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A cemetery just isn't a cemetery unless it has an old, pointy, wrought-iron fence or gate somewhere. Here is a detailed plan for building just such a fence. Remember, sketch your plans on paper first.

Start with these materials to build a small section of fence:

1. (2) 6 or 8 foot legths of 1 by 2 inch lumber

2. (4) pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe, 10 or 8 feet in length

3. Black spray paint

4. A box of 1 inch screws

5. A small sheet of 1/4 inch plywood
Start by determining how long you want each section of fence to be and cut your lumber accordingly. You can build 8 foot sections, 4 foot sections, whatever. Remember though, the higher you build your fence, the harder it will be to keep it upright. I had a big problem with my gates because I built them too high. I solved the problem by holding the gates up with some heavy-duty outdoor umbrella stands, but it looked pretty stupid. I had to disguise the stands with black sheets.

Let's say your going to build an 8 foot section of fence that's about 3 1/2 feet tall. Take your drill and use a 7/8 inch wood borer drill bit (you can find these at any hardware store) and drill holes into the lumber about 8 inches apart. Do the same thing to the other piece of lumber so the holes match up when stacked together. Cut your PVC pipes into sections about 3 feet 4 inches long with a hacksaw, and insert each pipe through the holes in the lumber as shown in the diagram to the right. Fasten the PVC to the lumber with your 1 inch wood screws. If it doesn't look even and the bars are crooked don't worry! Remember, an old cemetery fence is going to look beat up and worn out.

Now use your hacksaw or table saw to cut out diamond-shaped points out of the 1/4 inch plywood for the tops of the iron bars. You could simply use cardboard instead, but wood is more durable. Simply slice a few notches into each diamond and insert them onto each PVC piece. Then paint the entire gate with black spray paint. Highlight a few sections with some brown paint to give it a rusty look.

You can use thicker PVC pipes to build fenceposts if you wish, and decorate them with skulls, or other creepy things. To mount the fence sections, get some 2 foot pieces of rebar at your local hardware store, pound them into the ground, and slide the PVC gates over them.

As I said before, the gates I built were too big. I had trouble keeping them upright and had a hard time storing them. In the future I plan to build smaller fence sections like I just demonstrated and surround the entire graveyard with them.