden batten to flat wood and poultry staples to fence posts. I make sure the screw goes through a hole in the wire just for a bit of added safety, but if you screw that wooden batten down tight, that wire is not going anywhere. I often drill a pilot hole with a small drill bit before I put the screw in the batten. It's easier to start the screw and it helps keep the wood from splitting.

Sunny_Side_Up, I find it easier to straighten those poultry staples by putting one prong against something hard, like the fence post, then hitting it with a hammer to get the prongs parallel. If the prongs are not parallel or maybe even pointing in toward the center a tiny bit, those staples can be a lot harder to drive in.

 

[SassyKat6181]

We used a hammer stapler and it worked great. We were banging it into really hard, old oak.

 

[CountryFried]

I don't know of a manual staple gun that will do it.

This will, though, http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-flooring-nailer-and-stapler-99640.html

 

[elmo]

Staples and U nails can loosen over time as the wood dries out, so if that's what you use you should check periodically and refasten as needed. In fact, it's a very good idea whatever you use to periodically check over your coop, fence, etc. for weak spots.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
OR you could just let the raccoons do it for you...

 

[gramakoko]

Hi,


My reccomendation is 1 inch screws and washers and a cordless drill....It's very easy to make mistakes, and staples are hard to dig out....